NFL "super site"

INTRIGUED BUT WARY

By Joe Schad

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Thursday, March 24, 2005

KAPALUA, Hawaii — Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Cardinals owner Bill Bidwell stood near each other in a Ritz-Carlton hallway Wednesday, but their feelings on the Dolphins' SuperSite proposal couldn't have been further apart.

"The concept is terrific," said Kraft, who heard a presentation from Miami owner Wayne Huizenga on his plan to build NFL-oriented projects on 269 acres around Dolphins Stadium and have the Super Bowl there every three seasons.



Would Kraft accept that rotation?

"We've basically been doing that, anyhow," Kraft said. "If this kind of economic commitment were made, I would support that."

Bidwell, whose team plays in a city that also is an attractive Super Bowl site, opposes the concept.

"There are a number of venues that are better than others," Bidwell said. "Miami is one of them. Arizona is one of them. But I don't think you should have a set rotation."

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said his concern is economics. Most of the owners are wondering: What does this mean for Huizenga and the Dolphins, and what does it mean for the NFL?

Huizenga insists this project is not about making money, but doing something for South Florida and the league.

"We have a developer that wants to put eight residential towers there," Huizenga said. "We may get there if this thing gets shot down, but that's not our first choice."

The Dolphins would like an NFL task force to help determine how the land would be used and how the profits would be split among the 32 teams.

"The first question is, can the league give them a Super Bowl every three years?" Bowlen said. "Does it make any sense? And beyond that, I'd like to know a little bit more about the economics of it. It's a very ambitious kind of project. And I'm sure Wayne could pull it off. So we have to hear what the league has to give up and what the teams have to give up."

Even if some owners need more time to digest the proposal, most seemed intrigued by the idea of turning the Super Bowl into a two- or three-week event including the Pro Bowl, concerts and other entertainment.

"We can do a lot at Super Bowl sites to make it quite an extravaganza, even more so than today," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said. "So there's potential, not only in Miami, but also elsewhere."

Texans owner Bob McNair said Houston could just as well be a permanent site: "We have all of those facilities now. We have the Astrodome, the Reliant Exhibition hall, Reliant Stadium, the practice fields, all right there."

McNair said the concern of many owners is what type of activities would make the space useful year-round.

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A4toZ said:

So, if you were the MTA and were offered an extra $40 mil over what the jets offered... what would you do? Cablevision bids higher

Can't find the link, but the chronic noted at the owner's meetings that Houston and Atlanta were the front runners for 2009.

Remember back in the day all it took was a certain numbered seat stadium to get a bowl?

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The New York Jets won the bidding process for air rights over the West Side Railyards on Thursday when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, who owns the yards, in a nearly unanimous decision, voted to accept the Jets’ proposal to build a new stadium, the New York Sports and Convention Center, on the site.


The 17 voting MTA board members, who have 14 total votes, selected the Jets offer over two competing proposals, one from Cablevision, which has proposed building housing on the site. The MTA opened the bidding process in late February and accepted bids on the site on March 21st. The bids were voted on at a meeting of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Thursday.


“This offer includes $250 million, an aggressive build schedule, and an extension of the Number 7 line, which goes a long way towards improving our board’s mission of providing transportation,” said MTA board director Peter Kalikow at Thursday morning’s proceedings. “There is also the possibility that the TDR’s will yield us nine-figure money, and that there will be an incremental value that will be added to the eastern yards that a complex as envisioned with the west side rezoning, with the stadium and convention center, will bring.”


The Jets’ proposal provides up to $720 million, with $440 million coming from six developers who would buy additional development rights on the site. The offer requires further re-zoning to allow for those additional rights. The state and city will pay $600 million for a platform over the rail yards and a retractable roof.


The NYSCC is expected to provide 18,000 construction jobs and 7,000 permanent jobs by Jets projections, and has received backing from building trades unions and many local politicians. The stadium, which still must receive approval from the Empire State Development Corporation and the Public Authorities Control Board, is scheduled to open for the 2009 NFL season and is a key component of New York’s bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.


In addition, the NFL has awarded the 2010 Super Bowl to New York, contingent on the stadium being built.....

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....The home builders' show is the city's biggest convention and the impact will be felt throughout the area's hospitality industry, from the Georgia World Congress Center to the city's hotels, restaurants, taxicabs, caterers and florists. Each of the shows was expected to generate $119 million in direct spending.

Atlanta has lost several big conventions in the past five years and the Congress Center has been struggling to get back to profitability after an industry downturn.
"We are a big enough city and a big enough convention center that if we lose one show we will survive," said Dan Graveline, executive director of the Congress Center. "We'll get some business in there. I doubt we'll get back to even. The big loss is the economic impact."....

....Atlanta has lost other big conventions in recent years, including two technology shows, Comdex and SuperComm, and the Super Show, a sporting goods show.

Mark Fitzgerald, executive vice president of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, said the decision to move the meeting out of Atlanta was purely business. He said the group's treasurer went before the NAHB board and made a case against Atlanta, which included too little exhibit space and hotel rooms that are spread out as opposed to being centrally located.

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outofhnd said:

I like the idea of Northen Cities hosting Superbowls. I feel all stadiums should be granted the oppurtunity to host the festivities.

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A4toZ said:

Can't find the link, but the chronic noted at the owner's meetings that Houston and Atlanta were the front runners for 2009.

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