CITY COUNCIL MEMBER SAYS SHE OPPOSES STADIUM PLAN

But Council Member Pool says there’s still ‘time to get this right.’

The Austin Council member for the district where a Major League Soccer stadium could be built said she cannot vote for the agreement as currently constructed.

The city and Precourt Sports Ventures released a 25-page term sheet Friday night that, if the council approves, could lead to a 20,000seat stadium at McKalla Place, with the Columbus Crew SC as the tenant.

“This is not a deal I would support,” Council Member Leslie Pool said.

“My initial takeaway about the term sheet is surprise and disappointment. It is still a massive giveaway of taxpayer dollars to a private corporation. There’s a new deadline for a final decision — Oct. 9 — so that gives all of us a bit more time to get this right.”

Precourt officials pushed back on the possibility of an extended deadline two months later than what they previously worked out with the city. Oct. 9 is listed in the term sheet as a termination date if there is a “material breach” by either side in the agreed-upon details.

“Aug. 9 is a critical date for the council to approve the term sheet and to authorize the city manager to negotiate and execute definitive documents consistent with the term sheet,” said Austin MLS lobbyist Richard Suttle, who works for PSV. “That date is crucial for the future of MLS in Austin.”

Originally, Anthony Precourt and Major League Soccer wanted an answer by the end of June. League officials extended the deadline to Aug, 9, multiple soccer sources told the American-Statesman, but MLS is eager to finalize its 2019 schedule for marketing and logistical reasons.

Suttle said only if there’s a serious impasse on agreed-upon documents and contracts between the city and PSV would Oct. 9 come into play.

Pool sees the fall date as a chance for the city to make a better deal.

Pool told the Austin Monitor, “Even though there is rent coming in, you still have Austin schools, Travis County and other entities that have nothing. There’s still lots of vague

language, rail is mentioned but just indicating them as a possible partner, and when it comes to shuttles they’re banking on Cap Metro to help out a lot. There needs to be serious detail and clarity.”

Mayor Steve Adler and Council Member Kathie Tovo, major forces driving the soccer deal, and Council Member Jimmy Flannigan, seen as a swing vote, did not respond to attempts to contact them.

The council will hash over the term sheet in a special meeting Wednesday and take public input. McKalla Place also will be a topic at the Aug. 7 work session, when mixeduse proposals by developers also will be considered. On Aug. 9 there are two soccer items on the agenda, with the potential for a vote on the proposed stadium arrangement.

While parts of the term sheet seem vague, Suttle did explain why PSV’s $550,000 per year rent would not start until year six of an initial 20-year lease.

“One major premise is that the city will not pay for anything regarding construction of the stadium,” he said. “Infrastructure improvements are needed around McKalla Place,

and Precourt will be taking a major up-front hit to pay for those. So we asked for some relief on when the rent kicks in.”