Wizards Stadium Plan Advances

The Three Trails Redevelopment project - which would include a permanent home for the Kansas City Wizards - finally cleared a big hurdle recently when the Missouri Development Finance Board granted $30 million in tax credits to the partnership made up of Lane4 Property Group Inc. and OnGoal LLC. State approval had been expected by January 31, 2008, but was pushed back almost a full year.The proposal calls for 1.1 million square feet of retail, 1.6 million square feet of office, four hotels, an 18,500-seat soccer-specific stadium for the Wizards and 12 tournament-quality soccer fields on a 467-acre site on the southern end of Kansas City at an estimated cost of $1 billion.

Lane4 President Owen Buckley noted that state financing delays have caused the projected opening date of the Wizards' new stadium back a year, from 2010 to 2011, but Robb Heineman - OnGoal CEO and president of the Wizards - has stated that the team would be willing to call CommunityAmerica Ballpark home for an additional year, even though the team is losing money due to seating and sponsorship limitations at the minor-league stadium which seats 10,385.

"We are very appreciative of the Board coming to this conclusion," said Heineman. "Our goal would be to start demolition as soon as possible. Obviously our economic situation is improved in a new stadium, so we have every incentive to move the project forward."