There is an article in the RTD this morning pitching the idea of a baseball stadium in Manchester. I love the idea and think the location is great. Then I read the article. There are no real plans it just another pie in the sky idea. What is also depressing are the comments (I really need to stop reading the comments on RTD) which are so negative. I think it is an interesting idea but at this point baseball in Manchester is only an idea.

Image is from the RTD article CB RICHARD ELLIS

Reynolds Packaging Group has mentioned to city officials informally the possibility of a minor-league baseball stadium in South Richmond.

The stadium site would be part of a 17.5-acre property between the Manchester and 14th Street bridges, with a clear view of the river and downtown skyline.

And the next section really makes me wonder RTD is running a story at all.

However, Richmond officials say they didn’t consider the casual conversation a pitch for a new stadium site and that they don’t have any formal proposal to consider.

“Unequivocally, we are not considering any proposal for a baseball stadium on that site,” Tammy D. Hawley, the mayor’s press secretary, said yesterday.

I for one hopes that some real news develops soon. The owner of the property in question is hoping to pick from as many as 30 potential buyers by Labor day.

SHOCKOE CENTER PROJECT

Tonight (Wednesday, April 22nd) there will be a presentation by Highwoods at 7 pm at Albert Hill Middle School [Map], 3400 Patterson Avenue. This is another chance for the public to ask questions and give input on the proposed development in Shockoe Bottom.

I love it when somebody does all the hard work so I don’t have to.  Fan District Hub has complied a list of links that cover the Shockoe Center Development both pro and con, traditional media and bloggers. Check it out here.

A quick round up of what is going on in the ongoing debate of the Shockoe Center Development.
First up we have this article from RTD about a study:

The city is spending $100,000 to get its financial advisers to study of the financial feasibility of the Shockoe Center project. The two-month review is being done by Davenport & Co., with Economics Research Associates of Washington and Chmura Economics & Analytics of Richmond.

Baseball on the Boulevard blog asks for the “truth”:

Yes $100,000 is a ton of money, but it is a drop in the bucket compared to what the $70,000,000 bond issue will end up costing the citizens of this city. I just hope that the Davenport folks look at the real numbers and the real demographics and give the mayor the truth.

This morning the RTD is saying:

The City Council in Norwich, Conn., voted unanimously to authorize that city’s manager to transfer a lease of Dodd Stadium from the Class AA Connecticut Defenders’ current owners to Richmond Baseball Club LC, according to the Norwich Bulletin.

The group is led by Bryan Bostic, who did not return two calls yesterday from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Councilman Conner is going to host South Central 9th District Meeting and Dinner topics will include; Proposed Baseball Stadium in Shockoe Bottom and Street Gangs. This happens on Tuesday the 24th at  Southside Baptist Christian School, 5515 Bryce Lane from 5-7 p.m. For more information contact Councilman Doug G. Conner, Jr., at 804.233.8288, or doug.conner@richmondgov.com.

Church Hill People’s News has a summary of the Church Hill Association meeting last night. In the meeting the vote was 62-44 against the Shockoe Center Development. There are some interesting comments some of which address the “hint of scandal” below.

While the discussion was more civilized than much of the recent online dialogue, the evening did generate a hint of scandal: there were allegations that some of the evening’s new members had their dues paid by the developer or another interested party and had pledged to vote in favor of the development.

Though skewing older, wealthier, and whiter than the more broad “Church Hill”, the Church Hill Association has traditionally been taken as a bellwether for the opinion of area. It will be interesting to see if the other civic associations in the area reflect similar divisions.

The debate on development in Shockoe Bottom continues. The latest salvo comes from the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club is against the development on the “principles of conservation and smart growth”. Full statement here.

The Sierra Club Falls of the James Group opposes the Shockoe Center baseball stadium proposal based on principles of conservation and smart growth. We preface our statement by saying we are not opposed to baseball or urban redevelopment. Rather, we wish to join the Richmond baseball discussion by imparting some basic environmental tenets that need to be recognized.

Church Hill People’s News has an excellent post highlighting two points of view in the ongoing Shockoe Center development debate. The post has statements from supporters in the form of the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association and the online group I Support Baseball In Shockoe Bottom. The post also has a statement from a group opposed ACORN. Please go here to read the post.

The Falls of the James Group Blog (part of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club) has this to say.

Of course, the greenest thing to do is simply use what is already built, but since Richmond leaders insist on talking baseball, here are some links for thought:

http://www.izzitgreen.com/buzz/item/lone-star-carbon-crater-boys-new-stadium

http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/green/sns-mets-newshea-green,0,1580283.story

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/09/08/phoenix-suns-follow-green-stadium-trend/

This activity may have been spurred by the House Finance Committee vote of 19-2 today in favor of allowing the use of part of the sales taxes generated by the stadium and surronding area. via RTD

For the folks in the Hills and Heights neighborhoods you have a golden opportunity to learn more tomorrow night. Council President Kathy Graziano and Huguenot Neighborhood Team are cosponsoring a presentation on the proposed Shockoe Center development at St. Luke Lutheran Church located at 7757 Chippenham Parkway at 6 p.m.

The RTD is reporting that the Richmond City Council voted yesterday to support the bills that would allow for funding for the Shockoe Center project. It is also clear in the article that the vote is not a blanket endorsement of the project but rather an endorsement to look into how to fund the project.

With a show of hands, a majority of the Richmond City Council signaled yesterday its support for bills introduced by Del. G. Manoli Loupassi, R-Richmond, and Sen. A. Donald McEachin, D-Henrico.

The legislation, which could be discussed by a General Assembly committee as early as tomorrow, would allow a minor-league ballpark to be financed in part with revenues from the 5 percent state and local sales tax generated from the facility and from new private buildings attached to it.

RichmondBizSense.com has posted an interview with Brian Bostic on bringing baseball to Richmond. There are also some quick facts here. Poster ptaylor spotted some differences between the Q & A document that Hills and Heights posted on the 16th and the quick facts. Ptaylor’s differences are in the first comment.

Richmond BizSense: Let’s get one thing out of the way first. We ran a column by Brian Glass that protests the use of public funds for the stadium. Is there anything you’d like to address from that column?
Bryan Bostic: First and foremost, we’re not asking the taxpayer to foot the bill upfront, nor is the city on the hook for the bonds. Mr. Glass has clearly not done his homework. Ask him to call the mayor of Louisville, who said that the baseball stadium was the single greatest investment by the city in 50 years.

The column referred to in the first question by Brian Glass and can be read in full here.

From the outset I have said that there is no documented evidence that stadiums are economic generators. I continue to refer anyone who really cares to a book titled “Public Dollars, Private Stadiums” that was the result of a collaboration between Kevin Delaney, an associate professor at Temple University, and Rick Eckstein, an associate professor at Villanova University, where the documentation exists that is necessary to prove this point.