Well, if the newest plans reported in the RTD this Sunday are adopted, then it won’t be going far.
Richmond City owns 60 acres of property around the Diamond, 30 acres of which currently houses the "Parker Field Maintenance Complex" — the city’s public works and maintenance operations center. Relocation plans for these outdated facilities have already been announced — well, maybe "plans" is too strong of a word. I think that "intentions announced by city officials" is a better way to put it.
There are a few options that open up with the moving of the Maintenance Complex, including:
- build a new stadium in place of the complex
- turn it over to developers for "an urban district of homes, shops, and offices alongside a sports and entertainment complex"
If the City opts for #2, then it can either refurbish the existing stadium or continue to argue about other possible sites.
While I see the benefits of both, I agree with Wilder that we are running out of time to find a solution to the ballpark issue. If we don’t move on this now, and use this opportunity to move forward, then we might as well just scrap the idea of a new ballpark altogether. This is the perfect opportunity to have a new stadium and not ruffle any feathers about historic preservation.
(Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch, Sunday 12/10/06, "Plans pitched for stadium on Boulevard")
