Plan for MLS stadium in North Austin emerges

After burning through pitches to build a Major League Soccer stadium at two city parks only to be rejected on both fronts, Precourt Sports Ventures has a plan for the city-owned property at McKalla Place, KUT’s Andrew Weber reported Tuesday.

PSV, owner of the Columbus Crew franchise that’s looking to relocate to Austin, reccently released a a proposed site plan for the McKalla property in North Austin. Both city-owned central properties first eyed by PVS—Butler Shores and Roy G. Guerrero Park—received resounding negative reactions from neighborhood groups and other Austin residents (to be fair, Butler in particular also received support from many soccer fans and enthusiastic urbanists). Austin City Council expressed a preference for locating the stadium at McKalla Place, and PSV agreed.

The current concept rendering for the 25-acre development—created by Gensler—is primarily focused on how people will get to and from the stadium and includes a possible rail stop (the property is on the CapitalMetro Red Line), 1,000 parking spaces, and an area for 500 bikes, according to Weber.

While Precourt and many Austinites are anxious to see the stadium built, an Ohio lawsuit is currently precluding any deal between Columbus Crew owners and the city, Weber reported, and initial plans to finalize an agreement in June and get the team playing in a temporary stadium by August 2019 are now up in the air.

• Precourt Pitches Its Site Plan For Soccer Stadium In North Austin [KUT-FM]