Evansville Courier & Press
Fort Wayne, Ind., a mid-sized Midwestern city not too different from Evansville, took a bold step last week with the approval of a $130 million public-private downtown development that includes a minor league baseball stadium. Because Evansville is in the early stages of studying whether to replace Roberts Stadium with perhaps a Downtown arena development, it should be useful for city residents to keep an eye on the issues that have unfolded in Fort Wayne.
We are not suggesting that because Fort Wayne did it, so should Evansville. Far from it. While this newspaper has been supportive of the idea of a Downtown stadium here, our recommendation is that residents keep an open mind until the study that questions whether the city should build a stadium or fix Roberts Stadium is completed.
In the meantime, perhaps we can learn something from watching the Fort Wayne situation.
From The Associated Press and other reports from Fort Wayne newspapers, the city council there voted 6-3 Tuesday to support the Harrison Square project, which includes a 5,000-seat baseball stadium, a 250-room hotel, 60 condominiums, 30,000 feet of retail space and a 900-space parking garage.
Of the overall cost, $67 million would come from private developers, and the other $63 million would come from public money, including local income tax revenue and property taxes derived from the development itself. The new baseball stadium would replace an existing 6,300-seat stadium that was built in 1993.
The Fort Wayne project has had the support of the city's mayor and the business community, which sees the development as a way to revitalize its downtown, much as supporters of a new arena see it as a way to take Evansville's Downtown to a higher level of attraction.
Evansville's Downtown has a lot going for it already with multiple loft developments taking off, and with Casino Aztar turning the riverfront into an inviting entertainment destination.
By the way, if you haven't been Downtown lately, take a drive along the former walkway and look at what is taking place as work is proceeding on lofts, small businesses and offices. At least visually, the evolving transformation is dramatic. Supporters of a Downtown arena see a stadium as the final piece in that transformation.
Back in Fort Wayne, the debate that has taken place is similar to what we expect will take place in Evansville, likely a year from now. There, opponents have argued that public money should be spent on other things, other attractions or basic infrastructure needs, and in areas away from downtown.
Some have argued that the city there is being too generous to the private concerns involved in the project.
There, the city promised that general property taxes would not be used for the project. The city also promised that tax rates would not increase.
That will be an issue in Evansville, especially given the concerns raised by property owners who are seeing significantly higher tax bills this spring.
It would be difficult to sell a Downtown or any other stadium to taxpayers unless the package includes private investment, and unless supporters find a way to avoid using general property taxes.
One thing we liked about the Fort Wayne debate: It played out before the city election there this year. Voters there know how most city council members and candidates feel, and, of course, the mayor there backs the project.
Here, the professional study launched earlier this year will not be completed until after our city election is in the books. From our view, issues such as this should be debated as campaign issues.
We're sure that some candidates, especially challengers to incumbents, will do their best to make it an issue.
More power to them.
In reviewing newspaper reports from Fort Wayne, we ran across a comment in a column by Fort Wayne Journal Gazette editorial page editor Tracy Warner, who encouraged the city council there to support the project:
"This opportunity will likely never come again. If the City Council defeats Harrison Square, it should also change the name of the city to Fort Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda."
Great line. Great issue.