Democrats on the Indianapolis City-County Council say they have lingering questions about Mayor Joe Hogsett’s decision to pursue a Major League Soccer franchise—a plan that puts a long-planned soccer stadium on the west side of the White River in jeopardy.
As part of a lengthy statement sent to IBJ on Tuesday, the Democratic caucus wrote that it “has more questions than answers on the proposal,” but expects that the Hogsett administration will provide answers in coming weeks.
Democrats occupy 19 of the 25 seats on the City-County Council.
“Pursuing a Major League Soccer team could strengthen our city’s reputation, enhance tourism, and boost our economy,” the statement said. “Currently, we believe there is more work to do to understand the repercussions of this strategy.”
Hogsett, a Democrat, announced Thursday that his administration plans to pursue an MLS expansion team, which includes establishing a professional sports development area, or PSDA, that could be used to locate a stadium at the site of the Downtown Heliport.
The proposed PSDA would need to be approved by the council and the city’s Metropolitan Development Commission by June 30 in order to comply with the 2019 law that created the tax district framework.
In a statement, Hogsett administration spokeswoman Aliya Wishner told IBJ, “We appreciate the Council’s openness to this exciting prospect and look forward to addressing all their questions, as we believe collaboration with the Council will set us on a course to enhance our representation as a major league city while improving neighborhoods that deserve our focus.”
The statement on behalf of the Democratic caucus was sent out by Denise Herd, an independent communications strategist who works for council Majority Leader Maggie Lewis.
The proposed 20,000-seat soccer-specific stadium and mixed-use space from the Indy Eleven and developer Keystone Group in District 18, represented by Councilor Kristin Jones, “was on the brink of enhancing our city’s skyline,” the statement said.
“After 10 years of investment, advocacy, and public input, we recently learned that these plans may not be realized,” it continued.
The council will be the next legislative body to consider the proposed PSDA if it passes through the Metropolitan Development Commission. The MDC is set to consider the proposed tax district map at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the City-County Building Public Assembly Room.
“As the legislative branch of our city/county government, our responsibility is to make the tough decisions on what proposals are successful and which ones are not in the best interest of our constituents,” the statement said. “Right now, our caucus has more questions than answers about the new stadium proposal. Going forward, we expect that the administration will provide all of the facts of the proposal, so that we can fully consider all merits of this opportunity.”
Councilors had been meeting with Keystone Group officials leading up to the announcement, a person familiar with the situation told IBJ.
IBJ reported Friday that the council’s Republican leader, Brian Mowery, and Democratic Councilor Jones had expressed concerns about the mayor’s plan. The Mayor’s Office said Hogsett administration representatives had discussions with council leadership and individual councilors leading up to the announcement.
By Taylor Wooten, Indianapolis Business Journal
