But no never means never.
Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose in the stadium game. The United Soccer League, which is seemingly handing out franchises to whatever city wants to build a soccer stadium of any size in large, medium or very small markets, has struck out for the time being in Modesto, California. The Modesto City Council voted to end negotiations with the USL to build a stadium-village. Two years ago, the council was sold on an idea that is the theme of sports owners looking at a plot of land. Give us permission to build a stadium surrounded by businesses and housing, provide us with various tax breaks, tax incentives or just give us cash and that stadium will serve as an economic engine that will increase tax revenue and bring people into an entertainment area that is created. Modesto has about 220,000 people and the stadium would have featured a very small seating capacity. The project would have cost more than $90 million.
The city of Modesto hired a consulting firm to analyze the project and generally those firms always give the municipality the answer local decision makes want. Build the venue and money will flow in. But something else came back from the firm. The project was going to be a money loser for Modesto residents. Kosmont Companies concluded that building the stadium might cause “generational debt.” When negotiations started between the USL and the city of Modesto, the USL had really no plan. The USL would find an owner or act as an owner while stadium plans were put together. That changed as the USL wanted a local ownership in place. That didn’t happen. But in the stadium game, it ain’t over till it’s over. Modesto officials still want to talk to USL officials about building a stadium-village.
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Modesto elected officials are not welcoming a United Soccer League franchise.
