Renderings of the Crew Stadium ▲

Pulling together, and pulling apart, threads that tie the Crew to the Arena District, the state fairgrounds and Obetz:

First off, there is news coming on the Crew's new stadium site, to be known as Confluence Village.

The Haslam family, which owns the Cleveland Browns and with the Edwards family of Columbus helped save the Crew, is handling the purchase of the last parcel of land available in the Arena District (about 20 acres). Negotiations between Haslam Sports Group and Nationwide Realty Investors, which owns the parcel, have dragged on for months.

An agreement is nigh. I've heard that an announcement could come as soon as this week, maybe by Wednesday. I've also heard that there's enough paperwork left that the deal won't be rubber-stamped until mid-month — or later.

It appears that buyer and seller are confident that there is nothing left to interfere with the Crew's timetable: an announcement of the purchase in August; shovels in the ground sometime in October; grand opening of the stadium in midsummer 2021.

What I am hearing is that the big issues, such as the price of the land, were settled early in the process. Why the wait? The short answer is, it's complicated.

We're talking about the last piece of the Arena District — a project that Nationwide has spent 22 years developing. It's their baby. This final piece will link the district to I-670 to the north and the Olentangy River and Trail to the west. It is the coloratura to the coda of their Downtown symphony.

It follows, then, that Nationwide wants to have some say in the aesthetics of Confluence Village. (I've heard rumors that one of the snags in the negotiations had to do with specific brickwork, but I've been unable to confirm it.)

Keep in mind, too, that as the Arena District has grown in phases, it has become a labyrinth of public-private partnerships (including tax increment financing plans, or TIFs), and Nationwide wants to make everything fit to maximize its tax benefits. It's good to be Nationwide.

On the other side of the table, the Crew's representatives have had to balance their willingness — and they are willing — to cede to Nationwide's wishes with the fact that, as buyers, they should have some control of the development of the land. They want their new soccer stadium to be an iconic structure that helps define the city and its skyline.

Negotiations have been described as amicable and professional. In fact, in the interim, Nationwide has allowed the Haslam group to do its due diligence on the land, to prepare to break ground. All that is left is legal paperwork. Both sides can see the finish line.

As for Mapfre Stadium and its intended redevelopment into a Crew training facility and community sports park on the north end of the state fairgrounds:

Gov. Mike DeWine last month created a task force ("Expo 2050") "to take stock of all the great things going on at the Ohio Expo Center, as well as the Ohio History Connection and Mapfre Stadium, and to develop a vision for the entire area."

Columbus is the fastest-growing city in the Midwest, and the Fairgrounds are 360 acres in the heart of the city. This task force study is an interesting endeavor. I've been told that the governor is strong supporter of the Crew's short-term plans for the Mapfre site. The vision for the new sports park will gain clarity once the shovels hit the ground in the Arena District.

As for Obetz, where the Crew opened the first MLS training facility in 1997, the club's lease runs out at the end of the year. The Crew is trying to negotiate an extension. If it can't, it will train at Mapfre next year, and then look for an alternative as the new facility and community sports park are constructed. Nothing is off the table.

marace@dispatch.com

@MichaelArace1