INDIANAPOLIS — The mayor's administration is looking for city-county members willing to put their names on Joe Hogsett's proposal to create a special taxing district on the site of a second Indy soccer stadium downtown, sources said. indicates that uncertainty surrounding cemetery restoration remains. Real estate in a previously preferred location could sink the deal.
Hogsett told FOX59/CBS4 that he is preparing lawmakers to introduce a Professional Sports Development Area Special Taxation District at the current Indianapolis Heliport, the mayor's preferred site.
“Yes, we believe we have a sponsor, but that will be revealed at a later date,” Hogsett said ahead of a Friday deadline for the PSDA proposal to be placed on the City-County Council agenda on May 13. Told. An attempt to bring Major League Soccer to Indianapolis.
The helipad site is an alternative site preferred by the owners of the Indy 11 United Soccer League team on the former Diamond Chain factory site on Kentucky Avenue.
Indy 11 owner Ersar Ozdemir unsuccessfully pursued an MLS franchise while planning an imaginary $1.5 billion stadium/mixed-use project for several years.
When he purchased the 20-acre property on the banks of the White River on the southwest side of downtown, he was careful. The developer is also said to have recovered hundreds of 19 remains.th The residents of Indianapolis during the 20th century were buried in one of four cemeteries on the grounds known as Greenlawn Cemetery.
Ozdemir sold one acre of land to the city to support a proposed bridge over the White River from the west side along the southern property line, along Kentucky Avenue to Henry Street.
The city has budgeted $12 million to recover the estimated 650 or more remains buried on the strip of land, sources said.
The Diamond Chain site will be used as an industrial site and a baseball field for many years, as officials may not yet have a clear idea of how many sets of remains will have to be recovered before construction on the stadium begins. It has been plowed and paved for many years.
Earlier today, FOX59/CBS4 requested the following information from Keystone Group, the Ozdemir developer that is clearing the Diamond Chain site.
“Is the Keystone Group receiving updates regarding the recovery of remains on the Indy 11 Stadium grounds?” How many were recovered? What is the current ownership status of those remains? How many more bodies do we need to recover? What is the timetable? ”
A few hours later I received the following reply:
“The Keystone Group is committed to sharing any findings once a lawful process and scientific analysis is complete, as this is an expert-recommended practice that provides the highest level of privacy and respect. We are developing a website to educate the community about the complex history of the Diamond Chain site. This website will also include expert insight into the processes used. Keystone is committed to honoring and commemorating every discovery and invites community input and participation to honor the legacy of previous owners.”
The challenge of recovering the remains in a timely and fiscally responsible manner loomed large in Hogsett's decision to listen to an alternative ownership group led by Tom Glick, the professional sports marketing executive who brought the MLS expansion team to Charlotte, North Carolina. played a role in He also served as president of the NFL's Carolina Panthers.
“They want a great venue to play MLS level soccer, and they also want a strong cohesive and supportive local ownership team,” Hogsett said. “I think the local owners are excited.”
Hogsett said he has not had direct contact with any potential ownership groups.
“I’m not part of the conversation right now,” Hogsett said. “A guy by the name of Tom Glick, as he is now well known, has been helping coordinate the establishment of a local ownership team, and at least from my brief conversation with Tom, it appears to be going very well. It seems to me.”
Hogsett met with MLS commissioner Don Garber in New York City last month to inform him of Indy's desire to host America's top soccer team in a specially constructed 25,000-seat stadium.
“I want to tell you that these ideas were top of mind in my hour-and-a-half meeting with the Secretary, the Vice President, the Chief of Staff, and others. We are interested in local leaders who are willing to take a hands-on approach to working with the city to develop the soccer field and build a state-of-the-art soccer-specific stadium.”
FOX59/CBS4 spoke to Hogsett that the Simon family, owners of the Indiana Pacers, who have a successful 41-year history of NBA play in Indianapolis, are using public funds to enhance the facility and create unique entertainment. and whether there is a history of private investment to build venue developments. , could be a top candidate for such a local MLS ownership group.
“I'm not involved in recruiting local owners, so I can't comment on that,” Hogsett said.
The helipad Hogsett envisions as a possible site for a football stadium and special tax district would be located just east of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers, and a practice facility on Delaware Street in downtown's southeast quadrant. The area is ripe for development, with buildings expected to be demolished. the former Marion County Sheriff's Office and Jail, and the pending redevelopment of both City Market and Old City Hall at Alabama and Market Streets.
“We want MLS to come to Indianapolis, pure and simple. To do that, we need to offer Major League Soccer several different options,” the mayor said. “One size does not fit all. The PSDA, the one that currently exists and the one that is proposed, have different assets within the district that can generate revenue. The truth is that the (new) proposed The PSDA that was created probably has a slightly better revenue stream because of the projects that have already been launched and are being built within that PSDA that were not included in the original (Keystone Group). .”
Also missing from the proposed helipad site, which must be decommissioned by the Indianapolis Airport Authority to carry out the mayor's plan, are thousands of sets of human remains that must be recovered and relocated before construction can begin. This is a possibility.
A mummified body in a casket was recently discovered on the Keystone Group property, sources said, and the body was temporarily transferred to the Marion County Coroner's Office before the coroner confirmed to FOX59/CBS4. It was reportedly returned to the property of the developer.
“I think the community as a whole has very real concerns about how those issues will be mediated and overcome if the Diamond Chain is selected as the site for the stadium,” Hogsett said. said. “That's a very real concern, Russ, that I can only say with some certainty about an acre that the city owns. That acre has a lot of remains, skeletal remains. We will go above and beyond state requirements to see what ranges we will encounter as Henry Street is extended and bridges are built. There is reason to believe that they are being treated with the holiness they deserve.”
MLS franchise fees estimated to exceed $500 million, with 31 teams in the leaguecent Ozdemir announced that he is considering bringing in Chuck Sarak, a Fort Wayne entrepreneur and billionaire owner of the musical instrument and pro audio company Sweetwater, for ownership.
Glick, who represents the yet-to-be-named second ownership group, spoke to the city-county council this week as the Hogsett administration also participates in talks with lawmakers to support the mayor's alternative land tax district. He met with Democratic Party members.
“I think these conversations have been pretty well received, and we are optimistic that the council will pass the new PSDA option when it presents it later next month,” Hogsett said.
The city will submit one professional sports development area to the Indiana House Budget Committee for state approval June 30 to collect taxes and return them to the municipality to redeem construction bonds. Facing a deadline of days.
Late Thursday afternoon, IBJ reported that an affiliate of the Simon family paid $10.5 million for a five-acre parking lot on the property where Mayor Hogsett wants to build a soccer stadium.
A representative for the Simmons family sent the following statement to FOX59/CBS4:
“Pacers Sports & Entertainment regularly utilizes the parking lot for employee parking and for event operations at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Last summer, when they learned the property might be for sale, I was asked to contact the owner and began negotiations that led to the purchase by an affiliate of the Simon family. I did. The deal predates football, and the property will continue to be used for parking, Gainbridge Fieldhouse operational uses, and potential for future development.”
