5th Oct 2063
Boise, Idaho
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Yaxel Bardenwerper
The Boise Spuds made quick work of the new stadium tension putting out a design reveal, pre-arranged property swaps, the foundation for the project (Boise Diamond Procurement – BDP) which will leverage a public/private partnership to streamline the design-to-approval-to-spend process. As the project proceeds as planned, Chris Schoen, managing partner for the BDP development company, would put the stadium on across the entire 96 acre footprint of the current of Ada County Fairgrounds just northwest of downtown Boise. Expecting the baseball stadium to take up approx. 46 acres that leaves 30+acres for multi-use in residential, retail, commercial zones. The group released a design photo from an earlier phase:
Boise Riverway Stadium (artist rendering)
Included as part of the press release was acknowledgement that the Grigg family will possibly be liquidating their shares of the Spuds franchise which marks the end of an era. The family was reportedly looking for a moment to walk away from the club and leave a shining legacy. They will be remembered in the Grigg Memorial Concourse just beyond the rightfield wall. A naming rights deal, contingent upon the deal’s full approval of course, has been reached with The J.R. Simplot Company, a multinational food & agriculture company headquartered in Boise and employing 15,000 people worldwide, with the company agreeing to retain the name "Boise Riverway Stadium".
The location of Ada County Fairgrounds was choice #1 from the beginning stages of the project. “We’d been down the path on properties before,” Mike Barrett, managing director for the BDP said. “The Ada County grounds felt different in that we were constantly circling back to that space.”
Barrett said BDP had been in talks with the Grigg family before, but nothing ever came of those talks. Then recently, Barrett said, the Griggs approached the group of baseball investors about a possible sale.
"They're willingness to sit down and renegotiate and say, 'We want this to be a part of our family legacy,' has gone a long way towards greasing the skids so to speak," Barrett told The Tuber Times on Tuesday.
"Now we have political support on this site," Barrett said. "Many are wary of the club’s intention to honor the legacy of the fairgrounds predicting that the team will simply steamroll any disputes by rallying the flags, but there’s the fact that the current stadium, Grigg Memorial, is 28 years old and so long overdue for refurbishment or replacement. The squad is clearly favoring the latter.”
Boise mayor Lauren McLean championed the potential sale of the Ada County Fairgrounds, calling it "a big moment for the region."
"This is a tremendous opportunity to reshape that waterfront on the Boise River, create new economic opportunities, and build a vibrant and sustainable neighborhood," McLean said in a release sent out by the BDP. "This builds on our growing sports economy and culture. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with BDP on the next steps. The assumption is that the outfield fence and stands will sidle up to the Boise River Watershed blending from a modern, world-class baseball facility to full integration with nature. This will also create stunning views of surrounding mountains.
”What about speedway races? The Ada County Fairgrounds are part of our history!”
There is opposition to the project stemming mostly from what seems to be a wellspring of nostalgia. ”The Speedway hasn’t been operational for 15 years and the yearly state fair is the only major attraction for the area at the moment unless you count the farmer’s market and, quite frankly, we believe we can provide an upgraded market experience incorporated into the mixed-use model. We understand that there will be competing views on pretty much every aspect of a project of this size and this potentially as transformative,” said McLean. “At the same time, we held multiple focus group sessions where more information was shared and the likely impact on opinions gauged. We’re very confident that we are on the right track and all impacts are being studied and incorporated into the next phase.”
Sports columnist Can Johnzono says the city took a big swing and hit big. “"Big win for the Diamond Project, now they've got to sell it to the public in a tight window – the project has been fast-tracked for completion by Opening Day 2064. These are the kind of moments that shape a franchise’s history, changing the narrative and rewarding fans with modern amenities.” he said.
The other unmistakable factor is the Grigg family stepping away to a more “memorial” role. “This was a chance for them to step away from the daily grind of being a baseball owner and post a legacy,” said one source. “The prevailing thought is that Grigg remains as the majority owner but takes a less-involved role making him a figurehead of sorts.”
One big question on BBA minds, and those of Spuds fans in particular, is the likely stadium profile. The Grigg currently punishes hitters average and HRs while leaning far in the other direction when it comes to doubles and triples. Given that Teague has had a voice in shaping the team to fit the current profile, it’s no surprise that he’s a fan of the current factors. “Teague will always err on the side of empowering pitchers. The park factors at the Grigg and, with the assumption that the new stadium will be mostly the same he can get some starting pitchers to more quality outings and late-game pitchers on the right side of leverage,” said one league source. “It also lines up his lineup which gets speedy guys on base and creates pressure from their ability to hit for gap power.”
To handle early-Spring late-Fall snows J.R. Simplot Stadium will feature a nested retractable roof. Says Johnzono, “This is all upside and no down for Boise. The franchise and the city. It’s great news for that portion of unincorporated county property. It will attract a high-tax base in the multi-use portion of the project to quicken the integration of the new stadium with the city and the surrounding neighborhood.”
More on J.R. Simplot:
The fully integrated portfolio from Simplot includes farming, ranching and cattle production, food processing, food brands, phosphate mining, fertilizer manufacturing, and other enterprises related to agriculture. Its major operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, Argentina and China provide a diverse array of products and services to people around the world.
