Build the Republic FC Stadium, Even Thou Tax Money Fell Through

Right now appears to be the closest the proposed stadium has ever been to actually starting construction. A few weeks ago local residents successfully blocked the expansion of a special taxing district (designed to fund infrastructure around the stadium) but the city plans to move ahead with the project and figure out which tax money to use later. With residents and labor advocates successfully halted the expansion of a special taxing district intended to spur development in the Railyards, the Sacramento Republic FC said they remained committed to building a new stadium in the area.

Earlier this week a formal ground breaking at the Railyards site near North B and 7^th Street which was lead be Witlon Rancheria. The $175 million soccer stadium could be ready for play by the 2027 season. The Sacramento Republic FC has declared that this time it will really get built. 

New Sacramento Republic’s Stadium

Today, the 12^th of November the Sacramento City Council is expected to approved a proposed term sheet to build a soccer stadium in the Railyards downtown. The Wilton Rancheria tribe has become the majority owner of the Sacramento Republic FC and is now in the process of purchasing the land needed to build the new 12,000 seat stadium. The estimated cost will be $321 million and completed in 2027.

Sacramento Republic FC Stadium Proposed Again

Remember last year in March when Ron Burkle pulled out of being the lead investor for Sacramento’s MLS team to build a new stadium? Today the Sacramento Republic FC declared they have nearly 1$ billion in private funding for a stadium in The Railyards. Very little detail has been made public about whom is funding this proposal, but it sounds as if they found investment 'whales' to help bring MLS soccer to Sacramento. According to KCRA, “There are still some contractual things that need to be worked out but their hope is to be wrapped up in the next 90-120 days thus moving the project forward”. As you can see in the rendering, the new stadium looks very different and there is no shade for the fans.

Major Blow To MLS Expansion & New Stadium

A couple days ago, Rob Burkle who had been a major investor behind the expansion bid and the money to build a new stadium pulled out as the lead investor. A source told The Athletic's Sam Stejskal that Burkle cited rising construction costs of the stadium and the pandemic's impact on his businesses when telling commissioner Don Garber he was pulling out. The Athletic reported last month that Sacramento's ownership group never signed nor returned the long-form expansion agreement.

The city will now need a new majority owner who can quickly come in and repair the damage that was done by this news. MLS, meanwhile, must now begin to evaluate all of its options. The Athletic's also mentioned that if the Sacramento expansion bid fell through, MLS would do well to open the process back up. The first two markets mentioned by three sources: Phoenix and Las Vegas. 

Here's another perspective by Field of Schemes

Sacramento Celebrates Landing MLS

After a long road of being passed over for a franchise several times, today Major League Soccer will awarded Sacramento the 29^th team. The FC Republic will make its MLS debut in 2022 at a soon-to-be-under construction $525 million stadium in the railyards. The city will contribute/gift the developer $33 million in tax refunds, waived fees and administrative costs also known as subsidies.

The stadium is expected to include capacity for approximately 18,000 seats with expandability to 21,000 seats, including premium areas.  Capital Mall is closed down from 3rd Street to 5th Street as Sac Republic FC is setting up for a block party in celebration of the expected announcement Monday morning.

MLS Denies Sacramento Expansion

After five year of being strung along, Major League Soccer has again awarded another city a franchise. The winner yesterday was St. Louis and their scheduled to kick off in a new downtown stadium is 2022. At this point, Sacramento appears to be used as leverage against other cities also wanting a franchise. There is steep price to join the league, in April the expansion fee went up to $200 million which many have forced the Sacramento investors to recalibrate?

From the beginning, I thought both our city leaders and media were far too confident believing Sacramento was all but officially awarded a new franchise. MLS still plans to expand another two team in the next few years, but Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Phoenix, Raleigh and San Diego are going do their best to emerge as the best candidates too. 

New Soccer Stadium Renderings

Sacramento Republic FC releases new stadium renderings

With new ownership of the Sac Republic FC come new renderings.  The seating capacity has also bumped up by 5,000 seats to 25,000 and refining the design. The Sacramento BusinessJournals reporting both Republic and city officials have maintained the stadium would be privately financed, though the city might make a contribution in the form of developing surrounding infrastructure. Major League Soccer will not say when an announcement on a new expansion city will happen. MLS expansion into Sacramento is not certain, other cities also hoping to be chosen are St. Louis, Phoenix, Detroit, Raleigh, Tampa, Charlotte, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Indianapolis.

Sacramento Republic FC releases new stadium renderings

Sacramento Republic FC releases new stadium renderings

Updated Railyard Plans

Proposed Kaiser Hospital Tower in the Railyards

Next week the Planning and Design Commission will look at Railyards proposed plan related to Major League Soccer and Kaiser Permanente hospital tower. A couple items that stood out to me in the revised plans were the new hospital building would comprised approximately 658,000 sf with the main hospital tower rising up to 14 stories in the center of the block, to a maximum height of approximately 230 feet with a helistop on the roof. A parking garage would be built on the western edge of the project with approximately 1,500 parking spaces.

Surface 

The proposed Major League Soccer Stadium would be constructed initially with seating for 19,621 attendees and the capacity to accommodate concerts with an attendance up to 21,500 people. As shown below, surface parking would be used in the interim before parking structures are constructed of approximately 4,000 spaces.

To review the report click here.

$180 million Soccer Stadium Revealed

Tonight before the City Council the Republic FC requested and received approval of a preliminary term sheet outlining the high-level details of the stadium construction in the Sacramento Railyards. Team officials said they would privately finance the construction budget but they are crediting public agencies with an additional $46 million on top of the $180 million number in infrastructure improvements made throughout the railyard site.

Proposed $180 million Sacramento Soccer Stadium

The planned $180 million Major League Soccer stadium in Sacramento’s downtown railyard would seat 25,000. If Sacramento was awarded a MLS expansion team next year, the stadium could be opened by March 2018. The Republic FC has said they are not seeking a subsidy from the city, the City Council is being asked for $100,000 in hotel tax revenue to fund consulting work for the project and to split revenue with the city on a parking structure that may be built on city property near the stadium. 

Proposed $180 million Sacramento Soccer Stadium

Proposed $180 million Sacramento Soccer Stadium

Proposed $180 million Sacramento Soccer Stadium

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article47387910.html

www.BuiltforSacramento.com

Preliminary Sacramento Railyards Plans Released

If you have been reading the Sacramento Business Journal lately, it appears the grand urban vision of the Railyards that’s been hyped over the last decade has now been scaled back in many ways. Developer Mark Friedman has asked the city to reduce amount of housing from the target goal of 10,000. The drop in housing goals comes from the reality that high-rise residential towers in Sacramento don’t add up meaning there is no clear track record in Sacramento for high-rise condo success.

Current state of  proposed Railyards area

Later this month LDK Ventures will formally acquire the Railyards from IA Sacramento Holdings, L.L.C., a subsidiary of InvenTrust Properties Corp. While reading another Sacramento Business Journal article on the Railyards, LDK Ventures suggests that most mid-rise offices will have big footprints filling a corporate campus on the northwestern corner of the site. Larry Kelley from LDK Ventures is quoted saying “I think what you’d get is something similar to the lifestyle centers you see in the suburbs, but in an urban area,” he said. After reading this, apparently the new owners gonna turn much of the area into something you find in the suburbs, pretty disappointing considering we have been told for years the Railyards would become the “New Downtown”. 

The only highlight I could find was that Kaiser’s plan for a medical center for the northwestern corner has preliminary plans for a high-rise medical tower on the eastern portion of the 18 acre project. Because of how other projects have gone in downtown over the years, I’m sure this high-rise tower will be scaled down too. Kelly also said that before the existing roads to the site can be opened to the public, another $100 million of infrastructure and several tons of fill dirt need to be delivered to the site.

Proposed Sacramento Republic FC stadium

Larry Kelly did tease the idea that 5 acres along the Sacramento River could be used for high-rise residential development with river views. Although I would love to see this, I’m highly skeptical the final vision will turn out like this.

   

A little background, last January work was competed on $68 million worth of streets, bridges and sidewalks in Sacramento's downtown Railyards. State bond funds paid for $56 million of the project's cost, and private developers paid for the remaining $12 million. The infrastructure project, which broke ground in 2009, is meant to allow private development of the 240-acre former industrial site. The state court system has already chosen part of the downtown railyards for the site of a future courthouse near the Federal Courthouse on I Street. Currently the New Sacramento Criminal Courthouse has been reduced to $300 million from its original budget of $552 million five years ago. The size of the project has also been reduce from a 16-story mid-rise to now a 12-story building and from 44 courtrooms to 35. Somehow with all the reductions of cost, the square footage of 405,500 has remained the same. As stated above, UC Davis has expressed interest in building a satellite campus on the site and the owners of the Sacramento Republic FC have said they would like to build a soccer stadium if the city is awarded a Major League Soccer franchise.

Sacramento Railyards boundary with the Kaiser proposal on the left
and Republic FC stadium on the right

Central Pacific Railroad established the Sacramento Railyards during the steam locomotive era. The company, which later became Southern Pacific, built the first shop in 1868 — before Sacramento gained fame as the western start of the first transcontinental railroad with the driving of the last spike on May 10, 1869.

20,000-seat Stadium Plan

Sacramento Republic's proposed MLS stadium

Sacramento’s soccer franchise, Republic FC, announced plans yesterday to build a 20,000-seat stadium in the city’s downtown railyard.  And how would it be paid for? Questions remain over how the stadium will be financed. Mayor Kevin Johnson has said no city money will be used to help build the facility. Kevin Nagle, the lead investor in the expansion bid has said the Republic FC investor group will have the capacity to pay for the stadium, plus a league expansion fee of at least $70 million. No city money to help build the facility could really mean “city money, but only to help buy the land or provide tax breaks. Will see?

Sacramento Republic's proposed MLS stadium