Precourt wants 'vibrant' location
Columbus Crew owner says MLS won’t allow move without economically ‘sustainable’ stadium site.
The owner of Columbus Crew SC said this week he’s still determined to move his Major League Soccer club to Austin, but only if an ideal stadium site is found that he said could be the catalyst for economic success for the club.
Anthony Precourt, in his first interview in 4½ months, discussed with the American-Statesman everything from potential stadium sites to what happens if Austin isn’t the answer. Among the highlights of the interview, which included Precourt Sports Ventures President Dave Greeley:
Precourt said he is seeking local investors. These minority owners would help develop a better community bond and boost cash flow, he said.
Greeley said 37 Austin-area companies have been identified for possible corporate partnerships, althoughthe team has not begun negotiations with them.
The Crew owner said a hes- itancy to seek city-owned parkland has developed within his group, but Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Park in Southeast Austin is still being considered as a site for a stadium or practice facility.
McKalla Place, a city-owned, non-parkland tract near the Domain in North Austin, is considered promising, Precourt said, and efforts are underway to scout private properties within the urban core. He would not disclose privately owned potential sites.
Precourt would not provide a full breakdownof the eyebrow-raising potential $400 million package of community ben- efits of the team’s relocation that he had touted in a statement Tuesday, saying it was not ready to be publicly evaluated. Precourt, addressing skepticism about the $400 million total, said that the extent of the benefits the team would provide would depend on the quality of the stadium site.
In its statement Tuesday, Precourt Sports Ventures said a “public-private partnership” could deliver benefits in the form of community investments, park improvements, wages and construction services. Over 25 years, this amount could exceed $400 million, the statement says.
“It will vary from place to place,” Precourt said. “There is a real analysis behind that. We have a spreadsheet that breaks it down and line-itemizes it. We’ll be able to provide detail in the coming days and will welcome the city to independently verify it.”
Greeley outlined some broad generalizations regarding the promised community benefits: $50 million in youth soccer investment and wellness programming; $45 million to $50 million in donations to local charities and youth organizations; $40 million for construction contracts; and above $200 million in club employ-