City-County Council Begins Discussions On Mayor's MLS Stadium Proposal

Source: (Photo: Chris Davis/WIBC)

INDIANAPOLIS — It came and went rather quickly at Monday’s meeting of the Indianapolis City-County Council.

Councilors simply introduced a proposal from Council President Vop Osili on behalf of Mayor Joe Hogsett to approve a new tax district with hopes of building a new soccer-specific stadium. The end game is to attract an MLS expansion franchise to the city.

The Metropolitan Development Commission, which is made up of civilian experts on city planning, approved boundaries for a tax district to support Eleven Park last year. On May 1, the same commission approved a new set of boundaries for a different tax district where the Indianapolis Heliport currently sits.

A second proposal, which was part of Monday’s introduction, is described as supporting a project to consist of “a soccer-specific stadium that will be the permanent home of one or more professional soccer teams,” according to the commission’s planning documents.

At the moment neither proposal has any financial commitments from the city laid out.

Now that both have been introduced the second proposal will need the same approval of the Metropolitan Development Commission. Once that happens the group of investors backing the city’s MLS bid would decide which set of tax district boundaries to take to the State Budget Committee for approval.

The earliest the City-County Council could give its blessing on the boundaries they choose could be as soon a June 3rd.

As for Eleven Park, the city is reiterating that its association with the project is over regardless of what happens with either of the MLS proposals now before the council.

City-County Council Begins Discussions On Mayor’s MLS Stadium Proposal was originally published on wibc.com