psukhu
16 November 2004, 12:54 AM
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/10186162.htm
OPEN HOUSE IN IRVING
The Cowboys' likely departure has officials pondering the fate of an empty Texas Stadium
By David Wethe
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
With the Dallas Cowboys probably headed to Arlington in 2009, Irving officials are looking to draw up a new game plan for Texas Stadium.
Some suggest that the 33-year-old stadium, long known for its trademark opening in the roof, could continue to host a variety of events, including college football games, motorcycle races and tractor pulls. Others say that the stadium should be torn down to make way for an upscale, mixed-use development with restaurants, apartments, shops, hotels and possibly even a convention center.
Based on what has happened to other stadiums vacated by NFL teams over the past three decades, the current home of America's Team could face the wrecking ball.
Since 1970, NFL teams have left 27 stadiums for new venues. Of the vacated stadiums, a little more than half have been demolished, according to a Star-Telegram analysis. Many that remain are used by professional baseball teams.
The prospect of losing the Cowboys has left those at City Hall with mixed emotions, said David Leininger, Irving's financial services director.
"I would say the emotional mood over here is on the level of disappointment because the Cowboys will not be a tenant in the foreseeable future," he said. "But there's also a lot of genuine enthusiasm about life after the Cowboys."
The Cowboys are almost assured of leaving Texas Stadium now that Arlington voters have approved tax increases to help build a new $650 million stadium.
Leininger said Irving will look for ways to make more money from that area after the Cowboys leave town at the end of 2008. The stadium generates almost $3 million in tax revenue each year and spreads an additional $31 million in economic spinoffs, according to a recent study by Turnkey Sports.
"We're very optimistic about the future of that area because of all the planned infrastructure," Leininger said. The Texas Department of Transportation and DART expect to pump about $665 million in improvements over the next decade into Texas 183, Texas 114 and Loop 12, which border Texas Stadium, and a light rail line to the stadium area.
Leininger said several developers have expressed interest over the past six months in redeveloping the 88-acre site.
The land could be used to build a shopping center or loft apartments, Leininger said, but he's not so sure the stadium could continue to host football games.
That's because competition for college games could heat up between Dallas, which has talked of renovating the Cotton Bowl, and Arlington, which will have a 75,000-seat stadium.
Irving Mayor Joe Putnam sees redevelopment of the stadium site as a fairly obvious choice.
"If the Cowboys left for another facility, this one would have no value," he said. "Actually, it'd be a liability."
But Herb Gears, a former city councilman whose district included the stadium, said there's potential to reuse Texas Stadium as a football venue and have it compete for college football games with the Cotton Bowl, which hosts three games a year.
"I'd hate to see the tradition of Texas Stadium go away," Gears said. "That would really be terrible."
Gears said he wonders how much development could occur at the Texas Stadium site if the building is razed.
"It's not the most attractive site for development, or else it would have developed over the last 35 years with that stadium," he said.
Other stadiums' fates
To get an idea about what might happen to Texas Stadium, Irving officials can look at what has happened in other cities left with a vacant football stadium.
After hosting the Minnesota Vikings for 20 years, Metropolitan Stadium in suburban Minneapolis was demolished to make way for the sprawling Mall of America development.
The Pontiac Silverdome in suburban Detroit was built specifically to host football. The Detroit Lions left in 2002 for the new Ford Field in downtown Detroit. Now the Silverdome is used for drive-in movies, monster-truck shows and inline skating events.
After playing nearly 30 years in the Astrodome, the Houston Oilers left town in 1997 for Tennessee. Baseball's Astros played in the Astrodome for two more seasons before moving to a new stadium across town. Houston's new football team, the Texans, plays at Reliant Stadium, which casts a shadow over the neighboring dome.
Developers are talking about turning the Astrodome -- once called the "Eighth Wonder of the World" -- into a large convention hotel with entertainment attractions similar to the Gaylord Texan Resort & Conference Center on Lake Grapevine.
Officials for Harris County, which operates and maintains the dome, have tossed around redevelopment ideas for two years without reaching a conclusion.
Demolition doesn't seem to be an attractive option, said Willie Loston, executive director of the Harris County Sports & Convention Corp. One estimate pegged the cost of a teardown at about $30 million, he said.
"Like most other stadia around the country, we've found that converting this kind of venue to another use is difficult," Loston said. "One reason is because when you build them, you build them with a specific purpose in mind. You don't build them with the thought that one day newer, better buildings will be built and you'll find yourself without a tenant."
Irving should be wary of keeping Texas Stadium just for the sake of tradition, said John Baen, a professor of real estate at the University of North Texas.
"It's an emotional thing, and it's a landmark," he said, "but it drags down the city's image."
Nor is Baen sold on developing a convention center on the site. Dallas, Fort Worth, Grapevine and Arlington have each built or expanded their convention centers recently.
Instead, Irving should consider selling the 65,000-seat stadium like a time-share condominium to several large groups, such as churches or corporations like Mary Kay Cosmetics that host large annual meetings, Baen said.
By selling the property, the city would no longer be responsible for its upkeep, he said.
At the very least, Irving should lease pad sites for 30 to 40 years to restaurants on the outer ring of the stadium's parking lot, Baen said. The restaurants would have good visibility from the highways, and the city would get sales-tax revenue, he said.
Irving looks ahead
Texas Stadium opened in 1971 for $35 million. Fans paid the entire amount by purchasing bonds along with personal seat licenses. The bonds are being paid back with a percentage of stadium revenue.
Today, the stadium hosts 10 Cowboys games from August through December, plus playoff games. The Cowboys control bookings for the rest of the year and keep most of the revenue from about 35 other events. Those include motocross races, a handful of concerts and evangelical gatherings.
In 2000, Irving hired the architecture firm RTKL to conduct a land-use study of various undeveloped parts of the city to see where future DART light rail could run. The firm envisioned the Texas Stadium area as the city's southern gateway, full of mixed-use development. A DART line would connect any new development around the stadium to Las Colinas on the city's north end.
City officials plan to use the next four years to review land-use studies, master plans and developer bids for the site. But Irving will hold off on any substantive studies of Texas Stadium until the start of next year just in case Arlington's deal falls through, Leininger said. The Cowboys have until the end of the year to reach a detailed agreement with Arlington on a stadium.
Irving may hire an architect to examine options, Leininger said. But first, the City Council must approve any studies.
Besides Texas Stadium, the city faces the possibility of the Cowboys' moving their headquarters out of Irving's Valley Ranch development to Arlington, where the team has agreed to play its home games for the next 30 years.
Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck says that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told him he'd like to move the team's front office to the new stadium.
But, the mayor added, the move probably wouldn't happen before the Super Bowl is played in Arlington, which NFL officials have said could come by 2011.
Leininger said the biggest problem with the Cowboys' move has been having to answer the same old question: "What are you going to do when they leave?"
"It's as if they're saying, 'You poor folks,"' Leininger said. "But we kind of smile and say, 'How long do you have to listen?' "
Stadium lineup
Here are the stadiums that used to host NFL franchises and the teams that moved out since 1970.
Stadium City NFL team Year left Status today
Cotton Bowl Dallas Cowboys 1970 Hosts college football
Kezar Stadium San Francisco 49ers 1970 Demolished
Wrigley Field Chicago Bears 1970 Hosts pro baseball
K.C. Municipal Stadium Kansas City, Mo. Chiefs 1972 Demolished
War Memorial Stadium Buffalo, N.Y. Bills 1972 Demolished
Yankee Stadium New York Giants 1973 Hosts pro baseball
Tiger Stadium Detroit Lions 1974 Vacant
Tulane Stadium New Orleans Saints 1974 Demolished
Metropolitan Stadium Bloomington, Minn. Vikings 1981 Demolished
Shea Stadium New York Jets 1983 Hosts pro baseball
Orange Bowl Miami Dolphins 1986 Hosts college football
Fulton County Stadium Atlanta Falcons 1991 Demolished
Anaheim Stadium Anaheim, Calif. Raiders, Rams 1994 Hosts pro baseball
L.A. Coliseum Los Angeles Raiders, Rams 1994 Hosts college football
Municipal Stadium Cleveland Rams, Browns 1995 Demolished
Busch Stadium St. Louis Cardinals, Rams 1995 Hosts pro baseball
RFK Stadium Washington, D.C. Redskins 1996 Hosts pro baseball
Astrodome Houston Oilers 1997 Redevelopment being planned
Memorial Stadium Baltimore Colts, Ravens 1997 Demolished
Houlihan Stadium Tampa, Fla. Buccaneers 1998 Demolished
Kingdome Seattle Seahawks 1999 Demolished
Cinergy Field Cincinnati Bengals 1999 Demolished
Mile High Stadium Denver Broncos 2000 Demolished
Three Rivers Stadium Pittsburgh Steelers 2000 Demolished
Foxboro Stadium Foxboro, Mass. Patriots 2002 Demolished
Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac, Mich. Lions 2002 Hosts drive-in movies, tractor pulls, inline skating
Veterans Stadium Philadelphia Eagles 2003 Demolished
SOURCE: STADIUMSOFTHENFL.COM
David Wethe, (817)548-5522 dwethe@star-telegram.com
© 2004 Star-Telegram and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.dfw.com
OPEN HOUSE IN IRVING
The Cowboys' likely departure has officials pondering the fate of an empty Texas Stadium
By David Wethe
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
With the Dallas Cowboys probably headed to Arlington in 2009, Irving officials are looking to draw up a new game plan for Texas Stadium.
Some suggest that the 33-year-old stadium, long known for its trademark opening in the roof, could continue to host a variety of events, including college football games, motorcycle races and tractor pulls. Others say that the stadium should be torn down to make way for an upscale, mixed-use development with restaurants, apartments, shops, hotels and possibly even a convention center.
Based on what has happened to other stadiums vacated by NFL teams over the past three decades, the current home of America's Team could face the wrecking ball.
Since 1970, NFL teams have left 27 stadiums for new venues. Of the vacated stadiums, a little more than half have been demolished, according to a Star-Telegram analysis. Many that remain are used by professional baseball teams.
The prospect of losing the Cowboys has left those at City Hall with mixed emotions, said David Leininger, Irving's financial services director.
"I would say the emotional mood over here is on the level of disappointment because the Cowboys will not be a tenant in the foreseeable future," he said. "But there's also a lot of genuine enthusiasm about life after the Cowboys."
The Cowboys are almost assured of leaving Texas Stadium now that Arlington voters have approved tax increases to help build a new $650 million stadium.
Leininger said Irving will look for ways to make more money from that area after the Cowboys leave town at the end of 2008. The stadium generates almost $3 million in tax revenue each year and spreads an additional $31 million in economic spinoffs, according to a recent study by Turnkey Sports.
"We're very optimistic about the future of that area because of all the planned infrastructure," Leininger said. The Texas Department of Transportation and DART expect to pump about $665 million in improvements over the next decade into Texas 183, Texas 114 and Loop 12, which border Texas Stadium, and a light rail line to the stadium area.
Leininger said several developers have expressed interest over the past six months in redeveloping the 88-acre site.
The land could be used to build a shopping center or loft apartments, Leininger said, but he's not so sure the stadium could continue to host football games.
That's because competition for college games could heat up between Dallas, which has talked of renovating the Cotton Bowl, and Arlington, which will have a 75,000-seat stadium.
Irving Mayor Joe Putnam sees redevelopment of the stadium site as a fairly obvious choice.
"If the Cowboys left for another facility, this one would have no value," he said. "Actually, it'd be a liability."
But Herb Gears, a former city councilman whose district included the stadium, said there's potential to reuse Texas Stadium as a football venue and have it compete for college football games with the Cotton Bowl, which hosts three games a year.
"I'd hate to see the tradition of Texas Stadium go away," Gears said. "That would really be terrible."
Gears said he wonders how much development could occur at the Texas Stadium site if the building is razed.
"It's not the most attractive site for development, or else it would have developed over the last 35 years with that stadium," he said.
Other stadiums' fates
To get an idea about what might happen to Texas Stadium, Irving officials can look at what has happened in other cities left with a vacant football stadium.
After hosting the Minnesota Vikings for 20 years, Metropolitan Stadium in suburban Minneapolis was demolished to make way for the sprawling Mall of America development.
The Pontiac Silverdome in suburban Detroit was built specifically to host football. The Detroit Lions left in 2002 for the new Ford Field in downtown Detroit. Now the Silverdome is used for drive-in movies, monster-truck shows and inline skating events.
After playing nearly 30 years in the Astrodome, the Houston Oilers left town in 1997 for Tennessee. Baseball's Astros played in the Astrodome for two more seasons before moving to a new stadium across town. Houston's new football team, the Texans, plays at Reliant Stadium, which casts a shadow over the neighboring dome.
Developers are talking about turning the Astrodome -- once called the "Eighth Wonder of the World" -- into a large convention hotel with entertainment attractions similar to the Gaylord Texan Resort & Conference Center on Lake Grapevine.
Officials for Harris County, which operates and maintains the dome, have tossed around redevelopment ideas for two years without reaching a conclusion.
Demolition doesn't seem to be an attractive option, said Willie Loston, executive director of the Harris County Sports & Convention Corp. One estimate pegged the cost of a teardown at about $30 million, he said.
"Like most other stadia around the country, we've found that converting this kind of venue to another use is difficult," Loston said. "One reason is because when you build them, you build them with a specific purpose in mind. You don't build them with the thought that one day newer, better buildings will be built and you'll find yourself without a tenant."
Irving should be wary of keeping Texas Stadium just for the sake of tradition, said John Baen, a professor of real estate at the University of North Texas.
"It's an emotional thing, and it's a landmark," he said, "but it drags down the city's image."
Nor is Baen sold on developing a convention center on the site. Dallas, Fort Worth, Grapevine and Arlington have each built or expanded their convention centers recently.
Instead, Irving should consider selling the 65,000-seat stadium like a time-share condominium to several large groups, such as churches or corporations like Mary Kay Cosmetics that host large annual meetings, Baen said.
By selling the property, the city would no longer be responsible for its upkeep, he said.
At the very least, Irving should lease pad sites for 30 to 40 years to restaurants on the outer ring of the stadium's parking lot, Baen said. The restaurants would have good visibility from the highways, and the city would get sales-tax revenue, he said.
Irving looks ahead
Texas Stadium opened in 1971 for $35 million. Fans paid the entire amount by purchasing bonds along with personal seat licenses. The bonds are being paid back with a percentage of stadium revenue.
Today, the stadium hosts 10 Cowboys games from August through December, plus playoff games. The Cowboys control bookings for the rest of the year and keep most of the revenue from about 35 other events. Those include motocross races, a handful of concerts and evangelical gatherings.
In 2000, Irving hired the architecture firm RTKL to conduct a land-use study of various undeveloped parts of the city to see where future DART light rail could run. The firm envisioned the Texas Stadium area as the city's southern gateway, full of mixed-use development. A DART line would connect any new development around the stadium to Las Colinas on the city's north end.
City officials plan to use the next four years to review land-use studies, master plans and developer bids for the site. But Irving will hold off on any substantive studies of Texas Stadium until the start of next year just in case Arlington's deal falls through, Leininger said. The Cowboys have until the end of the year to reach a detailed agreement with Arlington on a stadium.
Irving may hire an architect to examine options, Leininger said. But first, the City Council must approve any studies.
Besides Texas Stadium, the city faces the possibility of the Cowboys' moving their headquarters out of Irving's Valley Ranch development to Arlington, where the team has agreed to play its home games for the next 30 years.
Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck says that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told him he'd like to move the team's front office to the new stadium.
But, the mayor added, the move probably wouldn't happen before the Super Bowl is played in Arlington, which NFL officials have said could come by 2011.
Leininger said the biggest problem with the Cowboys' move has been having to answer the same old question: "What are you going to do when they leave?"
"It's as if they're saying, 'You poor folks,"' Leininger said. "But we kind of smile and say, 'How long do you have to listen?' "
Stadium lineup
Here are the stadiums that used to host NFL franchises and the teams that moved out since 1970.
Stadium City NFL team Year left Status today
Cotton Bowl Dallas Cowboys 1970 Hosts college football
Kezar Stadium San Francisco 49ers 1970 Demolished
Wrigley Field Chicago Bears 1970 Hosts pro baseball
K.C. Municipal Stadium Kansas City, Mo. Chiefs 1972 Demolished
War Memorial Stadium Buffalo, N.Y. Bills 1972 Demolished
Yankee Stadium New York Giants 1973 Hosts pro baseball
Tiger Stadium Detroit Lions 1974 Vacant
Tulane Stadium New Orleans Saints 1974 Demolished
Metropolitan Stadium Bloomington, Minn. Vikings 1981 Demolished
Shea Stadium New York Jets 1983 Hosts pro baseball
Orange Bowl Miami Dolphins 1986 Hosts college football
Fulton County Stadium Atlanta Falcons 1991 Demolished
Anaheim Stadium Anaheim, Calif. Raiders, Rams 1994 Hosts pro baseball
L.A. Coliseum Los Angeles Raiders, Rams 1994 Hosts college football
Municipal Stadium Cleveland Rams, Browns 1995 Demolished
Busch Stadium St. Louis Cardinals, Rams 1995 Hosts pro baseball
RFK Stadium Washington, D.C. Redskins 1996 Hosts pro baseball
Astrodome Houston Oilers 1997 Redevelopment being planned
Memorial Stadium Baltimore Colts, Ravens 1997 Demolished
Houlihan Stadium Tampa, Fla. Buccaneers 1998 Demolished
Kingdome Seattle Seahawks 1999 Demolished
Cinergy Field Cincinnati Bengals 1999 Demolished
Mile High Stadium Denver Broncos 2000 Demolished
Three Rivers Stadium Pittsburgh Steelers 2000 Demolished
Foxboro Stadium Foxboro, Mass. Patriots 2002 Demolished
Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac, Mich. Lions 2002 Hosts drive-in movies, tractor pulls, inline skating
Veterans Stadium Philadelphia Eagles 2003 Demolished
SOURCE: STADIUMSOFTHENFL.COM
David Wethe, (817)548-5522 dwethe@star-telegram.com
© 2004 Star-Telegram and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.dfw.com