An election over bringing the Crew to Austin for the '19 season is "becoming a growing possibility as parkland in the core of the city is emerging as a potential location for a stadium that would need to seat at least 20,000 people," according to Philip Jankowski of the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN. While Crew Chair Anthony Precourt has "promised he won’t use taxpayer money to build a facility, the economics would make much more sense if the city were able to provide the land for it free of charge." The Austin City Council has "ordered the city to research what city-owned land could be used for a MLS stadium, including parkland." But repurposing the parkland would "likely trigger a public election." Austin-based attorney Richard Suttle said that is something Precourt "would prefer to avoid." Precourt would "like to have a site for a stadium picked by Jan. 1 and an agreement with the city in place by the summer." Meeting those deadlines "would be difficult if the city held an election in either March or May, and outright impossible if a soccer election were held" in November '18. Texas law states that "no parkland can be sold at any price without voter approval" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 11/25). In Columbus, Andrew Erickson notes a Nov. 15 meeting in N.Y. involving MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Columbus Partnership CEO Alex Fischer, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and Precourt "ended with all parties expressing some sort of frustration." A source said that expansion, in the event the Crew relocate to Austin after next season, was "presented as an option to the Columbus group" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 11/28).
