Sports Stadiums: Plans in Pawtucket and Worcester Change—and Raise Questions
Thursday, September 24, 2020
At a time when fans are banned from attending games in most major sports due to the coronavirus, there are issues emerging at Worcester’s Polar Park and a new plan has been floated for the proposed Tidewater development in Pawtucket.
Fortuitous Partners -- the Arizona-based developer proposing the Tidewater development and soccer stadium -- has announced that it is scaling back the project.
Brett Johnson, one of the cofounders of Fortuitous told the Pawtucket City Council on Wednesday night that the project was being scaled back. The former Apex site -- the centerpiece of the project due to its highway visibility -- is now being eliminated.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe project initially was to be on both the Apex site and on a second location — contaminated property tied to National Grid. As first proposed, the indoor sports event center, hotel, conference center, and other commercial development were to be located on the Apex site — a site that also faced remediation for environmental contamination.
The new cost for the project once proposed to be $400 million is an unknown. The project is still looking for $70 to $90 million in public financing. The company has hired high-powered Rhode Island lobbyists to try and secure the funding.
Moreover, Johnson has repeatedly refused to answer GoLocal questions about how much of the necessary funding the project has been secured. Top stadium experts question the viability of the Pawtucket proposal.
The project is located in one of the new federal Opportunity Zone parcels designated by the federal government — the program was championed by President Donald Trump’s administration and gives significant tax benefits to investors.
Worcester Cost Overruns and No Contract
Last week, it was disclosed that the City of Worcester and the Worcester Red Sox failed to formally execute their agreement.
Sports stadium expert and author of Field of Scheme Neil deMause writes citing the Worcester Business Journal, “More than two years after Worcester city officials announced the Pawtucket Red Sox were moving to the Canal District, there is no formal lease agreement legally obligating the team to come to Worcester.
And about six months before the minor league baseball team is scheduled to begin play in a new $132-million public stadium, the city government still doesn’t own the property on which its ballpark sits, even as construction on the project is well underway.”
"They’re getting more money in subsidies than it was initially budgeted to build their stadium, why would they turn that down?" deMause writes. "Because this gives the team huge leverage in negotiating lease terms, not to mention the stadium land’s private owners huge leverage in negotiating sale and development terms.”
As the contract was not signed it is unclear who is responsible for the cost overruns: The initial $90 million price tag for the stadium hit $132 million in January, and could yet surpass the $150 million.
Just this week, the project announced that the hotel and parking facilities were being downsized and the schedule for the adjoining private development has been delayed.
The team has reiterated that Polar Park will be completed for the spring of 2021.
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