11:02 PM CDT on Monday, September 10, 2007
(KMOV)- The metro area is a step closer to attracting a major league soccer team.
Collinsville approved a new multi-million dollar soccer stadium.
News 4 Robert Townsend has the report.
Video Link
http://www.kmov.com/video/localnews-index.html?nvid=173682&shu=1
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Collinsville approves soccer stadium
MAJOR DAY FOR SOCCER
Approval of stadium plan means MLS closer than ever
Comment By PETE HAYES The Telegraph
September 11, 2007 - 12:02AM
It’s been a long and arduous trip for Jeff Cooper. And following Monday’s approval of a pre-annexation agreement that will lead to a 18,500-seat, soccer specific stadium and an eventual Major League Soccer franchise for St. Louis, he needed a beer.
But first, a phone call.
Cooper, the man behind all the fuss, phoned MLS President Mark Abbott.
“I told him to bring on the MLS,” Cooper said. “St. Louis is ready.”
Indeed. Cooper, a successful East Alton attorney, never forgot his Granite City soccer roots. And when he and his St. Louis Soccer United group began working toward landing an expansion MLS franchise for the city, they knew a soccer-specific stadium is a must.
Build it or they won’t come.
Well, with Monday’s 4-1 vote by the Collinsville City Council, they will for sure be building the stadium on land near the intersection of Interstate 255 and Horseshoe Lake Road. That’s farmland now, near an area that’s been home to recreation soccer fields for Collinsville children. But come 2009, it will also be the site of the best professional soccer in the U.S.
And Cooper is the man mostly responsible.
“I’m very, very happy,” Cooper said after Monday’s meeting. “I think everything went very well.”
There were brief speeches by several supporters on behalf of the stadium plan – and some talk by Collinsville School District officials, who question the use of TIF money for such use.
“There’s no real opposition,” Cooper said. “We’re still too early in the process.
“The more people see of the plans, the more they support them.”
Many business leaders from Collinsville attended the meeting and soccer fans demonstrated outside Collinsville City Hall, beating drums and chanting, “MLS! MLS!”
While much work remains to be done, Cooper is relieved that this portion of the process is behind him.
“We have taken a major step,” he said. “The first step is always the hardest.”
The stadium plan includes several soccer fields for youth teams, commercial, hotel and restaurant areas as well as housing units in a “Soccer Main Street” area surrounding the stadium.
It was indeed a beautiful day for the beautiful game Monday in Collinsville, a city that’s been known for its strong youth and high school teams, will now be the venue for the highest level of soccer in this country. It seems fitting, somehow.
It will be interesting to see how soon it al comes together, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if Soccer Main Street is up and running before Ballpark Village rises out of its hole in near Busch Stadium.
In fact, if I were a betting man, I’d put my greenbacks on Cooper. I’ve learned that much – and so has the MLS.
Collinsville City Officials Take Step towards Soccer Stadium
Video Link
http://www.ksdk.com/video/default.aspx?aid=58559&bw=
By Alex Fees
(KSDK) - Collinsville moves closer to bringing professional soccer, a new stadium, and economic development to that community. Monday night's approval of an annexation agreement by the city council came despite concerns over tax increment financing, or TIF funding, and its affect on education in Collinsville.
City Manager Bob Knabel explained figures showing the new soccer stadium could result in a net profit of as much as two-million dollars for the city.
Knabel said, "It's a great opportunity, and I'll just go on record right now, telling the council and the community that as we move forward on this, in terms of the analysis and the study that was done, the staff views this as a very positive thing for the community, both in terms of the financial aspect and also in terms of the quality of life aspect."
Plans for the soccer stadium include a 400-acre complex with an 18,500-seat soccer stadium, eight youth soccer fields, retail space, an office complex, two hotels, and 1600 residential units.
"If you look at some of the numbers, related to attendance just to the complex or stadium, that's a little over 400,000 visitors to the games, and to the special events," said Knabel.
As for impact and value of the facility, Knabel said, "One million visitors a year, 130,000 over night stays, anticipated annual retail sales, not including big box, of $42,800,000."
Knabel said in the 1600 residential units, developers are estimating 3,680 people will live there, based on a per-unit capacity of 2.3 people, with full build-out in ten years.
Kai Redmon, acting treasurer of the Collinsville Chamber of Commerce, said, "After reviewing the proposed project, the board voted to strongly encourage the city council to proceed with negotiations with St. Louis Soccer United, in order to bring about the soccer stadium, and the adjoining retail office and residential development. The Chamber feels the economic impact of this project will positively impact the Collinsville business community, and enhance the city as a place to do business.
Collinsville School District attorney Mike James said, "The board of education supports economic development, and realizes the importance of private and public investment in the city, as a means of promoting the future growth of the community. Educating students through adequately-funded schools contributes to a skilled workforce, and contributes to maintaining and improving property values and advances a quality of life that is attractive to employers and fosters capital investment."
He added, however, that "the information presented to you by the city manager did not incorporate any numbers without a residential TIF, but let me be clear about that point. The Board of Education very adamantly holds the opinion that the use of TIFs to support residential development is bad public policy, and is unacceptable. It places an unreasonable and undue burden on the school district to provide additional services, without providing the economic resources to do so. This is unfair to kids and to students, and to taxpayers in the district."
James asked that provisions be made to protect school district resources.
"To the extent that the proposed pre-annexation agreement obligates the city to a residential TIF, and to a share in the increment in the residential taxes to be received from the TIF, I would ask on behalf of the school district, that you strike those provisions from the agreement."
Kevin Weinacht is chairman of the Collinsville Economic Development Commission. Weinacht said, "This is the type of development that most cities in the United States will never have an opportunity to be part of. Yet, Collinsville residents have before them the largest development opportunity in the history of this city. Yes, this project will definitely put us in the big leagues when it comes to economic development and growth for the future of our city."
City Council member Lisa Ciampoli raised concerns about the type of housing associated with the project. Ciampoli also worries about it's affect on the school district. She also wanted to know what would happen to the dedicated funding if a soccer team came... and went, a short time later.
Speaking for the Collinsville Gateway Center, John Bitzer said, "I can tell you the Gateway Center is totally committed to this project. We are behind the Mayor and city council one-hundred percent, and we urge you to consider all the positive aspects of this project, while doing your due diligence as you go along. But it seems to me from what we've heard after meetings with members of the city council, staff, and MLS, that there is so much potential, here."
Monday, August 13, 2007
FOX 2 STL inteview w/ Jeff Cooper
KTVI-myFOXstl.com -- If you build it, they will come. That's a Metro East's lawyer rallying cry for a $100 million major league soccer stadium in Collinsville, Illinois. East Alton attorney Jeff Cooper will present his plan to the Collinsville city council Monday night. Continue Reading "FOX 2 STL inteview w/ Jeff Cooper" »
Friday, August 10, 2007
Stadium of Dreams
Stadium of dreams
By Tom Timmermann and Shane Graber
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Friday, Aug. 10 2007
Efforts to bring professional outdoor soccer back to St. Louis will enter a decisive phase on Monday when a prominent Metro East lawyer will propose a $100 million stadium complex in Collinsville that he intends to be home to a Major League Soccer franchise.
The Collinsville City Council will hear a presentation from East Alton attorney
Jeff Cooper about a 400-acre development project that would include an 18,900-seat stadium, a hotel, at least two restaurants, about 1,000 single-family homes, several youth soccer fields and nearly 500,000 square feet of office and retail space.
While the complex would be a destination point in the Metro East area, it would not come without risk; Collinsville would have to sell about $20 million in bonds to get the project started. The City Council is expected to vote Sept. 10 on the project, which would be located at Interstate 255 and Horseshoe Lake Road."When I saw it," said Collinsville Mayor Stan Schaeffer, "I was expecting a stadium — and I got a suburb." Schaeffer and the four Collinsville City Council members make up the five-person panel that would vote on the proposal. He said the city has been working since January last year to make this happen.
Collinsville would pay off what likely would be 25-year bonds from sales taxes on everything bought at the complex, a parking tax included in ticket costs, and an entertainment tax also included in the price of a ticket.
Once the bonds are paid off, the city would still collect that tax money, Cooper said.
"The city stands to make $40 million to $50 million above and beyond the bonds in the first 10 years," he said. "What we're prepared to do is put an $80 million to $100 million investment into Collinsville, and we're asking the city to help us out with some of that with taxes that will be paid off from the project.
"Collinsville is also investing in its own future."
If the stadium plan is approved, St. Louis soon could be granted an MLS expansion franchise that would begin play in 2009. Cooper has negotiated extensively with the league about securing a team and is confident that once a stadium deal is done, a team would soon follow.
"I'm extremely optimistic,'' said Cooper, who this year tried to buy an MLS franchise, Real Salt Lake, from Blues owner Dave Checketts. Once the deal is done, "it's in MLS' court at that point. Then it's up to MLS to help us get this deal done, which they've committed from Day One to do the minute we had a stadium deal."
Collinsville City Manager Bob Knabel said he and his staff will recommend during next month's council meeting that the city approve the complex. He acknowledged that the proposal includes no guarantees. If the league, team or stadium tanks, the city will have to find other ways to pay off the bonds.
"There's always a risk, but you're also trying to cover those risks with what you see as reasonable resources," Knabel said.
Cooper said that an analysis commissioned and conducted by Economics Research Associates estimated the project would create $2.3 billion of economic impact to Collinsville and the surrounding area over 10 years.
At present, the ownership group consists of Cooper and Michael Huyghue, the president of a sports management company and the former general manager of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. Cooper said he is in discussions with other potential local investors.
While Collinsville isn't the only city where the team could go, it's the only city that would be ready by 2009. MLS plans to add only two more teams by 2010 before stopping expansion for several seasons. Also, the current expansion fee is $30 million, but that price is expected to go up — possibly to $50 million — as the league enters the David Beckham Era, which is expected to bring in more revenue. When Toronto received an expansion franchise in November 2005 to begin play this season, the price tag was $10 million.
St. Louis is one of several cities working to get a team before the league settles at 16 franchises. (The league currently has 13 teams, and an expansion team in San Jose, Calif., will start next year.) But the league won't consider a city for expansion unless it has an appropriate venue, preferably an 18,000-seat soccer-specific stadium that the team controls. Without that, it's difficult for teams to show a profit.
A franchise in St. Louis would be appealing to MLS.
"Major League Soccer is excited about St. Louis Soccer United's efforts to bring an MLS team to one of the most passionate and storied soccer markets in the United States," MLS President Mark Abbott said Thursday. "We continue to believe the greater St. Louis area would be a tremendous home for an MLS club and are pleased to see the interest from the city of Collinsville in a soccer-specific stadium and mixed-use development."
St. Louis has a strong soccer heritage. A St. Louis team would create a natural rivalry with franchises that already exist in Kansas City and Chicago. St.
Louis University is consistently among the NCAA's leaders in soccer attendance, and there are many players with St. Louis roots in the league. Additionally, preps soccer thrives here in relation to most other markets.
The discussions with the league, Cooper said, have moved past topics like the expansion fee and on to issues such as hosting the MLS All-Star Game or MLS Cup, the league's championship game, as well as the method for choosing players in the expansion process and acquiring international players.
Cooper said the team would need to break ground by November to be assured of having the stadium done in time for the 2009 season.
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