180-Day Negotiation Period For Downtown Soccer Stadium Gets Green Light From Las Vegas City Council; Meanwhile Golden Knights Confirm ‘Exploring The Possibility Of Bringing A Major League Soccer Franchise To Las Vegas’

 

By Alan Snel

LVSportsBiz.com

 

LVSportsBiz.com photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell

 

City vs. County. Downtown Las Vegas vs. Strip. Urban redevelopment soccer stadium vs. NFL domed stadium. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman vs. Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley.

 

Las Vegas is hungry for a Major League Soccer team and a fascinating showdown is shaping up between two possibilities.

 

In downtown Las Vegas, there’s a proposal for a 25,000-seat covered soccer stadium at Las Vegas’ Cashman Center site as part of a mile-long redevelopment project along Las Vegas Boulevard. Goodman backs that plan.

 

Six miles to the south off the Strip in Clark County, there’s the Raiders stadium that is scheduled to open July 31, 2020. Golden Knights owner Bill Foley is lending his support to an idea of having an MLS team play in a palatial 65,000-seat stadium that would have plenty of open dates and seek to have as much programming as possible. The Golden Knights released this statement Wednesday: “We are exploring the possibility of bringing a Major League Soccer franchise to Las Vegas. We do not have any additional comments at this time.”

 

In the city, Las Vegas elected officials Wednesday morning heard from the chairman of The Renaissance Companies, which has worked quietly behind the scenes for the past year and a half to study an inner-city redevelopment proposal that would include buying the second-year Las Vegas Lights FC soccer team and building a soccer stadium on Cashman Center’s 60-acre site. The soccer venue would be a headline feature of a re-developed mile-long stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard  from Stewart Avenue to Washington Avenue.

 

Renaissance Chairman Floyd Kephart and Managing Partner Candice Rauter appeared at the city council meeting to request a 180-day exclusive negotiation agreement (ENA) to figure out the costs and funding for the ambitious and bold redevelopment project. The duo were joined by Lights owner Brett Lashbrook and the city’s economic and urban development director, Bill Arent.

 

 

 

The council unanimously approved the ENA, which does nothing more than open the 180-day negotiating window. In his introduction of the concept to council, Arent said Renaissance partner The Baupost Group has money to finance the project. LVSportsBiz.com chatted with Kephart after the council approval.

Kephart told the council this project can include arts and culture features, too.

 

“Give us a chance to come before the council with the details,” Kephart said.

 

As for Lashbrook, let’s just say the soccer team owner was enthusiastic for the redevelopment and stadium idea.

 

“Viva Lights, I love it. What is being proposed is an amazing, amazing project . . . This is a special, special day,” Lashbrook said.

 

 

 

Before the council approved the ENA, Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian warned the presenters, “Just don’t take taxpayers’ money.”

 

Councilman Cedric Crear, whose Ward 5 includes the redevelopment and soccer stadium proposal, was clearly behind the ENA and giving a chance to Renaissance to figure out the details in land use and funding.

 

Naturally, the handful of Lights soccer fans who attended the council meeting enjoyed the council action. Like Joey Martel, for example.

 

 

Typically, Major League Soccer likes stadiums built specifically to host soccer games.

 

But the domed football stadium in Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, hosts both the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the MLS Atlanta United FC soccer team. The connection between the two teams? Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank owns both. It’s the same in Seattle, where the Seahawks owner also controls the MLS Sounders.

 

Foley has mentioned that he has entered the picture for an MLS team for Las Vegas.

 

“I think MLS will be here in one fashion or another,” Foley told Channel 8 sports anchor Chris Maathuis recently. “It’s something I’m trying to work on.”

 

In response to a question posed by Councilman Bob Coffin, Kephart said he knew about Foley getting involved in trying to draw an MLS team for the Raiders stadium.

 

After the meeting and later Wednesday, Goodman said she has the highest regard for Foley but that the city and Gephart will forge ahead on its negotiation for a soccer stadium in downtown Las Vegas. Goodman pointed out that the city has been pursuing a soccer stadium for at least the last five years.

 

Here’s the press release from the city on the ENA approval.

 

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