What did taxpayers get for investment in soccer stadium?
It was supposed to be the crown jewel in the impressive renaissance taking place on the Chester waterfront. And, in fact, it is. Talen Energy Stadium would be an impressive edifice anywhere. But it is especially important as it stands in the shadow of the Commodore Barry Bridge in the city of Chester, a town that continues to struggle mightily to reverse decades of economic decline.
But there is something missing in this picture. Actually, there is a lot missing. Ten years ago, when the notion of building a stadium on the Chester waterfront to lure a Major League Soccer franchise to Philadelphia was first raised, the stadium was supposed to be just one facet of a grandiose $500 million development that included hundreds of upscale townhouses and apartments, rows of retail shops and restaurants, a hotel and even a convention center.
There were dreams of making the Chester waterfront the equivalent of Baltimore’s inner harbor, a destination point, something that had not been said of Chester for a long time.
Officials estimated 2,600 construction jobs tied to the stadium, and then another 900 permanent positions in the surrounding development.
It was that promise that earned an endorsement on this very page, as well as a big chunk of public money, $30 million to be exact.
The project – specifically sinking millions of public dollars into a stadium – had its detractors. Among them was state then state Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland. He now happens to be mayor of Chester.
And the debate over whether the county should float the bond for the stadium caused what at the time was that rarest of occurrences – a vote by Delaware County Council that was not unanimous.
Then-Councilman Andy Lewis of Haverford had misgivings about the project. Specifically, before he signed off on the bottom line, he wanted to get a look at the Major League Soccer books, hoping to ease his worries about the fiscal stability of the league.
When MLS rejected his request, Lewis gave the project a thumb’s down.
Ten years later, the concerns of Lewis and others seem prescient.
“It was a complete bait-andswitch,” Lewis said. “They baited us with the soccer stadium and came in with nothing after that.”
The bond measure still passed. Shovels went into the ground. What was then PPL Park rose under the Barry Bridge.
Then the economy went off a cliff. It was 2008, and the nation was staring into the abyss of a financial meltdown.
The Buccini/Pollin Group Inc. were the developers of the Chester site. Their vision was not just a soccer stadium. They wanted to make Chester the equivalent of anything available in Camden, Philadelphia or Wilmington.
The $115 million stadium project never would have happened without that public money, $30 million from the county and another $45 million from the state. The Delaware River Port Authority and the city of Chester also kicked in, raising the total public money involved to $87 million.
Ten years later, the question is asked, what did the county and state get for its money?
The answer: It got an 18,500seat soccer stadium that plays host to the Philadelphia Union and some other athletic events, but which sits vacant nearly 300 days a year. And little else. Oh, the Union has constructed a practice facility beside the stadium, one that carries the name of Power Home Remodeling, one of the other Chester success stories, a company that relocated its headquarters in the city.
There is the belief that such development continues to spread the seeds of growth in the city, in particular along the waterfront, anchored by the majestically restored former PECO Power Station at the Wharf at Rivertown on one end, and Harrah’s Casino on the other.
The challenge then, as it remains today, was to push that economic development across Route 291 into the downtown sections, and eventually Chester’s many neighborhoods. The downtown is beginning to show signs of a turnaround, spurred by a vibrant arts scene. The city is home to major institutions such as Widener University and Crozer-Chester Medical Center.
Ten years ago, this newspaper took some heat from a lot of experts who believed sinking public funds into a soccer stadium – anywhere, let alone in a depressed city such as Chester – was folly.
We hung a huge asterisk on that support.
It was contingent on the notion that county taxpayers would be getting a lot more bang for their buck than just a 20,000seat soccer facility in the shadow of the Commodore Barry Bridge.
The Union should be credited for their work in the community, in particular for spurring interest and investment in youth athletics.
But a decade later, we’re still waiting for a glimpse of what was promised along the Chester waterfront.