A new group has published a proposal to join forces with an ownership group to build a new football-specific stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, in the hope of launching an expansion Major League Soccer (MLS) team in the city.
Foundry St. Louis said its proposed plans would eliminate the need for $80m (€75.4m/£63.8m) in public financing, with the group offering to pay the sum that would go towards the total $200m cost of the venue.
Last month, SC STL announced plans for the stadium, calling for voters in April of next year to consider providing almost half of the total funds for the project. The MLS is said to favour this approach, with commissioner Dan Garber saying in a statement last month that SC STL is the “ideal ownership group that will provide St. Louis the best opportunity for a future expansion team”.
However, Dan Cordes, chief executive of Foundry St. Louis, has urged SC STL to change its plans, criticising the potential use of public funds when his group is willing to provide investment.
In a letter to Dave Peacock of SC STL, picked up by ESPN, Cordes said: “MLS in St. Louis cannot and should not serve as an anchor dragging on city finances and services. Rather, it should employ minority-owned consultants, vendors and contractors, create salaried and high-wage jobs, spur population growth and advance the conversation about racial equality and economic inclusion.”
SC STL’s plans show an open-air stadium with a capacity of 20,000 seats, as well as the ability to expand to 28,500. The venue would be located next to St. Louis Union Station on land owned by the Missouri Department of Transportation.
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