Tag: Economic Development

Arena Ballpark Stadium

Buffalo is struggling to limit city leaders access to the luxury suites at the Bills new stadium

A few weeks ago, the Buffalo News Editorial Board released an article stating the importance of putting guidelines on whether public officials should or shouldn't have access to luxury suites at the new Buffalo Bills stadium. The new stadium will open in less than one year, yet there continues to be no policy on these rules. The Editorial Board writes that “past experience clearly demonstrates that leaving suite policy to chance is not a good…

William Neilson Jr.
Arena

If the current San Antonio Spurs arena never lived up to its economic promises, why would another new arena be any different?

The San Antonio Express-News continues to write article, after article, after article on the Spurs' interest in moving to a new arena. As time goes on, more and more of these articles include statements that a new arena could be a “potential downtown revitalization project” that brings “together sports, dining and drinking”. The Spurs believe that a new arena would “revitalize downtown”. Except, haven't San Antonio residents heard that claim before? Yes, they heard this…

William Neilson Jr.
Ballpark

10 years ago, Biloxi, Mississippi built a new ballpark and promised economic home-runs

Last month, WLOX did a fantastic story on whether the city of Biloxi was getting what was financially promised from a new ballpark that was built 10 years ago. The short answer is not even slightly. The ballpark was to be built for the Biloxi Shuckers, the Class AA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2015, the city spent $36 million to build a new ballpark. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant claimed the new ballpark “would…

William Neilson Jr.
Ballpark

Worcester was promised that Polar Park would pay for itself, it has not and will not

In 2018, the city council of Worcester, Massachusetts, agreed to finance a substantial portion of taxpayer money to build a brand-new ballpark. Although the city would be borrowing around $100.8 million for this project (making it the 4th most expensive minor league ballpark to be built), city leaders justified this expense by stating how the ballpark would fund itself, if not make the city money in the long term. At the press conference announcing the…

William Neilson Jr.