Dive Brief:
- The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros have decided to join the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins in Palm Beach County, FL, for spring training and are building a $144 million, 8,600-seat, joint ballpark in West Palm Beach. The teams said the new facility will be ready in time for the first players to report in February 2017.
- The 140-acre future Ballpark of the Palm Beaches is on the site of a former landfill, a fact that will likely drive up construction costs. The project is funded by private and public money — Palm Beach County traded land for the project, approved the sale of $130 million in 28-year bonds and pledged $5 million in tourist tax funds — with the Astros and Nationals picking up additional costs.
- Indianapolis-based Hunt Construction Group, which previously built the Miami Marlins Park and the Chicago Cubs Cactus League stadium in Arizona, was chosen as construction manager for the project earlier this year.
Dive Insight:
Local officials and business leaders expect an economic boost from the additional tourist dollars spring training will bring to its community.
"It is historic," County Mayor Shelley Vana told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "It will change the lives of the people who live in this area."
Completion of the new complex will put five Major League Baseball teams within 45 minutes of each other, making for easier pre-season game travel, the Washington Post reported. Each team will have two major-league-sized practice fields and four minor-league-sized practice fields. The ballpark will also feature an agility field, a half field, batting cages and pitching mounds.
In addition, as part of the agreement with West Palm Beach, the teams will build a 12-acre city park with soccer fields, basketball courts and a jogging trail.
Construction of the facility is three years in the making, as concerns about the location and funding of the stadium drew local backlash. "I kept saying, 'Are we done yet? Are we done yet?'" Houston Astros owner and chairman Jim Crane said regarding the negotiations and delays.. "A lot of people worked very hard on this."