Mayor Joe Hogsett’s soccer ultimatum has paid off at the City-County Council.
Councilors approved a new taxing district June 3 to help fund a downtown soccer stadium near the heliport that the mayor hopes will attract a Major League Soccer expansion franchise.
The vote was yet another blow to the $1.5-billion Eleven Park project, which had plenty of support among attendees who crowded into the council chambers. But there wasn’t enough among councilors.
The district, known as a professional sports development area, passed 16-8-1.
Three Democrats voted against the proposal: Jesse Brown, Majority Leader Maggie Lewis and Kristin Jones, whose district includes the Eleven Park site on the west side of downtown and the new stadium district on the east side of downtown. Josh Bain was the lone Republican vote in favor of the district. Democrat Leroy Robinson abstained from voting because of a conflict of interest.
Discussion before the vote showed hesitancy even among councilors who voted to approve the taxing district. Some accused the Hogsett administration of being heavy-handed and secretive in getting the proposal passed.
Jones, the proposal’s most vocal critic, made her pitch to councilors ahead of the vote. She wanted them to stick with a taxing district the council passed in December for the Eleven Park site, which would be anchored by a 20,000-seat soccer stadium and developed by Keystone Group.
Jones framed the issue as a power imbalance between the city and her constituents, whom she said overwhelmingly asked her to oppose the district.
“Although one side may have more power, may have more prestige, may have more privilege,” she said, “the other side still must be carefully considered if we are to be impartial.”
And, Brown criticized what he called “used car salesman tactics” by the administration which has repeatedly said the mayor’s proposal is the city’s best opportunity to land an MLS expansion team.
Hogsett’s chief of staff, Dan Parker, went a step further last week when he told a council committee that the mayor won’t submit the Eleven Park taxing district to the state for approval — no matter what happens to his new stadium proposal.
Democrat Dan Boots said that’s part of why he supports the plan from Hogsett, who’s said voting against his stadium is effectively shutting down the possibility of getting an MLS team.
Keystone president and CEO Ersal Ozdemir, who also owns Indy Eleven, referenced the Hogsett administration’s strategy in a statement after the vote.
“Tonight’s vote is the unfortunate result of a false choice presented by city leaders, with a majority seemingly motivated more by fear than hope,” he said.
Eleven Park has been on a downward trajectory since Hogsett abruptly announced in April his hopes to land an MLS team by building a stadium near the downtown heliport.
But it isn’t all about soccer.
Cemetery concerns
Some say there could be thousands of human remains still buried at the Eleven Park site, which is home to the city’s first public cemetery. Leon Bates, who’s part of a group advising the city on the cemetery, estimated there are around 15,000 human remains.
In a letter offering to buy the site from Keystone Group, Parker cited the existence of human remains and the cost associated with proper treatment. Hogsett went on to suggest the land instead could become a park or memorial to Greenlawn Cemetery — the catch-all name for four historic cemeteries.
Parker told councilors that MLS won’t bring a team to Indianapolis if it means playing on top of the former cemetery.
Republican Minority Leader Brian Mowery said during the June 3 meeting it’s a “strong statement” to say the mayor’s plan is the only path toward an MLS team, and he asked if someone from the administration could explain MLS’ position on the cemetery.
No one came forward to answer the question.
What’s next?
Hogsett’s plan isn’t to the finish line yet.
The proposal next goes to the Metropolitan Development Commission, which previously approved the plan before it went to the City-County Council for consideration.
The commission will vote on the proposal at its June 26 meeting, according to a council spokeswoman.
According to the state law that enabled the taxing district, the city needs local approvals by June 30. The resolution would then go to the State Budget Committee, which is a group of bipartisan lawmakers and state officials. The committee has 60 days to make a recommendation to the State Budget Agency, which is the governor’s fiscal policy adviser.
Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers economics. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick.
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