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PostAug 10, 2007#26

Underwhelming hits the nail on the head as a term for the stadium renderings. I can only hope that that's an early design and the thing will get a more appealing look as we near groundbreaking. Aside from that, the location still doesn't make me overly love the project, but those are the negatives IMO.



Moving on to the positives, this has made me considerably more impressed and interested in the overall project. The surrounding area seems like a good idea and looks pretty well-planned. I'll agree that by the wording, so long as Collinsville approves it, we've got ourselves a team, which is great news. The fact that he's already trying to get additional events to come to the stadium is fantastic, if true. And then comes the logo. If that's what they use, I love it; just works really well to me, and Knights is an appealing name. As a whole, like Little Egyptian said, Cooper has been working hard and it seems as though its going to be paying off to have him leading this project.





I just also want to clarify that, if for no other reason, I'm not a big fan of the location for the simple fact that I think it will deter some St. Louisans from attending the games. Heading from one of the counties on the west side to Collinsville is a pretty big drive, and while I won't really be deterred by it, I'm sure plenty of people will. I hope I'm wrong, but I just feel certain the fact it's in an eastern suburb will hurt attendance and overall chances of success, at least compared to being closer to the center of the metro area. That said, if this is where it's at, I'll still be into it.
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PostAug 10, 2007#27

Green is the color of Roman Catholicism while Orange is for Protestants.



It makes sense to see green on the King's shield.
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PostAug 10, 2007#28

While I think this is great and would go to a number of matches a year, I can't help but be annoyed that I'll have to drive. Going to a Cardinals game last night was pure joy - seriously. I walked five mins to metrolink and took a 10-minute ride to the stadium. Even the "packed" train afterwards was less packed than a regular commuter train in Boston. Let's get Metrolink out there and I'll be (almost) as happy as I could be. Also noticed that the project is 44 acres - if only he had 50 acres in North St. Louis - imagine the tax benefits! :)



[Edit] Whoops - it's a 400 acre development - at least that's how much total land they have.



[Edit] Looking at this again, much of the development is residential - not a bad thing - and retial. There are only 8 additional fields besides the main stadium. This part of the project could be fit into a number of locations. I guess every developer wants to do some kind of textbook "New Urbanism" with a "Towne Square" and "Main Street".
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PostAug 10, 2007#29

I agree with the concerns about crossing the river, but if you read Jeff Cooper's blog post on the new site (http://www.stlouissoccerunited.com/content/view/27/73/), he specifically makes the point that part of the reason he is putting so much effort into this and chose the name he did was to "Unite" the two sides of the River into one city and get rid of a lot of old stereotypes. (Obviously, he has an interest in this with his firm on the Illinois side and now this - when people come across he makes more money).



But, with the new Mississippi River Bridge and this project (among others) I have to agree that I see a new future for Missouri/Illinois relations blooming. I think there is going to be extremely rapid development on the Illinois side in the next couple of decades. There is so much undeveloped land so close to the city and the developers are starting to exhaust the possibilities on the Missouri side on 70 with some new developments over an hour's drive from the City. In Illinois, there is undeveloped land literally less than 10 min. from the City, including this stretch of land that Cooper is developing.



What a great time to be on the Illinois side. I wish I owned a bunch of that farmland.
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PostAug 10, 2007#30

Little Egyptian wrote:I agree with the concerns about crossing the river, but if you read Jeff Cooper's blog post on the new site (http://www.stlouissoccerunited.com/content/view/27/73/), he specifically makes the point that part of the reason he is putting so much effort into this and chose the name he did was to "Unite" the two sides of the River into one city and get rid of a lot of old stereotypes.


If he could push to "Unite" Collinsville and St. Louis with a metrolink line that would be great.
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PostAug 10, 2007#31

I think the stadium looks awesome... and I love the St. Louis Soccer United emblem..good job fellas..



Iknow it's been said before, but MY GOD I still wish there was a way to build a new SLU/MLS stadium in midtown.
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PostAug 10, 2007#32

bpe235 wrote:I think the stadium looks awesome... and I love the St. Louis Soccer United emblem..good job fellas..



Iknow it's been said before, but MY GOD I still wish there was a way to build a new SLU/MLS stadium in midtown.


On Metrolink, I still think it will happen sooner rather than later. I would not put it past Cooper to get it done if he wanted that.



On a SLU/Midtown stadium, forget it. SLU would never go for it because it would always be 3/4 empty for SLU matches, which would be embarrassing and SLU would be having to compete with the MLS squad for revenue. That said, I do think this will offer a lot of opportunity for SLU and the new Stadium to interact, especially for big matches. Like this upcoming match against Indiana, that could be the type of match that SLU could play in the new Stadium and get decent attendance.



Also, let's not forget, Cooper already has a women's pro team that will play in the stadium in 2009, so there will be a lot of activity around that new stadium.



This is so exciting. I know most people put no stock in MLS, but other than BPV, this is perhaps the best development to happen to Saint Louis in the past decade.
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PostAug 10, 2007#33

I do love the fact that this will help "re-center" the region around downtown. By everything I've read, MLS is growing in the right way and will be around for a long, long time. Given the shear numbers of youth soccer programs, expansion of soccer teams at the high school level and increasing number of Hispanic Americans, I can't imagine that MLS will disappear in the next couple decades.
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PostAug 10, 2007#34

I always wished that they would build it north of midtown and develop a neighborhood around it. Maybe give it a European feel and have streets "spoke out" from the stadium (kinda like a bike wheel)...Apartments, Pubs, and Brownstones. SLU and the MLS team could use it during the season and you would have a great outdoor concert area in the city when there isn't a game.



I'd hate driving to Collinsville, but I would still go mainly because I live in the city. I doubt many in St. Louis/St. Charles county would make the drive.



Cheers,

TFG
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PostAug 10, 2007#35

I know everyone here wants it built in the city, I'm sure we all know that, but the fact is it's not going to be.



And as stated before, Collinsville's proximity to Fairmont City will no doubt be a plus.



I love the stadium and the logo is just f-ing amazing. I dig this totally now. It's only a matter of time til the rest of those fields are filled in with wearhouses and tech centers.
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PostAug 10, 2007#36

I think the development looks great. And I agree we need metro access so I can ride in from downtown have a few brews and head back to the city. However if the deal can't get done, lets get it on the riverfront...
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PostAug 10, 2007#37

^Its getting done.



How I would love for Metrolink service so I won't have to go all the way to Fairview or Memorial Hospital.
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PostAug 10, 2007#38

I absolutely LOVE the SLSU logo.. it's like they were reading my mind (always said the 'Apotheosis' would be great), and then made it 10X better.



I too wish they would build downtown, but this Collinsville plan is awesome! It is so comprehensive, with the inclusion of commercial, residential, and even wildlife/wetlands space. This will be a great development -- and because it's not just a stadium, it has the potential to sustain beyond game nights.



Very exciting! :D
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PostAug 10, 2007#39

TimeForGuinness wrote:I always wished that they would build it north of midtown and develop a neighborhood around it. Maybe give it a European feel and have streets "spoke out" from the stadium (kinda like a bike wheel)...Apartments, Pubs, and Brownstones. SLU and the MLS team could use it during the season and you would have a great outdoor concert area in the city when there isn't a game.


I love your idea, but at this point, I'll just be glad to have a team here.



The logo and website look fantastic, and this will be a great opportunity for Collinsville. I'll definitely make the drive. 8)
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PostAug 10, 2007#40

The drive to Collinsville isn't too bad from DT. The only problem is if you're coming from South City, traffic backs up on the ramp to the Poplar Bridge quite frequently.



I love the setup and design of the stadium. It'd be nice if the stadium was in the City, but MLS prefers these large soccer complexes. I'll make the drive for a couple games a year, it's really not much further than the horsetrack.
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PostAug 10, 2007#41

How many games to these teams usually play in a season?
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PostAug 10, 2007#42

1. Love the design of the logo.

2. I actually like the design of the stadium, it looks very European to me.

3. I like the idea of MLS in Illinois, I just wish it was closer to the river. I think the United is a great idea, but there are so many great development opportunities that are close to metrolink access right now. They should take advantage of them.



Build up the East Bank.
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PostAug 10, 2007#43

I actually really, really like the stadium design - 1 tier, covered seats, it should make for a very intimate setting and provide quite a home field advantage. I agree it seems very European in influence.
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PostAug 10, 2007#44

Here are the alternative routes that came out of the MetroLink study a few years back. The proposed stadium is just west of the Gateway Center.



[/quote]
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PostAug 10, 2007#45

wow! Exciting news. I hope this guy wins Metro East Resident of the Year! Seriously though, big news!



BTW, I dont think the name will pull through, as D.C. already has the United.
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PostAug 10, 2007#46

^From what little I've had the chance to read, I'm under the impression Saint Louis Soccer United is the name of the organization working to put all of this together, along with the women's team. The name of the actual team would be something different.



Edit: here's what the site says
St. Louis Soccer United (SLSU) is a professional soccer investment and development group dedicated to bringing a Major League Soccer team and state-of-the-art stadium facility to the St. Louis area.
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PostAug 10, 2007#47

It should be the "St. Louis 50".



And bring the uni's back for the St. Louis team!





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PostAug 10, 2007#48

On the metrolink routes, I think the dark purple one through Granite and then over to Collinsville where it would pick up the Pink route up to Edwardsville, although it needs to hit SIUE. I think lots of students would take it. This would be the quickest option to serve the most people.



The other option long term is to do two additional metrolink routes on the East Side, which makes the most sense really. We probably need to build both the Pink Route and the Blue Route. But, the pink route needs to be first with a stop by the new stadium. That would really help attendance. With Cooper's ties to the democratic government in Illinois, I think he could really help grease the wheels on this if he wanted to.



But, either way, Illinois needs to get a plan together for this while the land is still largely available. Ten years from now, I am not sure it will as easy to put the routes in.
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PostAug 10, 2007#49

If this pulls through, and American soccer grows- considering this expansion, and David Beckham coming to U.S. soccer- then that gives Metrolink more insentive to build a metrolink by way of Collinsville.



btw, here is a map of the location.



PostAug 11, 2007#50

St. Louis to make its pitch for a team

By Jonathan Nierman / MLSnet.com Staff

http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp ... &fext=.jsp



Soccer fans in the greater St. Louis area could soon have reason to celebrate, as plans to land a Major League Soccer expansion team in time for the 2009 season will enter the final decisive stretch on Monday.

St. Louis Soccer United will present a property development proposal to the city of Collinsville, Ill., which includes a state-of-the-art 18,500-seat soccer-specific stadium and urban development with retail, office and residential space.



"There is no city in the United States that is more deserving of Major League Soccer -- and more ready for it -- than St. Louis," said Jeff Cooper, chairman of St. Louis Soccer United. "As important, we'd be the ideal expansion site for MLS with our central location, population base, media market size and passion for soccer at all levels. It's a perfect marriage, and it's waiting to happen."



Cooper hopes to preside over that marriage by constructing a new facility for the potential expansion team to call home in Collinsville, located some eight miles east of downtown St. Louis. The 400-acre plot of land that St. Louis Soccer United is looking to develop is nestled within the intersection of Interstates 55-70 (east-west) and Interstate 255 (north-south).



"We have the perfect location for a stadium in Collinsville, where the combination of space, services, accessibility and proximity to St. Louis are unbeatable," Cooper said. "We are extremely grateful to Collinsville city officials for the endless hours they've dedicated to the project in advance of our presentation on Monday, and we look forward to a long, successful partnership win Collinsville for all of greater St. Louis."



The stadium development is estimated to cost around $100 million, some of which would be paid for by the city of Collinsville. It would take approximately $20 million in bonds sold by the city to get the project rolling. On Monday Cooper will officially present St. Louis Soccer United's plans to the city council, which is then expected to vote on Sept. 10 on the project.



"What we're prepared to do is put an $80 million to $100 million investment into Collinsville, and we're asking the city to help us out with some of that with taxes that will be paid off from the project," Cooper told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.



Though the official presentation will be Monday, Cooper has long been working with city officials to bring the plan to fruition.



Collinsville mayor Stan Schaeffer told the Post-Dispatch that the city has been working with St. Louis Soccer United since January of last year.



The approval of the stadium plan would make St. Louis a primary candidate for MLS expansion in 2009. The league has already announced that a team will return to the Bay Area in California in 2008 with the return of the San Jose Earthquakes, who were relocated to Houston prior to the 2006 MLS season. The league has stated that it is looking to expand in a couple of other locations over the next few years before capping expansion for some time.



"Major League Soccer is excited about St, Louis Soccer United's efforts to bring an MLS team to one of the most passionate and storied soccer markets in the United States," said MLS president Mark Abbott. "We continue to believe the greater St. Louis area would be a tremendous home for an MLS club and are pleased to see the interest from the city of Collinsville in a soccer-specific stadium and mixed-use development. If approved, Collinsville would join a long line of communities that have partnered with MLS clubs to build world-class stadiums."



continued ...

http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp ... &fext=.jsp
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