Photos: Proposal could finally bring soccer stadium downtown

Trailing the proposal to transform MAPFRE Stadium into Crew SC’s practice facility and a shared-use sports facility, officials unveiled a plan today to build a $230 million soccer stadium in the Arena District.

The highly-anticipated announcement from the Columbus Partnership and the prospective ownership group of Columbus Crew SC calls for a new stadium to be erected on 13 acres of land on the north side of West Nationwide Boulevard.

The land is currently owned by Nationwide Realty Investors.

Renderings of the 20,000-seat stadium reveal plans for a new Nordecke, complete with standing areas and patio decks, along with multiple levels of covered stands.

Additional, 15 acres of land to the west and south of that parcel would house a dense mixed-use development.

It would be called Confluence Village and containing 270,000 square feet of commercial and office space as well as 885 residential units, 20 percent of which would be affordable.

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Five acres of land would be dedicated to a new park along the Olentangy River, along with other public amenities.

Funding for the stadium project is broken down in the following ways, per Columbus Underground:

• The new Crew SC owners will contribute $645 million to purchase the team and to build the new stadium and a new training facility at Mapfre Stadium.
• The City of Columbus will not provide any money for the stadium itself, but will contribute $50 million for infrastructure improvements and to build the Columbus Community Sports Park proposed for the Mapfre Stadium site.
• Franklin County will contribute $50 million toward a Community Authority that will be created for the new development.

Pending approval, groundbreaking is planned August of 2019 with completion by March of 2021.

“This is the next step in what some may have thought was an impossible dream,” said Alex Fischer, President and CEO of the Columbus Partnership, in a statement. “Today’s announcement showcases our community’s commitment, in partnership with the Haslam and Edwards Families, to MLS soccer in Columbus.”

A public hearing to discuss the proposal and funding is scheduled for 6pm tonight at City Hall.

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