Alexandria BurrisIndianapolis Star
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A resolution to create a professional sports development area for a new Downtown stadium aimed at helping Indianapolis land a Major League Soccer team is swiftly making its way through the city's legislative process and toward the goal of a June 3 vote of the full City-County Council.
More: Indianapolis plans to pursue MLS expansion team, raising questions on Indy Eleven future
If approved, Proposal No. 175 will allow the city to designate a site that includes 355 Pearl St. near the Indianapolis Downtown Heliport as a PSDA — a special district where taxesare capturedto help fund the proposed new MLS-ready stadium.
The site Mayor Joe Hogsett recently revealed for a publicly-support stadium is an alternative to the one approvedin December forElevenPark, a planned mixed-use development located east of White River off of Kentucky Avenue. A 20,000-seat multipurpose, MLS-eligible stadium was to anchor the development and would serve as the home of the Indy Eleven minor league soccer team while the team's owners pursued a MLS team.
Only one PSDA is allowed in the city.
The city had backed the Eleven Park proposal until recently, when Hogsett announced a competing plan to build a stadium at the site of the heliport and partner with a new group of investors seeking a MLS team. The mayor said the change of direction came because of concerns about the Eleven Park project's financing and a growing controversy over human remains from the city's first cemetery that remain in unmarked graves at the White River site.
The council's Rules and Public Policy Committee, chaired by Council President Vop Osili, will take up the new proposal and map for the mayor's proposed stadium project at 5:30 p.m. May 28. The committee will issue a do-pass or a no-pass recommendation to the council. There will be time for public comment.
Regardless of which way the committee votes, the proposal will go to the full council for a vote on June 3.
If voted down by the council, the resolution dies. But if the council approves the plan, the process will move to the Metropolitan Development Commission for a vote to approve or deny the alternate PSDA. If that vote is affirmative, the PSDA designation request will be submitted to the State Budget Committee for review and approval.
The city has until June 30 to complete the process and forward the stadium project to the state.
Aliya Wishner, a spokesperson for Mayor Joe Hogsett, said the administration will not advance the PSDA for Eleven Park even if the mayor's proposal dies at the council.
"We feel confident about our continued conversations with counselors on the importance of this historic opportunity to bring a Major League Soccer team to our community," Wishner said.
The alternate PSDA is a key part of the process the Hogsett administration is embarking on in its pursuit of a MLS team. The mayor announced last month that he'd met with MSL Commissioner Dan Gaber in New York City to discuss the prospects of making Indianapolis home to another professional sports franchise. Hogsett is pursuing a MSL team separately from Ersal Ozdemir, the founder and owner of Indy Eleven and Keystone Group, the developer of Eleven Park.
Hogsett's surprise announcement sparked a dizzying back and forth with the mayor's office and Ozdemir's Keystone Group, and threw the future of Eleven Park into uncertainty. Keystone and Indy Eleven broke ground on that stadium project last year. The firm contends there's still bipartisan support among the council for Eleven Park despite the city's administration walking away from the project.
In the run-up to Tuesday's vote, Keystone Group has launched a multi-faceted campaign to garner public support. Ads are appearing on television, online websites such as YouTube and streaming services, urging supporters to contact Hogsett and the Indianapolis council to show support for Eleven Park.
When asked about the campaign, Keystone did not reveal how much the advertisem*nts are costing the company nor how long it will run them on television and social media. An online petition is now parked on Eleven Park's website. Keystone said it also is encouraging supporters to make their voices heard.
"Over the last month, we have been overwhelmed by messages of support for Eleven Park from neighborhood leaders, the business community, soccer fans, and elected officials," the developer said in a statement. "We continue to encourage all those who support this transformational riverfront redevelopment project to make their voices heard as the Council considers an attempt to abandon the city's commitment to near westside neighborhoods."
Contact IndyStar investigative reporter Alexandria Burris ataburris@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at@allyburris.
