Ballpark Village no longer part of stadium talks

ST. LOUIS -- If a new Cardinals ballpark is built downtown, it apparently won't include plans to build a neighboring Ballpark Village development.

Building a small district of shops, restaurants, and other attractions had been one of the selling points of the stadium package the Cardinals were pitching to the Missouri legislature. Apparently, Ballpark Village died along with it. Citing sources close to the negotiations, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday that Ballpark Village has been set aside since state money is no longer part of the plan.

State lawmakers adjourned in May without approving money for a new ballpark to replace Busch Stadium. Since then, Mayor Francis Slay and city officials have been negotiating with the Cardinals on a new funding plan, without state help, to keep the team downtown. The Cardinals say they would prefer to stay downtown but are considering other options.

Requiring the Cardinals to make Ballpark Village a reality was one of Gov. Bob Holden's conditions for supporting state money for the stadium project.

Village not necessary

Cardinals president Mark Lamping said Ballpark Village or a similar development is "ancillary" but not a necessary part of a new stadium.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said he still hoped that Ballpark Village would be part of a downtown stadium plan.

"We want to use the Ballpark Village to replace Busch's pedestrian-unfriendly environment with something that keeps visitors downtown longer, spending their money," he said.

Team owners hope to find a location where construction can begin early next year so the Cardinals can host the 2006 All-Star Game in their new stadium. What a new stadium looks like depends on where it is built, Lamping said.

"We believe the site of the ballpark has an impact on what the look of the ballpark would be," Lamping sad. "We want it to complement its surroundings."

A site in Illinois across the Mississippi River from the Gateway Arch is considered the top location if St. Louis falls out of the running.

'Theirs to win or lose'

St. Clair County Board Chairman John Baricevic said he and other county leaders will not court the Cardinals while St. Louis and team leaders are trying to keep the team downtown.

"We haven't sat down with the Cardinals to negotiate terms of anything," Baricevic said. "We're not going to get in a bidding war with St. Louis. It's theirs to win or lose."

Still, Baricevic can't help but talk about how great the St. Louis skyline would look as an outfield backdrop. He compares it to PNC Park, the new home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

PNC Park is built on the north shore of the Allegheny River and situated so Pirates fans can see the Pittsburgh skyline.

"It's a mirror image to what Illinois can offer," Baricevic says.

If and when it comes time to sit down with the Cardinals, Baricevic said, no conditions would be set up front.

"We don't have any demands of the Cardinals," Baricevic said. "For instance, the state of Missouri said 'You've got to have the Ballpark Village.' That's not part of our issue. What the ballpark looks like, whether there is a Ballpark Village and what it looks like, those are open issues."

But in St. Louis, there's already a design on the books that would complement the ballpark's atmosphere.

If the Cardinals continue with their plan to build a new ballpark south of Busch Stadium, they want construction to begin by Sept. 1. Lamping said the Cardinals are still committed to staying downtown -- if the organization can find a plan that makes fiscal sense for both the city and the baseball team.