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RamBill

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St. Louis unveils plan for stadium
By Nick Wagoner
ESPN.com

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...stadium-cost-least-860m?ex_cid=espnapi_public

ST. LOUIS -- Less than a week after news came that St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke is part of a group developing a new NFL stadium in Los Angeles, St. Louis revealed a plan for a stadium of its own on Friday afternoon.

The plan calls for the construction of a 64,000-seat open-air NFL stadium to sit on about 90 acres of land on the north St. Louis riverfront, about a half-mile or so from the Gateway Arch.

According to former Anheuser-Busch president Dave Peacock and local attorney Bob Blitz, the two-man task force appointed by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to come up with the plan, the new stadium would cost between $860 and $985 million with construction to begin in 2016 and be completed in 2020.

In addition to housing a football team, the plan also accounts for the potential addition of a Major League Soccer team, some renovations of the Edward Jones Dome to attract major sporting events like the Final Four and additional development in the currently blighted north St. Louis area. Peacock has been in contact with MLS commissioner Don Garber.

According to Peacock, the proposal isn't just about keeping football in St. Louis but altering the way St. Louis is viewed.

"It's about the future of our region," Peacock said. "It's about how we are perceived, it's about no longer accepting the notion that our assets can just dissolve in front of us or leave."

Peacock also provided the breakdown of how the new stadium could be funded and emphasized repeatedly that under this plan there would be no new taxpayer burden.

It would breakdown with about $200 to $250 million from Kroenke, $200 million from the NFL G4 program, $300 to $350 million from the possible extension of current bonds on the Edward Jones Dome which will expire in the next 10 years or so and the use of tax credits for building up a blighted area as well as the proceeds from the sale of personal seat licenses.

At it stands, the state pays $12 million a year toward the debt on the Edward Jones Dome while the city and St. Louis County each pay $6 million annually.

"The new stadium will impose no new tax burden on taxpayers in the local region and the state of Missouri," Peacock said. "We are confident that the money is available in such a way that it will not add an incremental burden on our community and if anything the net result we'd incur on this investment is positive for the community."

Peacock and Blitz presented the final plan to Nixon on Friday morning and the plan has already been sent to Rams and NFL officials.

The Rams sent out a statement Friday saying they had seen the plans and they would review them and speak with Peacock and Blitz.

That doesn't necessarily include Kroenke, who has yet to speak to Peacock, Blitz or any other civic leaders.

"I'm sure he's seen these because they've been shared early on in the process," Peacock said. "I don't know of its impact or his reaction because I haven't met with him. ... I'm sure we'll meet with Stan Kroenke when the time is right."

Peacock and Blitz made it a point to emphasize that St. Louis is and deserves to be an NFL city, even introducing the hashtag #STLNFL during the news conference.

Blitz, who was part of the group to bring the Rams to town in 1995, pointed out that the city is now in the opposite situation it was then.

"At that time, we were building a state of the art stadium but we had no football team," Blitz said. "Today, we have a football team but our stadium is obsolete."

Peacock, who has lived in St. Louis his entire life, expressed confidence that the new stadium and conversations that will take place from here all fall in line with the NFL's rules on relocation and that this plan is far from being "too little, too late."

"Our urgency is not driven by anything that's going on in another market," Peacock said. "Our urgency is not driven by Los Angeles or anywhere else for that matter. Our urgency is driven by the fact that we build a new stadium for our fans and for our community to be a community and public asset. There's imperative as we started the Arch grounds as the impetus to continue this great work and position our city to where it deserves to be in people's minds for 2020."
 

StevenG-BR

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If only I had won that $600 million powerball a while back... I would totally step in and offer to fully reimburse Kroenke's share, on the condition that he accepts my offer within two weeks.

I'd still have $400 million minus taxed left over to retire and party at my new stadium club suite (which, of course, would be part of the condition, along with lifetime tickets).

I love daydreaming.
 

Dxmissile

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The stadium is simple. No creativity. No innovation. They could have done a much better job IMO.
There is still a lot that has to be done for the stadium we don't know any of the small details that really makes a stadium. A lo t of people was making the claim for an open air stadium now it seems like I'm reading nothing but negativity on the looks of the stadium. These are professionals architects that are going to build the stadium, holding in noise is going to be addressed, I for one will hold judgement until after the stadium has been built and I attend my first game in the stadium.
 

StevenG-BR

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The stadium is simple. No creativity. No innovation. They could have done a much better job IMO.

Honestly, I thought the initial proposal for the upgraded dome was cooler looking that this Riverfront stadium. But that's just going off looks alone. I don't hate the new proposal, but I agree... nothing really exciting about it. It's nice for what it is... an affordable open-air venue and an upgrade over the dome.
 

-X-

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Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/158232/key-bullet-points-from-st-louis-stadium-plan



ST. LOUIS -- As with any stadium proposal anywhere, there are plenty of moving parts when it comes to the new deal being put on the table in St. Louis' attempt to keep the Rams in the city.

With that in mind, this is an effort to lay out some of the key points of the proposal. By no means is this comprehensive, and Friday's news conference didn't answer anything close to all of the tough questions and hurdles that remain, but here's what the task force of Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz wanted to convey on Friday in bullet-point form:
  • The plan features an open-air, 64,000-seat stadium on the north riverfront with views to the south of the Gateway Arch and downtown St. Louis. There are an estimated 10,439 parking spaces provided in the plan, and the stadium will have access to multiple forms of public transportation.
  • The expected cost is between $860 million and $985 million.
  • The goal of the plan isn't just to house an NFL team but also lure a Major League Soccer team. Peacock and Blitz have already discussed that possibility with MLS Commissioner Don Garber, and the plans have built in 30,000 lower-bowl seats for MLS and international soccer events.
  • The stadium will be a public asset owned by a public entity such as the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority and would be leased to the Rams (or the NFL team it houses) with the ability to sublet to a possible MLS franchise. Any revenue splits, operating rights, management agreements, parking terms, signage, naming rights and other revenue generating initiatives would be negotiated with the NFL team.

Here's the breakdown of the 64,000 seats for NFL games:
  • 54,020 general seats
  • 2,000 suite seats (includes private suites and on-field seating)
  • 480 loge box seats (eight seats in each of 60 boxes)
  • 7,500 club seats
  • The 90-plus acre site is a mix of publicly and privately owned property. The aforementioned cost includes the expected purchase and acquisition of the properties.
  • The plan also includes the financing of improvements to the Edward Jones Dome so it can be repositioned as a permanent convention center that can also be used to attract major sporting events such as college basketball's Final Four.
  • From a financing perspective, the new stadium is not expected to add any new tax burden on taxpayers locally or in the state.

Here are the estimated costs:
  • Land/Demolition - $90-110 million
  • Stadium construction - $600-650 million
  • Parking/infrastructure needs - $170-225 million
  • Total - $860-985 million

Here's how the financing is expected to work according to Peacock and Blitz:

Private financing
  • NFL team ownership - $200-250 million
  • NFL (committed to match up to $200 million through G4 loan program) - $200 million
  • Total - $400-450 million

Potential public sources (all contingent on commitment of private financing)
  • Extension of bonds on Edward Jones Dome - $300-350 million
  • Missouri Development Finance Board support - $15-25 million
  • Brownfield tax credits (for improving blighted areas) - $25-30 million
  • Personal seat license proceeds - $120-120 million
  • Total - $460-535 million

According to the plan, the land would be acquired, bids for contractors and site preparation would begin between June of this year and December 2016. The financing documents and lease documents would be negotiated and signed in 2017, with site preparation completed and permits obtained the same year. Actual construction and marketing of the seat licenses would begin in early 2018, with construction completed in time for the start of the 2020 NFL season.
 

Tron

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Honestly, I thought the initial proposal for the upgraded dome was cooler looking that this Riverfront stadium. But that's just going off looks alone. I don't hate the new proposal, but I agree... nothing really exciting about it. It's nice for what it is... an affordable open-air venue and an upgrade over the dome.
the upgraded dome with the glass paneling on the side looked sweet as hell. The new one should be like that with a retractable roof and some other cool shit thrown in. Forgot about that till you mentioned it.
 

Dagonet

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Just saying thanks to @ChrisW for all the info he's provided today. I also thank others but Chris has been here pretty much since the Presser..
 

TSFH Fan

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Sorry if others have mentioned it, but the place where Stan's other football team plays might be nicer with it's glass siding, and semi-enclosed roof. -- Emirates Stadium --
Emirates-Stadium-designed-by-Populous-©-Simon-Warren1-990x465.jpg
Emirates_Stadium_east_side_at_dusk.jpg
 

ChrisW

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Sorry if others have mentioned it, but the place where Stan's other football team plays might be nicer with it's glass siding, and semi-enclosed roof. -- Emirates Stadium --
View attachment 4943 View attachment 4944

It's easier to build these stadiums in soccer. Having your jersey say Emirates is worth like 30 million a year.

Not to mention being one of the most followed teams in all of the Premiere League.
 

Dagonet

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http://www.insidestl.com/insideSTLc...wners-Skeptical-of-Kroenkes-Stadium-Plan.aspx


USA Today: NFL Owners Skeptical of Kroenke's Stadium Plan
Brendan Marks posted on January 07, 2015 10:13
350_kroenke_3.jpg
There is skepticism among NFL owners whether Rams owner Stan Kroenke plans to build a new stadium in Inglewood, Calif. without securing a team first,according to USA Today.

Earlier this week, Inglewood Mayor James Butt said Kroenke's plan "is stricly a real estate development proposal," adding they never discussed the Rams moving there. According to USA Today, Kroenke never talked to him about any team moving into the stadium

"We never discussed relocation," Butts said.

Various experts told USA Today the strategy doesn't make sense and are "convinced that building such a stadium on spec is far too risky of a move for a real estate billionaire as smart as Kroenke."

*Brent Schrotenboer, the article of the USA Today article, joined Afternoon Delight to discuss Kroenke. Listen to the whole segment here.


One theory about Kroenke's motives is he needs leverage for a new stadium to be built in St. Louis.

Another explanation is Kroenke won't publicly reveal his true intentions and wants to look as if he's appeasing the NFL, which wants to control the process.

Regardless, experts tell USA Today Kroenke is too rational to build a stadium "on spec."

"I've known Stan for years, and Stan is a measured, deliberate person who makes very good business decisions, often using patience to do so," said sports consultant Marc Ganis. "If he says he's just going to build it himself and take the league on in court, what have you done? You've built a stadium, and you possibly lose in court and you're out a billion and a half dollars? That's not a rational way to go about it, and Stan is very rational man."


[av]http://www.insidestlaudio.com/Delight/010715-4D.mp3[/av]
 

Athos

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It's easier to build these stadiums in soccer. Having your jersey say Emirates is worth like 30 million a year.

Not to mention being one of the most followed teams in all of the Premiere League.

Yep. Being one of the most financially successful and recognized soccer teams in the world.....means quite a shit ton to getting a spanking beautifully building like that.
 

dieterbrock

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The Minnesota stadium? Looks MUCH more tight as far as fans being in close to the field. If you are talking about the St Louis proposal, I would agree.
The Minnesota stadium looks amazing and no comparison. Also is a highly green facility and is estimated to cost 1 bill (after initial budget of around 900k)
I know it's easy to say but the Minnesota project is only 100k more than this?
 

CGI_Ram

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The Minnesota stadium looks amazing and no comparison. Also is a highly green facility and is estimated to cost 1 bill (after initial budget of around 900k)
I know it's easy to say but the Minnesota project is only 100k more than this?

The land development in STL might be higher? It also seems some money goes to the ED for post football renovations. The breakdown is at the top of this page.

Not sure how those things compare to Minn.
 

CGI_Ram

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Here's what I think;

I like the design. Open air is nice. A retractable roof could land a Superbowl, so the incremental cost could be offset by an agreement to get one.

But, truthfully... what today accomplished is a starting point toward funding something. The city just made a proposal to spend *$950MM.

How the design ends up could be very different once this goes back and forth.

* Yes, I realize that's a combination of all monies
 
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