Ballpark Changes in the Majors

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New parks and changes for 2008 and beyond!

THE NATIONALS  definite completion: 2008

During the early part of the first decade of the new millenium, we had to change our write-up on where the Montreal Expos would end up playing many, many times.  The bottom line is that on December 29, 2004, the mayor of Washington signed a measure ensuring that the Expos would be playing in Washington, D.C.'s RFK Stadium in 2005, and that a new stadium would be completed for them by 2008. This followed a roller-coaster three-month period where the deal to move the team to D.C. was on again, off again, and back on again. On September 29, 2005, Major League Baseball had informed the city of Washington, D.C. that the Expos would indeed move to that city for the 2005 season, only to have MLB announce that move was off on December 22 after the D.C. Council placed requirements for private financing on the construction of the new facility. Within a week, the Council reversed itself, and the deal was back on.

RFK Stadium was the home of the vagabond Expos, which changed its name to the Washington Nationals, for three seasons while the new park was constructed.

The team, now called the Washington Nationals of course, played three seasons in a spruced-up RFK Stadium while the new facility was being designed and built. The new park, which was designed by a team headed by HOK and D.C.-based Devrouax & Purnell, was constructed near the intersection of South Capitol Street and Potomac Avenue, quite near the Anacostia River. BASEBALLPARKS.COM was there on Opening Day of this new park on March 30th (see the first pitch in the new park below). Our complete review of this new landmark is now available for your reading pleasure ... plus it features 30 photos!

On March 30, 2008, Washington's new ballpark finally made its debut. Here was the first pitch on Opening Night.

THE ORIOLES  expected completion: doubtful that it will ever be in Ft. Lauderdale

The Orioles' spring-training lease in Ft. Lauderdale expired after the 2004 preseason, so since discussions with other Florida cities didn't bear (citrus) fruit, the Orioles kept their focus on staying in sunny Ft. Lauderdale ... but with drastically improved facilities, including a new ballpark.  The O's were seeking between $7 and $15 million from the state of Florida, annual payments from the city of Ft. Lauderdale to pay for upkeep and debt retirement, then chipping in their own money to make the plan a reality.  The team was willing to sign a 15-year lease to continue its springtime stay in Ft. Lauderdale. A wrinkle popped up on December 20, 2006 when the city commissioners there reversed an earlier decision and elected to turn down any annual payment toward this project. Cooler heads then prevailed, and the plan got back on track -- and everything seemed to be lining up for the final arrangements. That was until the Federal Aviation Administration got involved. Huh? Well, it turns out that the the Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport is directly next door to the Orioles' spring complex, and that complex is technically on FAA land. And the FAA wants to increase the "rent" on the land from somewhere around $100,000 a year to $1.3 million. Yes, a 1300% increase. Look for the Orioles to make a pitch to Vero Beach to move there now that the Dodgers have made it official that they are indeed moving to Glendale, Arizona in 2009. That move might not be permanent, though, as the Orioles would still listen to offers to move to a brand-new complex somewhere.

THE ROYALS  expected completion: 2009

By 2009, Kauffman Stadium will have many new features. Although early plans for a concert pavilion beyond center field were scrapped, the final design provides numerous enhancements to the facility, which had been largely unchanged for over three decades. (Rendering courtesy of HOK Sport)

THE DODGERS  expected completion: 2009

Los Angeles' National League team has seen its home stadium in Chavez Ravine undergo some major renovations in recent years. The Dodgers are now about to embark on a major move of its spring headquarters from venerable Dodgertown on Florida's Atlantic Coast to the west side of the Phoenix Metro Area. On November 15, 2006, the city council of Glendale, AZ unanimously approved the final step to constructing a two-team spring-training complex. The plan calls for enough practice fields for two teams (the White Sox want to move out of Tucson and to this complex if all of the lease obstacles can be overcome) and a central stadium with 12,000 permanent seats and room for another 3,000 on berms. The complex would be the centerpiece of a 400-plus-acre development of retail businesses, a hotel and a golf course. The baseball complex, which was designed by HKS, is supposed be ready in 2009, since the Glendale City Council on June 26, 2007 unanimously approved the details on financing the complex. The deal also includes penalties if the complex isn't ready on time, and if the White Sox don't join the Dodgers in a timely manner ... but after making a visit to the site in March of 2008 (and only grading had taken place -- no actual construction -- see below), I was having my doubts that the complex could be done by March 2009. However, in August the architects told me that the construction was about 50% complete, and they assured me that it would be done in time for spring training 2009.

The top image shows the site plan for the Glendale complex, while the bottom photo shows construction underway near the first-base dugout of the new park. Both images are couresy of HKS.

THE INDIANS  expected completion: 2008 for some of the complex; 2009 for stadium

The Indians will be joining the Dodgers in moving their spring-training headquarters west. If you've visited the "west valley" of the Phoenix area recently, you've no doubt been stunned by the sprawl of civilization (shopping centers, car dealers, housing developments, etc.) west along Interstate 10. Glendale and Goodyear are now exploding cities, and the latter has inked an agreement with the Indians to develop a $75-million spring complex, complete with stadium for exhibition games, on empty fields near the local airport (see below). It now appears that some of the complex will be complete sometime during 2008, but the Indians won't actually conduct their first spring training there until 2009. The 10,000-seat ballpark was designed by HOK.

The site of the spring-training complex for the Indians will have a view of mountains to the south. Construction of the main stadium was well underway in March 2008 (above left), with several practice fields approaching completion (right).

THE NEW YORK METS AND NEW YORK YANKEES  expected completion for both: 2009

"You can't underestimate the effect on civic pride and the economy of the city," said outgoing Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani, regarding a plan to build new stadiums for both the Mets and Yankees.  As he was about to leave office at the end of December 2001, Giuliani announced a plan to build a pair of retractable-roof stadiums, each costing about $800 million.  The new 45,000-seat park for the Mets, which would have been completed by 2006, would be built in what is now a parking lot for Shea Stadium, the team's current home.

A new Yankee Stadium, meanwhile, would have 47,000 seats and be located in city-owned Macomb's Dam Park, which is across the street from the current ballpark.  It would be completed in 2007.  Under this plan, both teams would have to sign 35-year leases for their new stadiums, and each would have to pay $23 million a year to cover the debt service on the construction bonds the city would issue.  The plan announced by Giuliani was not binding on New York's new mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who had the authority to throw out the whole project if he chose to.  Indeed, just seven days into his tenure as mayor, Bloomberg announced that the city would not be making significant expenditures to plan for new ballparks.  And on January 30th, 2002 several city council members introduced a resolution condemning Giuliani for jumping the gun in announcing the stadium deals.  By May, with momentum for the new stadiums having ground to a halt, an engineering study of Shea Stadium reported that the facility is in need of millions of dollars worth of repairs.

HOK is deeply involved in both the Yankees' (left) and Mets' new ballparks.

The Yankees worked behind the scenes, and in June of 2005 they announced that the "new" Yankee Stadium would indeed be built next door to the current structure (and be modeled after the original "House That Ruth Built" structure from the 1920s, with HOK being the lead architects). The expected cost at the time of the announcement: $800 million. About a year before completion, the figure to replace their current park was pegged at $1.2 billion. A few months later, it reached $1.3 billion, and the team lobbied the IRS to permit them to obtain additional tax-advantaged financing. Opening Day at the new park will be April 16, 2009.

These photos of the new Yankee Stadium were taken July 28, 2008. On the left is the grand entryway that will be behind home plate. On the right is a view of the entry that will be down the first-base line. The platform for the elevated train runs through the center of the photo, and below it is River Avenue. In the next block to the left of this scene is center field of the current Yankee Stadium.

The Mets, meanwhile, had been banking that New York City would be named to host the 2012 Olympics so that a new Olympic stadium could be converted into a home for the Mets, just like in Atlanta. However, the IOC gave the games to London for 2012, which was a setback, but not a fatal one. Instead, the Mets announced a push to open a new park in 2009 in the parking lot next to Shea, and that they would provide significant funding for it. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on the site on November 13, 2006, the same day it was announced that Citigroup would be paying about $20 million a year for 20 years for the new park's naming rights. Indeed, the 45,000-seat stadium will be called Citi Field. One design highlight will be an entry rotunda reminiscent of the one at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field that will be named for Jackie Robinson. The rotunda will be lined with exhibits and mementos from Robinson's career. The completed $800-million park is scheduled to make its debut April 14, 2009.

Citi Field takes shape next door to Shea. On the left is the view of the exterior beyond left field from Northern Blvd. on the north side of the complex. On the right is the area that will be the Jackie Robinson Entry Rotunda, which will be behind home plate. The photos were taken July 26, 2008.

THE RAYS  expected completion: 2009 and 2012

One reason the Rangers now conduct spring training in Surprise, Arizona is because their former complex in Port Charlotte, Florida was, well, not really adequate. And that's putting it nicely. The Tampa Bay Rays, who have trained in St. Petersburg since their inception, intend to move their spring operations about an hour to the south, to Charlotte County. There, they will inherit the Ranger's old duds, only when they move into the complex in 2009, it will be a spruced-up complex. Over $27 million alone will be plowed into rebuilding the forlorn ballpark there. HOK is behind the design (see below), which will drastically improve the facility and its surroundings. The official groundbreaking for the reconstruction at the site occurred August 20th, 2007.

HOK is behind the redesign of the forlorn ballpark at the spring complex in Port Charlotte, where the Rays will be moving in 2009. (Images courtesy of HOK Sport)

But that's not nearly all as it relates to the Rays! The site where they currently play their springtime games on the waterfront in St. Pete is where the team wants to build a new facility for their regular-season games. By implementing a plan where the land where their current home, Tropicana Field, and its parking lots are sold to developers, the team hopes to create one of the most unique, picturesque sports facilities anywhere. Joe Spears and the team at HOK have designed a one-of-a-kind beauty that, if built, will be unlike anything anywhere. By integrating a nautical theme, a huge "mast" structure beyond center field will support cables that will allow a covering to be moved depending on the weather. Further, the right-field foul pole will be close enough to the bay so that sluggers will have a shot at hitting home runs into the water (see site plan below right).

If everything falls into place, the new ballpark could be built by 2012. In so doing, the Rays would be moving from one of the very poorest Major League environments to one of the very best.

The ballpark once called Al Lang Field (left) is where the Rays play their spring exhibitions. That's the site where the team hopes to construct a new park with a gorgeous, novel design. Its proximity to the bay (right) will make "splash" HRs possible. (Center and right images courtesy of HOK)

THE TWINS  expected completion: 2010

It seemed to take forever (11 years, actually), but the Twins will indeed have the new stadium that they've been pleading for. On May 20, 2006, the Minnesota Legislature approved a measure authorizing a 0.15% sales tax in Hennepin County that will generate the revenue to construct a new ballpark.

The stadium will have approximately 40,000 seats but not the retractable roof that the team had requested. It will be constructed on the western edge of downtown Minneapolis and it will provide a view of the city's skyline. The total price-tag is said to be $522 million. $130 million of that must come from the team, including the initial $45 million to get the construction started. Completion is expected by 2010.

Interestingly, the team had been targeted for "contraction." In fact, the only thing that stood in the way of both the Twins and Expos being wiped off the baseball map prior to the 2002 season was the court in Minnesota that ruled that the Twins couldn't break their lease at the Metrodome (which, ironically, was in its last year). As the drumbeat continued for a new stadium, the team began working with HOK on a stadium design that wasn't site-specific, so that it could be built in either Minneapolis or St. Paul.  It was amusing that when HOK unveiled the renderings of what the new retractable-roof facility would look like, one drawing showed the skyline of Minneapolis in the background, while another depicted downtown St. Paul. With the retractable roof off the table, the design was completely redone, with HOK introducing their new vision for the open-air park -- in a miniature eight-acre space -- on April 12, 2007. On April 26, the Twins and Hennepin County finalized a 30-year lease on the new stadium.

And the site for the park was a major story in itself. The stadium bill actually specified an exact location for the park, even though that site was privately owned. This was a problem, because the owners of the land refused to sell for anything close to what the county was authorized in the bill to pay. The impasse lasted for months until the Twins agreed to fund an additional amount to cover a higher purchase price. This allowed the county to force the owners of the land to sell through eminent domain. Preparation of the site was then possible while the courts were working on an appropriate price for the land -- all made possible because the team agreed to provide money to increase the purchase price over what the original bill specified.

On the left is an aerial shot with the proposed ballpark drawn in. An overhead view of the design (center) released on 4/13/07 shows how steep the stands will be to accommodate the small site. On the right is the actual location where the park is being built. This is looking east. (Site plan and rendering courtesy of HOK Sport.)

That site, interestingly, is small -- so small that HOK observed that it was the tightest space that they'd ever attempted to design a baseball park for. Its location is also interesting, in that there will be excellent rail and highway access as well as ample parking, since the Target Center basketball arena is just across Interstate 394 from the ballpark site. Perhaps not so fortuitous is the fact that on the opposite side of this site is the county's trash-incinerating plant.

Minnesotan Bill Verkuilen provided the construction photos above in August. With about 20 months to go until Opening Day, the stadium is taking shape. The shot on the left is of the interior of the park, zeroing in on the infield. The reddish sign in the very center of the photo is where home plate will be. Just to the left is the concrete outline of the first-base dugout. The photo on the right above is of the exterior of the park behind first base. Thanks to Bill for the great photos!

THE MARLINS  expected completion: 2011

The metaphor of a yo-yo comes to mind when discussing the prospects of a new ballpark for the Marlins. The team -- and MLB for that matter -- has long felt that Dolphin Stadium, a football stadium ill-suited for baseball, was a poor home. Further, the Marlins felt the lease gave far too much parking and concession revenue to the stadium's owner. So the hunt for a new park began, but so did the yo-yo news arising out of the search. In 2000, it seemed like a slam dunk, then by 2001, like it would never happen (including the possibility the franchise would be "contracted" out of existence). By 2003, on the coattails of the team winning the World Series, it appeared a new park would be built exactly where the team wanted it, in downtown Miami. Then long-anticipated state funding failed to appear for two straight legislative sessions, plus the city seemed reluctant to part with the desired parcel of ground, and the proposal fell apart. The Marlins then shed payroll like crazy and conducted a very public courtship with several cities around the country (including San Antonio, Portland and Las Vegas) to see if anyone would build them a fancy new baseball-only facility. There were no takers, and the phrase "in limbo" was used often to describe the Marlins' future.

When the University of Miami football team elected to dump the dumpy Orange Bowl and start playing its home games in Dolphin Stadium in 2008, the city knew that the aging stadium would have to be demolished ... thereby providing a very likely site for a new ballpark. The Marlins stayed noncommittal about the site for a long time, mostly because the neighborhood around the Orange Bowl -- often referred to as Little Havana -- wasn't the best. However, in December of 2007, a bold, multi-billion-dollar proposal for numerous public works projects in Miami was made by city and county leaders, including, of course, a baseball stadium at the site of the Orange Bowl.

As it relates to the ballpark, the proposal looks like this. The Marlins would be required to provide $155 million up front (more than triple the up-front money discussed in the past), but that would cap their outlay (previous proposals called for their ultimate participation to top $200 million). In exchange, the team would receive a baseball-only stadium with a retractable roof. It would have approximately 37,000 seats and about 60 luxury suites, and if all approvals are achieved, it would be completed for the 2010 season, which would be a good thing because the Dolphins want to end the Marlins' lease by then. The remainder of the projected $525-million price tag for the ballpark would come from the City of Miami -- $121 million from tourist taxes and reserves -- and Miami Dade County -- $249 million in bonds and various tourist taxes. The county would own the ballpark once its completed, and the Marlins would be responsible for upkeep. Interestingly, under this proposal, the county would get to pocket a percentage of any profit that current team owner Jeff Loria would make if he sold the Marlins franchise. This whole proposal eliminates two key obstacles that have poisoned past stadium initiatives: no money from an often-reluctant state legislature would be required; voter approval would not be needed. By the way, the city hopes that in addition to a ballpark, the Orange Bowl site will also feature a 25,000-seat pro-soccer stadium as well as stores and other commercial development.

From one football site to another. The Marlins currently play in Dolphin Stadium (left), but if an ambitious plan is approved in Miami, they will move to a new ballpark with a retractable roof at the current site of the Orange Bowl football stadium (right).

THE ATHLETICS  expected completion: 2012

When all of the contraction talk was heating up, there was some sentiment to eliminate the Athletics, since some felt that the Bay Area could only support one Major League team.  Well, the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority was serious enough about building a new ballpark for the Athletics that they commissioned a major study by architectural heavyweights HOK-Sport to recommend sites.  A report delivered to the Authority in late 2001 presented findings on seven possible sites, three of which were later ruled out by the Oakland Alameda Joint Powers Authority.  All of this was in hopes that a new baseball-only facility for Oakland would be ready by 2006, but that was ridiculously optimistic. The momentum of that push, though, emboldened the new managing partner of the A's, Lewis Wolff, to propose a massive mixed-use development surrounding a new ballpark for his A's. The location was just north of the site of their current home, McAfee Coliseum. Renderings of the new park and commercial "village" were widely circulated, and were fairly well received.

However, the city of Oakland couldn't come up with the money or land to make this happen, so the proposal died. Wolff, though, remained determined to find a location for the "ballpark village" he yearned for. No doubt San Jose (which has seen such astronomical growth that it is now larger than either Oakland or San Francisco) would have been a natural destination, but since the city is technically within the Giants' territory, the A's couldn't move there.

However, in the fall of 2006 Wolff found a partner that could provide land, naming-rights money and technology. That partner is Cisco Systems, and the company entered into a complicated arrangement with the team to sell them land in Fremont, which is just to the east of San Jose, on which a new ballpark and that "village" will be constructed. The company also agreed to pay for naming rights to the ballpark, which will be called Cisco Field, and to sell high-tech niceties to the team to integrate into the park. No date was immediately announced as to when the new stadium would be open, but team officials have admitted that it's unlikely that the facility will be ready any sooner than 2012, due to environmental studies that will need to be completed and addressed.

While waiting for all of this to come to fruition, the A's made a big change to McAfee Coliseum. They stopped selling any seats in the stadium's upper deck, which reduced the seating capacity by about 15,000. They also signed a short-term lease extension on the Coliseum to give them time to get the new park in Fremont designed and built.

Speaking of the park's design, early graphics of the proposed Cisco Field, as released by the A's (below), bear an interesting resemblance to renderings produced by the team of 360 Architecture and Gensler for a park that would've been built in a "ballpark village" in Oakland. Early indications are that the park will cost somewhat more than $400 million to build, have no more than 34,000 seats, be surrounded by even more parking spaces than at the Coliseum (critics of the plan dispute this, though) and will truly be integrated into the businesses and condos in the village.

This is an early look at what the A's new park in Fremont might look like. Note how close it is to the buildings surrounding it. On the right is the actual site in Fremont where the park will be built.

THE REDS  expected completion: it won't in Sarasota ... but it will in Goodyear in 2010!

The Reds moved their spring exhibition games into Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota after the White Sox fled Florida to take up spring residence in Tucson. The park and the nearby complex really aren't state of the art, and the Reds and Sarasota negotiated at length about constructing new facilities elsewhere in Sarasota. At various points, it looked extremely likely, and at other points it looked like it would never happen. However, on December 13, 2006, the City of Sarasota and the County of Sarasota agreed to have a unified front in negotiations with the Reds to keep their springtime operations there for the next 30 years. The agreement between the two governments provided the framework for a $54 million deal that would have combined county, city, state and team money to pay for a new spring home for the Reds, while requiring the team to commit to a 30-year lease. The only problem was that local voters voted it down. Almost immediately, the team announced that they will move their spring operations to another locale, as soon as a suitable one can be identified. Early in 2008, the Reds entered into an agreement with the city of Goodyear, Arizona to halt all negotiations with any city other than Goodyear, and that turned into a concrete agreement to move their spring operations there in 2010, a year after the Indians take up residence in the new complex there. Sarasota then turned its attention to the Red Sox, whom they hope to lure to a new complex in 2010 or 2011.

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