City Council doesn’t have soccer item on its agenda

The holding pattern remains for Major League Soccer in Austin as the City Council has nothing to discus involving Columbus Crew SC at next week’s meeting.

The agenda was set late Friday afternoon without a soccer item on it as the council continues to wait to hear from Precourt Sports Ventures about its preferred stadium sites.

“We have no proposal in front of us,” said Council Member Leslie Pool, whose District 7 includes McKalla Place, a site near the Domain that PSV is studying. “Our staff has told us they will not spend any time on it until they are directed by council to do so.

“Really, the ball is in Precourt’s court.”

A PSV official said the group is still stacking up its alternatives. Precourt Sports was stung by losing its No. 1 target, Butler Shores Metropolitan Park, to neighborhood pressure.

“We are doing our due diligence and weighing parkland versus cityowned non-parkland versus potential private sites,” Austin MLS lobbyist Richard Suttle said.

After Thursday, the council’s next meeting will be March 8, then there’s a gap until March 22.

Two people have signed up to speak against using Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Park during the citizens communications portion of Thursday’s meeting, but no action will be taken on soccer.