Mayor Ivy Taylor says the next round of city bonding for 2017 won’t include any funding for a proposed new Triple-A San Antonio ballpark, as the financing and location for the facility still remains to be finalized.
Elmore Sports Group has been talking with San Antonio officials about a potential downtown ballpark and left open the possibility the Sky Sox would be the team inhabiting that new ballpark, with the San Antonio Missions (Class AA; Texas League) franchise shifted elsewhere. When first announced, Taylor had raised the possibility of financing the ballpark via city bonding. But that alternative is — for now, anyway — off the table. Not that there are not other alternatives available: we’re seeing Arlington fund $500 million toward a new ballpark with a low-impact mix of a half-cent sales tax, 5 percent car rental tax and 2 percent hotel tax. (Why low impact? A half-cent sales tax doesn’t register most of the time, and it’s mostly tourists who pay the car rental and hotel taxes.) We’re seeing municipalities look more and more at these kinds of taxes to fund sporting facilities.
Also to be determined: a location for the new ballpark. A 14.7-acre Hemisfair site has been discussed as a frontrunner, and it’s available: the University of Texas at San Antonio is seeking a developer for the site.
As noted, Dave Elmore of Elmore Sports Group has worked with the city on a new ballpark proposal. Besides the Missions and Sky Sox, members of the Elmore Sports Group own the Inland Empire 66ers (High A; California League), the Bakersfield Blaze (High A; California League), the Eugene Emeralds (short season A; Northwest League), the Helena Brewers (rookie; Pioneer League) and the Idaho Falls Chukars (rookie; Pioneer League), and are in the process of buying the Lynchburg Hillcats (High A; Carolina League). The Elmore Sports Group includes Dave Elmore, D.G. Elmore Jr. and Doug Elmore.
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