These Campaigns are Battling Pro Teams Redeveloping Neighborhoods to Build New Stadiums

Whether it's the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, or MLS, each of these stadiums—or, in L.A.'s case, the build up to the 2028 Olympic Games—is a multi-faceted and involved process that is witness to conflicts between local activists, team booster groups, development and real estate companies, the sports franchise itself, and, in one case, the local chapter of the Audubon Society.

Cities both serve and govern. But, for those cities that are facing or coming against issues concerning stadium construction or redevelopment, there's a lot happening and even more ways to get involved.

Stadium: The partially publicly-funded Little Caesars Arena, where the NHL's Red Wings play, opened in September.

Controversy: The city's NBA franchise, the Pistons, sought to relocate to the new arena using public funds.

One Councilwoman, Mary Sheffield, who is up for re-election, initially voted in favor of the proposal, but then considered recanting after her constituents expressed disappointment in her decision. Ultimately, the deal for the team went through despite the efforts of a lawsuit filed by government transparency advocates which was blocked by a federal judge.

Action: Currently, the city is in the process of bringing a MLS expansion team to town. In early October, Detroit reached a tentative deal with Tom Gores, owner of the Pistons, and Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, in a $520.3 million land swap. In exchange for real estate slated for a new jail, Gores and Gilbert have offered to build a "criminal justice complex" on the land of the now-derelict American Motor Company Headquarters. The proposed MLS site would be mixed-use and bring a new entertainment district to the city. Incumbent mayor, Mike Duggan supports the deal. His opponent, Coleman Young II, is stumping on a populist platform. Detroiters can vote for mayor, city clerk, and city council, on November 7, 2017.

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Stadium: Following the recent terrorist attack, Las Vegas may experience a slowdown of public interest in the construction of Las Vegas Stadium, which has a groundbreaking date set for November 13. The stadium will be home to the NFL's Raiders who are leaving their Oakland home. Upon completion, this will be the second professional team after the Golden Knights of the NHL, who came to town last year to coincide with the opening of the much ballyhooed T-Mobile Arena.

Controversy: Las Vegas Stadium would be publicly owned and partially-funded through bond payments in the Clark County general fund. If tourism wanes or an economic bust occurs, taxpayers would be on the hook for $750 million.

Action: The stadium developers have outlined a community benefits plan (which is part of the requirements mandated in a State Senate bill (pg. 20), but has yet to be made generally available). Still, the plan was deemed non-negotiable recently, and has since drawn ire from local community members.

As per the same bill, a "stadium community oversight committee must be created to carry out the community benefits plan." This, as the development process movement rolls on, would be the public's best chance for offering their wants, opinions, and voice to the project if only the Las Vegas Stadium Authority will allow them to get involved.

Stadium: Two of the city's three pro teams are decamping—current NBA champions the Warriors are heading across the bay to San Francisco and the aforementioned Raiders to the Nevada desert. The remaining team, the MLB's Athletics, are staying local, albeit, to a new stadium in another part of town. Oracle Arena, home of the Warriors, is across the street from where the Raiders and Athletics play: Oakland-Alameda Coliseum. Both stadiums are slated for mixed-use redevelopment.

Controversy: While A's fans are open to the idea of a new stadium, where and how this new ballpark will be developed has hit some roadblocks.

A site has been picked, but now the uphill battle of getting political and community support (the favored site is in mostly-immigrant neighborhood) begins. The A's have offered to redevelop the district which will likely soon have two empty stadiums into "a regional sports complex," that will include "substantial new housing options… a skills center, community gathering space, hotel, and office and retail development."

Action: The site of the new stadium will be close to Laney College and the Peralta Community College District. A's President Dave Kaval sent a letter to the Peralta Community College Chancellor expressing all the benefits the new ballpark would bring to his campus (certain structures and facilities would be shared).

Considering that the stadium would be built near a lake, concerns over the environmental impact saw the local Audubon Society chapter issue a statement against the stadium. The official website for the stadium, on the other hand, promises "to ensure this project fits in the neighborhood and celebrates Oakland's distinct diverse cultures and history," and touts an economic impact report to underscore the team's claims.

Stadium: Following the California Supreme Court's denial of a petition to halt construction only hours before a dramatic groundbreaking ceremony, the new stadium for the Warriors will go ahead as planned.

Controversy: Scheduled to open for the 2019-2020 season, the new NBA arena is controversial for the economic dearth the team's departure would leave behind in Oakland. However, Oracle Arena is under the jurisdiction of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority, which (as mentioned above), is currently offering plans to redevelop the area after the city's three teams relocate.

Action: A study of urban decay in an environmental impact report by economist Philip King (on behalf of stadium-opposition group Mission Bay Alliance) was refuted by the San Francisco Mayor's Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure which included a commissioned economic impact analysis (pages 354-377). Following the earlier judicial dismissal, the MBA has filed an appeal to the ruling.

The group has promised to litigate "until the cows come home," and you can get involved to help out.

Stadium: Looking for a new home, MLS team D.C. United set out to build their own stadium in 2006 in one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. During a meeting with the local community—"Who plays soccer?" someone in the crowd reportedly asked—the idea drew heavy criticism toward whether the proposed jobs and developments would benefit the area. A second proposal in 2009 was similarly scuttled.

Controversy: The third attempt to build a soccer field proved to be successful and the construction on Audi Field is ongoing and is scheduled to open in 2018, a few blocks from Nationals Park, itself the subject of scrutiny and criticism for its gentrifying effects on a majority African-American neighborhood.

Action: D.C. made a claim of eminent domain to secure the land for the stadium which it sold to the developer to help subsidize the cost of construction with an annual rent of $1 a year. It was a complicated deal and D.C. United co-owner Jason Levien took to carrying a 22-inch machete to press events with him as symbol of how much "red tape" he needed to cut through. Three mayoral administrations later, D.C. has a new soccer field within its sights.

The city, however, borrowed $106 million and diverted $32 million from its budget to finance the build, leaving only $95 million for education, transit, and medical development and preservation over the next few years. District residents can vote for council members and a mayor in the June primary next year.