By Molly Smith, Staff writers | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-07-23 17:20:29
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
教会队的老板们计划在圣佩德罗溪文化公园北端附近的一块空地上新建一座棒球场。
在数月来一直难以让市政厅关注其在市中心建造棒球场的努力之后，圣安东尼奥教会队的老板们终于赢得了市长罗恩·尼伦伯格（Ron Nirenberg）的支持，以及获得公共资金的可能性。
圣安东尼奥市计划拨款帮助这支双A棒球队在圣佩德罗溪文化公园附近建造一座体育场。该球队目前在位于西区的陈旧的尼尔森·W·沃尔夫市政体育场进行比赛。
“为了确保我们达成一项对我们社区公平的协议，球队的所有权集团在这一开发项目上投入了大量资金，我们也从与教会队新的当地老板的合作中获益匪浅。”尼伦伯格在周二的一份声明中说。
尼伦伯格和贝克萨尔县法官彼得·酒井（Peter Sakai）计划联合起草一份不具约束力的意向书，以表明该县和该市参与体育场的资助。
有消息人士告诉《快报新闻》，新建一座棒球场的成本约为 2 亿美元，并且很可能会被新的公寓和办公楼开发项目所包围。
体育场的资金将包括教会队的拥有者指定竞标者有限责任公司（Designated Bidders LLC）的股权投资，以及由市和县控制的税收增量再投资区的资金。
“我很高兴圣安东尼奥市、贝克萨尔县和教会队正在共同努力，推进我们市中心的转型工作，并刺激市中心地区的持续发展。”尼伦伯格说。
该球队的老板们正在一个紧迫的、成败攸关的截止日期前努力。
美国职业棒球大联盟（MLB）向指定竞标者有限责任公司施压，要求其在明年开幕日之前敲定一项计划，要么将沃尔夫体育场提升至联盟标准，要么提出一项新建体育场的计划，否则就有被踢出小联盟的风险。老板们表示，翻新这座有 30 年历史的沃尔夫体育场的成本太高了。
他们迫切希望达成协议，但直到现在，他们一直未能让市政府官员参与进来。根据《德克萨斯州公共信息法》获得的短信和电子邮件显示，教会队的主要投资者、市中心开发商兰迪·史密斯（Randy Smith）曾多次尝试与市经理埃里克·沃尔什（Erik Walsh）会面，讨论体育场计划，但均以失败告终。
他们在与县政府官员打交道方面则更为幸运。6 月 18 日，专员们投票授权酒井就一份意向书进行谈判。在投票后的公开讲话中，酒井没有提及该市的参与。
美国职业棒球大联盟必须在 8 月 1 日之前收到这封信。
“我们通过当地所有者了解到，如果没有这封信，8 月 1 日之后，圣安东尼奥教会队可能会被美国职业棒球大联盟除名。”酒井当时说，“我们只是想让美国职业棒球大联盟放心，我们正在尽最大努力，真诚地与当地棒球队的老板们达成财务安排。”
市政府发言人布莱恩·查斯诺夫（Brian Chasnoff）表示，沃尔什已经让议员们了解了与指定竞标者有限责任公司就体育场进行的讨论。
预计市政府工作人员将在 8 月 14 日的市议会工作会议上概述与教会队老板们可能达成的协议。查斯诺夫说，任何继意向书之后的具有约束力的协议都需要得到议员们的批准。
指定竞标者有限责任公司的投资者布鲁斯·希尔（Bruce Hill）在一份声明中表示，该集团将“在 8 月之前将协议提交给美国职业棒球大联盟进行审查”。希尔说。
“我们希望这份意向书中提出的计划能在短期内得到市议会和县专员的批准，我们期待着在所有各方都批准后公开分享该计划。”希尔说，他也是马刺队的投资者。
该棒球场计划建在市中心的西角。
由史密斯和格雷厄姆·韦斯顿（Graham Weston）创立的开发公司韦斯顿都市公司（Weston Urban）已经在圣佩德罗溪文化公园附近的几个街区积累了至少 19 英亩的土地。韦斯顿也是指定竞标者有限责任公司的成员。该公司及其附属公司已经购买或租赁了肥皂厂公寓、前阿拉莫市中心汽车经销店、美国退伍军人论坛和停车场。
据一位不愿透露姓名的消息人士透露，韦斯顿都市公司仍在寻求购买另一块土地，以巩固棒球场的占地面积：前福克斯科技高中的棒球场。该公司正在与圣安东尼奥独立学区就这块土地进行谈判。
查斯诺夫说，拟议的融资包括所有权集团的“股权投资”和通过税收增量再投资区进行的债券融资。后者将主要通过体育场周围新项目产生的财产税收入来偿还。
体育场将要建造的地方的大部分土地都属于休斯顿街税收增量再投资区。该区域内土地产生的财产税收入的增加可用于偿还开发商的基础设施改善费用，如人行道和公用事业工程。
根据该委员会 3 月份收到的一份报告，截至 2034 年，休斯顿街税收增量再投资区估计有 1960 万美元可用于城市项目，4520 万美元可用于县级项目。这个由七名成员组成的委员会由市和县的官员组成，包括第一区的议员苏赫·考尔（Sukh Kaur）以及县专员汤米·卡尔弗特（Tommy Calvert）和贾斯汀·罗德里格斯（Justin Rodriguez）。
韦斯顿都市公司可以在体育场周围开发住房。根据通过公共记录请求获得的信息，该公司希望沿着北弗洛雷斯街建造多达 375 套公寓和一个停车场，就在圣安东尼奥独立学区办公室的南边。
该棒球场将靠近该公司目前持有的各种资产，包括弗罗斯特大厦、韦斯顿中心和米拉姆办公楼、一个名为“主街 300 号”的公寓楼、在原大陆酒店所在地的住宅开发项目，以及沿着休斯顿街的兰德大厦和萨沃伊大厦。
除了韦斯顿和史密斯之外，球队的老板还包括马刺队主席彼得·J·霍尔特（Peter J. Holt）、前清晰频道广播公司高管鲍勃·科恩（Bob Cohen）、前市长亨利·西斯内罗斯（Henry Cisneros）、马刺队传奇人物大卫·罗宾逊（David Robinson）和马努·吉诺比利（Manu Ginobili）、阿万扎内饰技术公司首席执行官贝尔托·格拉（Berto Guerra）、运营技术公司创始人马克斯·纳瓦罗（Max Navarro）、前德克萨斯州州务卿兼企业主霍普·安德拉德（Hope Andrade）以及科尔特斯餐厅家族的科尔特斯家族。
由美国职业棒球大联盟名人堂成员诺兰·瑞恩（Nolan Ryan）的家人、他的儿子兼首席执行官里德·瑞恩（Reid Ryan）以及金融家兼前休斯顿太空人队小股东唐·桑德斯（Don Sanders）拥有的瑞恩·桑德斯棒球公司（Ryan Sanders Baseball）负责管理并共同拥有该球队。
点击查看原文：San Antonio Missions win support for new ballpark downtown
San Antonio Missions win support for new ballpark downtown
The owners of the Missions plan to build a new ballpark on mostly vacant property near the northern end of San Pedro Creek Culture Park.
After struggling for months to get City Hall to pay attention to their quest to build a ballpark downtown, the owners of the San Antonio Missions have won the support of Mayor Ron Nirenberg — and the likelihood of public financing.
The city of San Antonio plans to kick in funds to help pay for a stadium near San Pedro Creek Culture Park for the Double-A baseball team, which currently plays at the aging Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium on the West Side.
“The ownership group is heavily invested in this development to ensure that we arrive at an agreement that is fair to our community, and we have benefited immensely from the partnership with the Missions’ new local owners,” Nirenberg said in a statement Tuesday.
Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai plan to co-write a non-binding letter of intent for the county and city’s participation in funding the stadium.
Sources have told the Express-News that a new ballpark could cost about $200 million and likely would be surrounded by new apartment and office development.
Financing for the stadium would include an equity investment from Designated Bidders LLC, the group that owns the Missions, and money from a tax increment reinvestment zone controlled by the city and county.
“I’m thrilled that the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, and the Missions are working together to advance our center city transformation efforts and spur continued development in the downtown region,” Nirenberg said.
The team’s owners are working under a tight, make-or-break deadline.
Designated Bidders is under pressure from Major League Baseball to finalize a plan for either bringing Wolff Stadium up to league standards or to present a plan for a new ballpark by opening day next year — or risk being kicked out of the minor league. The owners have said that renovating the 30-year-old Wolff Stadium would be far too costly.
They are desperate to finalize a deal, but have had little luck getting city officials on board, until now. Text messages and emails obtained under the Texas Public Information Act last year show downtown developer Randy Smith, a key Missions investor, repeatedly tried, but failed, to set up meetings with City Manager Erik Walsh to discuss stadium plans.
They’ve had more luck with county officials. Commissioners voted June 18 to give Sakai the green light to negotiate a letter of intent. In public remarks after the vote, Sakai made no mention of the city’s involvement.
MLB must receive the letter by Aug. 1.
“It is our understanding through the local ownership that without this letter, after Aug. 1 the San Antonio Missions could be subject to removal process by Major League Baseball,” Sakai said at the time. “All we’re trying to assure Major League Baseball is that we are doing our very best to work in good faith to find a financial arrangement with the local baseball ownership.”
Walsh has kept council members apprised of discussions with Designated Bidders about the stadium, said city spokesperson Brian Chasnoff.
City staff are expected to outline a potential agreement with the Missions owners at City Council’s Aug. 14 work session. Any binding deal following the letter of intent would require approval from council members, Chasnoff said.
Bruce Hill, a Designated Bidder investor, said in a statement that the group would “be providing that to Major League Baseball before August for their review.” Hill said.
“We’re hopeful that the plan set forth in this letter of intent will be approved by the City Council and the county commissioners in the near term, and we look forward to sharing the plan publicly once it has been approved by all parties,” said Hill, who is also a Spurs investor.
The ballpark is slated to be built in the west corner of downtown.
Weston Urban, the development firm founded by Smith and Graham Weston, who is also part of Designated Bidders, has amassed at least 19 acres across several blocks near San Pedro Creek Culture Park. Companies and partnerships affiliated with the firm have bought or leased the Soap Factory apartments, the former Alamo Downtown Automotive dealership, American GI Forum and parking lots.
Weston Urban is still seeking to buy another parcel to solidify the ballpark footprint: the former Fox Tech High School baseball field. It is in negotiations with the San Antonio Independent School District for the property, according to a source who requested anonymity.
The proposed financing includes “an equity investment” from the ownership group and bond financing through a tax increment reinvestment zone, Chasnoff said. The latter funds would be repaid mostly through property tax revenue generated from new projects around the stadium.
Much of the property where the stadium would be built falls within the city’s Houston Street Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. Increases in property tax revenue generated from land within this zone can be used to reimburse developers for infrastructure improvements such as sidewalks and utility work.
The Houston Street TIRZ had an estimated $19.6 million available for city projects and $45.2 million for county projects through 2034, according to a report the board received in March. The seven-member board is made up of city and county officials, including District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur and County Commissioners Tommy Calvert and Justin Rodriguez.
Weston Urban could develop housing around the stadium. The firm wants to build as many as 375 apartments and a parking garage along North Flores Street just south of SAISD’s offices, according to information obtained through a public records request.
The ballpark would be close to an assortment of the firm’s current holdings, including the Frost Tower, Weston Centre and Milam office buildings, an apartment complex called 300 Main, a residential development at the former Continental Hotel site and the Rand and Savoy buildings along Houston Street.
Along with Weston and Smith, the team’s owners include Spurs Chairman Peter J. Holt, onetime Clear Channel radio executive Bob Cohen, former Mayor Henry Cisneros, Spurs legends David Robinson and Manu Ginobili, Avanzar Interior Technologies CEO Berto Guerra, Operational Technologies Corp. founder Max Navarro, former Texas Secretary of State and business owner Hope Andrade and the Cortez family of La Familia Cortez Restaurants.
Ryan Sanders Baseball — owned by the families of MLB Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, his son and CEO Reid Ryan, and financier and former Houston Astros minority owner Don Sanders — manages and co-owns the team.
By Molly Smith, Staff writers, via San Antonio Express-News