In preparation for what will be a busy Friday, new information has been released about a proposed Austin MLS stadium for Columbus Crew SC.
Precourt Sports Ventures continues to explore a potential move of the Crew to Austin. If the proposal gains city approval, the Crew would eventually move into a new soccer-specific stadium constructed at the city-owned McKalla Place. Under the current proposal, a 20,000-seat stadium would be built at the North Austin site, with Crew investor-operator Anthony Precourt privately financing the roughly $200 million facility in exchange for use of the land.
Austin officials will eventually have to make a final decision on the proposal, but more information is expected to surface Friday. More from The Austin American-Statesman:
Expected within hours of each other, Precourt Sports Ventures, who operate Columbus Crew SC, will make its official proposal for a 20,000-seat stadium at McKalla Place in North Austin, and separately the city staff will release its full analysis of the North Austin site as a potential home for Major League Soccer.
“Friday is the culmination of hundreds of hours of work and analysis performed by a wide variety of people who want MLS in Austin,” said Richard Suttle, who works for PSV. “Our proposal reflects input we’ve gotten from the community through many hours of public meetings. The proposal also includes the data to prove the popularity of bringing MLS to Austin.”
On Thursday, PSV released three renderings of the potential stadium from architectural firms Gensler, TBG and CAA Icon: a southwest aerial view, an interior perspective and a northwest entry gate view.
Precourt Sports Ventures is currently working to reach an agreement with the city this month, before the Austin City Council goes on a summer break that lasts until August 9. The group is seeking to relocate the Crew to Austin in time for the 2019 MLS season, and the team would play at an existing facility in the Austin area on a temporary basis until construction of the new stadium is complete.
Rendering courtesy Gensler Sports Practice.
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