MLS4TheLou Stays Mum on Parson About-Face
Date Posted: December 20, 2019
Posted In: Projects, Regionalism,
From St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The Major League Soccer ownership group and representatives from the city hope the state’s transportation department will agree to close several downtown highway ramps by Feb. 3 to allow roadwork and construction of a new stadium to begin.
The Missouri Department of Transportation still needs to give final approval on when to close the Highway 40 (Interstate 64) ramps. And the sale of excess state right-of-way to the city to make way for the MLS stadium project — originally set for a Dec. 1 closing — still needs to be finalized, though a transaction is expected to be complete before the ramp closures.
The February highway ramp closure date requested by city and MLS ownership officials was about the only new information they offered up during a public open house Thursday required as part of the road closure process. Ownership group representatives said they had no new comments on the unexpected decision by Gov. Mike Parson’s administration this week to hold back on $30 million in state tax credits that local — and some state officials — had for months indicated were a likely part of the stadium financing package.
Earlier this week, when a Missouri Development Finance Board meeting on some of the credits was abruptly canceled, the ownership group said the state board “did not consult with us in making the decision to cancel the meeting, so we’re not sure why it was canceled.” The owners, led by World Wide Technology CEO Jim Kavanaugh and the Taylor family of rental car giant Enterprise Holdings, have not said anything following the news that Parson’s administration scuttled the state help.