The potential for a new ballpark at the Town Madison development has taken a step forward, as the Madison Planning Commission has approved a key zoning change.
Back in July, we noted the potential purchase and relocation of the Mobile BayBears (Class AA; Southern League) by an Arizona investment group. Along with Baton Rouge and Savannah, Madison, AL–a city that is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area–was reported as being in the mix to land the BayBears. Additionally, it was reported by WHNT that the investment pitch from BallCorps, LLC said that the firm has had discussions with representatives from Madison County and the City of Madison regarding a potential new ballpark in the Town Madison development.
On Thursday, the Madison Planning Commission made a notable decision by unanimously approving a new zoning ordinance that would permit the construction of a new multipurpose facility. That, in effect, allows for a ballpark to be developed at that location if an agreement to land a team moves forward. More from WHNT:
Part of the ordinance’s description contained those magic words we’ve been anticipating, “There is a multi use venue that can be used as either a stadium or a ballpark.”
Even with the decision, a spokesman for the Town Madison development was coy about what that means for the prospects of attracting America’s pastime.
“What the city has done and gone ahead and created an opportunity site, that if they saw the opportunity to build a multipurpose venue albeit for baseball or for community use, this would obviously be a great place to do it,” says Joey Ceci of Town Madison.
The next decision in the process will be made by the Madison City Council, which will have to vote on the zoning change and could do so at its meeting on Monday. The Huntsville area has not had a professional baseball team since the relocation of the Huntsville Stars (Class AA; Southern League), who played their last full season at Joe W. Davis Stadium in 2014.
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