A new slate of investors in the Mobile BayBears (Class AA; Southern League) includes Louis Breland, the developer behind the Town Madison project that has been pitched for a new ballpark.
Last week, BallCorps, LLC closed on its purchase of the BayBears. It has been reported that the group could seek to move the BayBears, with Madison, AL widely mentioned as a potential landing spot. A ballpark there could be constructed at Town Madison, a 500-acre development located about 10 miles from downtown Huntsville on I-565.
Breland, the developer behind Town Madison, has been confirmed as being among the slate of new local investors in the BayBears. The club has has also received permission to explore the market, but permission to relocate has not been granted and would have to come as part of a later process. More from AL.com:
“We love the market,” [BallCorps managing partner and CEO Ralph] Nelson said of north Alabama. “It’s very obvious what the market is, what the benefits of that market are….”
BallCorps said in a statement Thursday that “the Southern League and Minor League Baseball have granted us exploration rights to investigate north Alabama, which is an exciting market, but the organization is still considering all options at this point, including the team remaining in Mobile.”
Breland is developing Town Madison, a $300 million project in Madison on Interstate 565 mentioned as the team’s possible home if it moves north. Madison has expressed interest in building a multi-use stadium that could house it.
Madison’s interest in exploring the construction of a new multi-use venue was confirmed last week by its mayor, Paul Finley. The BayBears are slated to spend the 2018 season at Hank Aaron Stadium, and Mobile officials have previously indicated that they are not ready to give up on the team.
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