^ I think the following may be one of the most important comments on the stadium site's viability and importance:
Khakis wrote:I feel like a big thing that also gets missed when talking about having the training facility and HQ in the city is that the tax money from employees and players is now going to go to the city instead of some other municipality in the county like with the Blues.
(Hell of a first comment; cheers, Khakis.)
I remember one of the biggest issues the City had when the Rams were relocated to Inglewood was the massive decrease in City Earnings Tax revenues from the losses of games.
Very rough example: Peyton Manning's salary was based on playing 16 games/year. When the Colts played in STL, the City would get 1% of 1/16th of Peyton Manning's total salary in City Earnings Taxes. His salary in 2015 was $15MM. So, the City garnered revenues of $9,375 (15M/16x0.01) from Peyton Manning from that 2.5 hour game. Now, add-in the rest of the Colts, and the City makes an easy multiple six/seven-figures from visiting teams every week. Of course, the Rams' players paid the Earnings Tax for 8 games, which was a very solid contribution to general revenues. (Kroenke still sucks goat nuts)
Meanwhile, other sports leagues pay their players for training as well as the actual games. I believe the NHL is an example of this. If the Blues' practice facility was in the City, I'd think some more of their revenues would be taxed by the City's Earnings Tax that's not in effect for training conducted in Maryland Heights. It looks like the MLS team, being consolidated in the City, will be fully under the purview of the Earnings Tax, both for games and training. Which is nice.
Also, I get what you're saying here. I agree that green practice fields are not really urban form. I think we all get this. With that said, I see the totality of this development being one of the best things that can happen to the City, to Downtown, and to the Metro Area. We so far have over half a billion dollars - at minimum - in dedicated private investment to bring a national sports franchise to the City, the real estate development alone leading to multiple new projects and new investments while increasing the image of the City on a national scale, all while eliminating some of the worst eyesores in all of the City from where they've chosen to develop. I'd say it's arguably the best possible win the City could recognize here, one that will pay out in spades for decades. I'll gladly take a couple of professional soccer fields along the highway underpass for all that this will generate, especially when the alternative was nothing but the dumpy status quo of the 22nd Street Parkway and empty parking lots. It's not perfect, but it's very, very GDMF good.
Cheers bud.
