Aponte Says Talks with PawSox Ownership About Victory Place Forthcoming
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Providence City Council President Luis Aponte said Tuesday that talks are forthcoming between the Council and the new ownership group of the Pawtucket Red Sox, pertaining to the Victory Place opportunity in Providence for a new ballpark.
The news comes at a time when the PawSox are being approached by other potentially interested cities in Massachusetts, and Pawtucket is looking to obtain at least two feasibility studies pertaining the viability of McCoy Stadium, following the demise of the proposal put forth by the ownership group for the 195 land.
“We'll talk with them in the next few weeks,” Aponte told GoLocal on Tuesday of the new ownership group. “During negotiations over 195 there seemed to be a proposal floated that was more palatable [that the first], before Brown's ask for $15 million pulled the plug.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“It will take political leadership,” continued Aponte. “It has to be someone besides the speaker, and I’m pretty sure that it’s not going to be the Mayor."
Looking at Neighborhood in Whole
Aponte acknowledged that Lifespan would be brought in, as they recently acquired the Victory property. GoLocal was first to report that the parcel of land off of Allens Avenue was being floated as an option for the AAA club to consider.
“I think we need one earnest effort to make something downtown happen,” said Aponte. “[We] absolutely will have conversations with Lifespan -- what would it cost to convey the property, or how do we get into eminent domain. Lifespan said they have no immediate use [for the property].”
Aponte said that Victory presented a different set of parameters — and opportunities — than the effort that just failed to see the stadium built on 195 land.
“It can be a different approach -- it can be looked at in the broader view of neighborhood redevelopment, that includes the stadium, as opposed to the stadium driving everything else,” said Aponte. “I think if there’s additional development, there might be an ear for that.”
City - and State - Role
“I think it's got to be a redevelopment plan, and it's a city-state partnership,” said Aponte. “It can't just be the city putting something on the table. We have to determine [the owners’] interest. They’ve said before that Providence is where they want to be, so we can see if that's the case."
“So what does the city’s involvement look like ? What does the state's, what would the owners kick in? Again, it would be a different kind of development with neighborhood redevelopment. You do that, and the other stuff pays taxes, which could help subsidize the stadium. The state would have to kick something in, there are different tools to make it happen."
“But someone needs to step up and wave the flag,” said Aponte. “And so far, we haven’t seen that from Raimondo or Elorza.”
Related Slideshow: The Paw Sox Contenders - October 2015
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