Exclusive: Renderings show proposed $82 million Indy Eleven stadium

The Indy Eleven released renderings Wednesday of a proposed $82 million soccer stadium being considered by the Indiana legislature.

Team president Peter Wilt said there are "three or four" potential Downtown locations for the stadium, but he declined to identify those sites.

The 18,500-seat stadium has a large canopy roof over most of the seats that Wilt described as "almost like the (Bird's) Nest at the Beijing Olympics."

He added that the renderings are "a concept, so it's subject to change and it surely will change." The team is promoting the stadium on a website as adaptable for multiple sports, including football and lacrosse. The stadium was designed by Populous, the same company that did the Indiana Farmers Coliseum renovation.

The North American Soccer League team, entering its second season, brought an unsuccessful stadium proposal to the legislature last year before playing a single game.

Wilt said he is "cautiously optimistic" that lawmakers can be persuaded to have taxpayers help build the stadium.

Taxpayers paid for at least $620 million of the $720 million used to build Lucas Oil Stadium, which opened in 2008, and they also pay for operating costs.

Less than a year ago, the public Capital Improvement Board agreed to use $160 million in tax money over 10 years to cover operating costs and upgrades at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the Pacers. The team keeps revenue from all fieldhouse events — basketball and non-basketball alike.

In 2013, state lawmakers approved $100 million for improvements at the privately-owned Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The cost of the Indy Eleven Stadium is $5 million less than what had been proposed previously. Wilt said financing is also different than what had been proposed last year and what is currently in a bill before lawmakers. That bill would have taxpayer money back debt service on the stadium if ticket taxes don't generate enough money. Rep. Todd Huston, R-Fishers, is the sponsor.

Critics last year took aim at ticket-tax revenue projections of $5 million per year by team owner Ersal Ozdemir, a well-connected developer and generous contributor to politicians. The projections, critics said, were extremely high.

Paul Okeson, vice president of Ozdemir's Keystone Group, said Wednesday that negotiations with lawmakers are ongoing and that he wasn't ready to discuss details of the financing. Okeson said the team would soon release a new feasibility study for the stadium. The new study, he said, is more reliable than last year's because it uses data from the team's first season and was prepared by a local firm.

A hearing is expected in mid-February in the House Ways and Means Committee.

"We're still working through the issue of state, city and team responsibility," said Rep. Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville, chair of the Ways and Means Committee. "I never try to predict the legislative process."

Wilt said lawmakers are taking a different approach to the stadium proposal this year.

"The big difference between this year and last year -- probably because there wasn't much time and we hadn't proven ourselves -- is the legislators didn't really engage us in discussion as much. This year, they seem to be trying to find solutions and trying to come up with better ways to get it done."

The Eleven can point to having sold out all of its 14 games at IUPUI's Carroll Stadium, averaging 10,450 fans per game, and having aggressively built itself into a presence on Indy's sports landscape.

Contact Mark Alesia at (317) 444-6311. Follow him on Twitter: @markalesia. See his bio page and other stories .



