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At a meeting called specifically to discuss the matter, the Austin City Council gave the go-ahead for further negotiations to build a Major League Soccer stadium in North Austin, KUT reported Wednesday. While the deal isn’t final, the council voted to continue negotiations with Major League Soccer and Precourt Sports Ventures on a proposed $190 million, 20,000-seat stadium for the city-owned McKalla Place tract.
According to a report in the Austin American-Statesman, the 7-4 vote came after several hours of consideration of amendments and changes to a revised term sheet that had been discussed at length during last week’s regular City Council meeting, as well as new revisions and proposed amendments.
The basics of the deal—under which the city would retain ownership of the land and the facility and Precourt would build the stadium and pay rent to the city—remain intact.
The stadium and its location have long been a subject of discussion in Austin and in Columbus, Ohio, where Precourt currently owns the Columbus Crew soccer team and has been positioning for more than a year to move it from Ohio to Texas.
According to KUT, the council has yet to decide the contract deadline, if it can give staff the power to approve the final deal or if it ultimately give the thumbs up, and where the relocated Columbus Crew will train and play before the stadium is completed.
What do you think of the city’s impending MLS stadium deal? Let us know in the comments.
• Austin City Council Votes To Move Forward With Major League Soccer Stadium [KUT]
• Austin City Council approves deal for an MLS stadium [KUT]