The Austin Parks Board could recommend removing Roy G. Guerrero Park from a list of Austin MLS stadium site options, as the issue will be discussed this week.
Columbus Crew SC continues to explore a move to Austin, but has yet to settle on its preferred site for the construction of a new stadium in the city. While a December report presented some city-owned site options that could be used by the team, a few have been removed from consideration, with the potential use of parkland being a source of opposition from some community members and local officials. That opposition was a factor in Precourt Sports Venture‘s decision to drop Butler Shores Metropolitan Park from consideration, despite its initial enthusiasm for the site.
Guerrero Park may ultimately meet the same fate, as the Austin Parks Board is considering whether or not to recommend that it be removed from consideration. The parks board could vote on the issue at its meeting on Tuesday. More from The Austin American-Statesman:
It was the parks and recreation department that helped put together that list, which included Guerrero Park, for Precourt Sports Ventures.
Guerrero Park was thought to be the Columbus Crew SC owners’ No. 2 choice behind Butler Shores Metropolitan Park, which was yanked by PSV after mounting pressure from City Council members, neighborhood groups and activists. Pressure also was building from Southeast Austin groups to make Guerrero off limits.
The parks board recommendation lists a variety of reasons for removing Guerrero, including preserving the existing wildlife, flora and fauna, wild bird nesting grounds and a small herd of deer.
Yet all of those features were known when city staff, with parks department input, placed Guerrero Park on a Dec. 12 list of possible stadium locations, and then again in a lengthy Dec. 14 report detailing the pros and cons of each site.
As was the case with Butler Shores, various community members and groups have already expressed their opposition to the idea of using a portion of Guerrero Park for the stadium. Crew SC owner Anthony Precourt has pitched the concept of a $200-million, privately financed stadium in Austin, but finding a suitable site has been an issue thus far.
Rendering courtesy Precourt Sports Ventures.
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