The Rangers' Southwest Sports Group Inc. hired the New York City-based Cooper, Robertson & Partners, an architectural and urban design firm, and Steiner + Associates of Columbus, a development and property management company. The move has the opposition camp crying foul since it comes in the final week of a heated campaign for a Nov. 2 referendum to increase four taxes and add one to build the stadium, which would take up about one third of the 180 acres available for development. According to a published account, the teams will share in the cost of the master plan.
The hiring comes more than four years after Southwest Sports said it was in the final stage of interviewing design teams to draft a mixed-use plan that would effectively create a new downtown for Arlington. Just like four years ago, this weekend's announcement was missing a timeframe.
Spin-off development in an entertainment district with two major league fields has been the ringing endorsement for residents to say "yes," argue the business community, most politicians and ardent fans. A recent survey showed the Dallas Cowboys have a 2% lead over the opposition despite a costly advertising campaign, bringing the team and cheerleaders to town for special appearances and knocking on residents' doors to get voters to OK a 50-50 split on the cost of a retractable roof stadium with seating for 75,000.
If the referendum passes, the city's share of the tab will be capped at $325 million. In exchange, the Cowboys will pay $2 million annually for a 30-year lease with a pair of 10-year extensions plus get an option to buy the facility for $100 million and get full reimbursement for three decades of lease payments. Arlington, in turn, will get $16.5 million for youth programs and 5% of a naming rights sale. The city's plan to cover the tab is to add a half cent to its sales tax, 2% to the hotel occupancy tax, 5% to the vehicle-rental tax, up to 10% on the ticket tax and impose up to $3 for a stadium parking tax.
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