INDIANAPOLIS – The Circle City is taking another step towards bringing a Major League Soccer team to the Hoosier state.
The Indianapolis City-County Council approved a proposal to create a special taxing district aimed at making that a possibility. The taxing district is called a “Professional Sports Development Area” and it would be right in the heart of downtown.
Following a contentious discussion Monday night, councilors voted 16-8 to approve the mayor’s proposal, with one member abstaining.
Hogsett first proposed this PSDA towards the end of April. Since then, there has been a bit of an outcry for and against the idea. The special designation is all part of his larger quest to help bring an MLS club to Indianapolis. However, it comes as the owners of the Indy Eleven are already building their own soccer stadium.
The city is looking to build a soccer-specific stadium at the downtown heliport near Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The special taxing district is anticipated to generate a quarter billion dollars and would be used to help fund that stadium.
“We have an opportunity to do something that will be transformational for the city of Indianapolis,” said City-County Council President Vop Osili.
But the mayor’s plan has gained some controversy because Indy Eleven had already begun work on a different site a few miles away.
“Over 2,277 people took the time to send the administration and this council a message for us to build Eleven Park and turn down this proposal this evening,” City-County Councilor Kristin Jones said Monday night.
The developer of the Eleven Park site, Keystone Group, claims the city backed out of a “good faith” deal surrounding Eleven Park. Hogsett denies those allegations.
Mayor Hogsett has argued the previous proposal presented too many financial risks to taxpayers. He also previously told FOX59/CBS4 that complexities surrounding the discovery of human remains at that site have played into his decision to push for a different location.
“The MLS will not grant a franchise to an MLS team that will play on the Diamond site because of the cemetery issue,” City-County Councilor Dan Boots said Monday night. “A professional sports league does not want to touch such a controversial issue with a ten-foot pole.”
Council members against the new tax district have argued there has not been any official confirmation that the MLS would not support the Indy Eleven site.
“Who from MLS has said Diamond Chain site is not being considered,” City-County Council Minority Leader Brian Mowery asked. “And why hasn’t that email been published to the council to see that’s something the MLS said rather than simply hearsay at this point?”
The city’s approval of the taxing district does not guarantee Indianapolis will secure an MLS team. Much of the efforts moving forward will be focused on that goal.
The downtown taxing district will ultimately need the state’s final approval.
Mayor Joe Hogsett issued the following statement Monday night:
Tonight, a bipartisan vote of the City-County Council sent a resounding message: Indianapolis is ready to write the next chapter in our sports story. Over the coming months, our community will unite in pursuit of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure a Major League Soccer expansion club for our city.
I’m grateful to the City-County Council for supporting the vision to solidify Indianapolis as America’s greatest sports city, and extend my thanks to the residents who continue to passionately participate in this process.
Ersal Ozdemir, Founder and Owner of Keystone Group and Indy Eleven also issued a statement following Monday night’s decision:
Tonight’s vote is the unfortunate result of a false choice presented by city leaders, with a majority seemingly motivated more by fear than hope. That isn’t the way Indianapolis has succeeded in the past, and I fear that the tactics used in pursuit of a legislative win at City-County Council may result in huge losses for the future of downtown development and professional soccer in Indiana.
I love Indianapolis, and tonight’s decision does not diminish that feeling or my passion for Eleven Park. That is why I believe there is still an opportunity for the kind of collaboration that has always characterized our city at its best. As I have repeatedly said in recent months, Indy Eleven’s investors and I remain ready and willing to meet with Mayor Hogsett to discuss a productive way forward as one city. It would be our hope that like so many mayors before, he will see the benefit in bringing all parties together rather than continuing to forge this path alone.
