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May 01, 2006
Three cities vying for new Wizards stadium
Our friends at the Heart of America Soccer Foundation are undoubtedly excited about the latest news regarding a potential stadium deal that would save the Kansas City Wizards. The Kansas City Star is reporting that Olathe, De Soto and Gardner—three cities in Johnson County, Kansas—are interested in providing land and other items for a new stadium and soccer complex.
Olathe is the largest of the three cities and, the paper reports, could be the front-runner. There is one hitch, however&151;Olathe wants to use a particular type of bond to finance the deal and current state law rules out the deal they have in mind. A state legislator is quoted as saying, "Mechanically, we could make this happen, but it won't be easy."
In a companion piece, the paper lists what each city has to offer. Olathe is a community that is growing at a rapid rate, adding 3,000 to 4,000 residents each year, and has good freeway access. De Soto has 3,000 acres of the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant ready for development, alongside a planned University of Kansas bioscience research park. Gardner's population has grown 70%, to 17,000, since 2000 but is the most distant of the three cities from downtown Kansas City.
The news is also covered in this USA Today article.
Posted by Jay at May 1, 2006 11:45 AM