New player in the baseball stadium game

A plan has been put forth for a privately funded stadium on the Boulevard.

May 1, 2014; 9:00 AM • by Richard Hayes

News came out yesterday that is bound to shake up the current discussion around where to put the new Flying Squirrels baseball stadium. What could be a game changer is that this plan is supposedly privately funded and would remain on the Boulevard. I use the word supposedly since the mystery development team hasn’t released any information to the public at this time.

More from RTD.

Under the broad outlines of the proposal, an 8,000-plus capacity stadium would be built entirely with private money on about 10 acres of Boulevard land, Baliles said. The first phase would involve a small amount of residential, retail and restaurant development. The developers also would have the option of building out the rest of the 60-acre Boulevard area that city officials believe is primed for revitalization.

Once finished, the stadium would be privately owned, Baliles said. He said it could open in April 2016, the same date as the proposed Shockoe stadium, as long as the city completes site preparation work by the end of this year.

No meetings have taken place with the mystery developers and the Mayor’s office. City Council and the Mayor have both been given a general overview of the plan.

Photo: John Murden