The City of Springfield stepped on second base and started digging for third on the way to closing out a $16 million deal to purchase and upgrade Hammons Field, home of Minor League Baseball’s Springfield Cardinals.
The Springfield City Council voted 8-0 Feb. 14 to finalize its approval on the deal to buy the baseball stadium from the John Q. Hammons Revocable Trust, along with the adjacent parking lots from 946 East Trafficway LLC.
The deal breaks down with the city paying $6.5 million to buy the stadium infrastructure, $5.5 million for the parking lots, and then committing another $4 million to upgrade the stadium.
Springfield Mayor Ken McClure said keeping the Springfield Cardinals in Springfield is “vital to our continued growth.”
“We have a future of a stadium which has been an icon in this community,” McClure said. “To have not approved this sale, to have not approved the lease, to have not approved the parking that went with that, the package deal, would have been in my opinion, very, very negative if not disastrous for the city.”
McClure said the opening of Hammons Field and the landing of the St. Louis Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate team ushered in waves of resurgence that spread through downtown Springfield.
“Since the opening of the ballpark in 2004, we have also seen the creation of the Jordan Valley Park, the opening of the Ice Park, and the determination and innovation of our citizens opening businesses, galleries and putting on community events in what was once a desolate downtown,” McClure said.
Two bases to touch before the run scores
When the Springfield Cardinals hosted a public announcement for the pending deal Feb. 1, Springfield City Manager Jason Gage used the four bases on a baseball diamond to illustrate what needs to happen for the Hammons Field deal to cross home plate. First base is approval from the Springfield Planning and Zoning Commission, second base is passage by the Springfield City Council.
Third base is for the global agreement between Springfield and the John Q. Hammons Revocable Trust to clear United States Bankruptcy Court, and home plate is the real estate closing process with a title company.
After the closing, the city manager’s office will hold the oversight responsibilities in Springfield’s landlord-tenant relationship with its professional baseball club.
A court date has not been determined, though McClure said he tentatively hoped the day in court would occur before the Springfield Cardinals open the 2023 season at home against the Wichita Wind Surge April 6.
The Cardinals will pay $650,000 per year to rent the stadium. The lease agreement between the city of Springfield and the Springfield Cardinals calls for the Cards’ rent money to be split into two pots: operating funds and capital improvement funds. Missouri State University will continue paying $250,000 to lease the stadium for college games, and there are about 30 home dates each spring.
Stadium deal approved 8-0, not 9-0
Councilman Craig Hosmer was at the meeting at the Busch Municipal Building, but recused himself from voting when the role was called. Hosmer attempted a legislative procedure called dividing the question, and tried to separate the parking lot purchase elements of the plan from the rest of the legislative bill before it came up for vote.
“I believe the stadium is a good purchase and makes perfect sense,” Hosmer said. “I think that modifications to the stadium are a good purchase and make good fiscal sense to the city. I do not believe the purchase of the parking lot is — I think we’re paying twice what the value of the parking lot is.”
Hosmer said the parking lots and the land they sit on are worth about $3 million.
“I think overall this may be a good deal for the city, but I think the purchase of the parking lot is a misuse of taxpayer dollars,” Hosmer said. “I know we’ve negotiated in good faith with various parties on this issue, but I believe, again, it’s not a good use of city resources.”
Hosmer’s motion was not seconded by any other council member. He then questioned whether or not the Springfield City Council’s procedures required a motion to divide a question to have a second. After a back-and-forth with City Attorney Rhonda Lewsader, Hosmer relented, and McClure called for a roll call vote.
Councilman Matthew Simpson said the stadium’s position in the city’s urban core and its potential to drive in sales tax revenue for the Springfield city government to operate make it a good purchase.
“I think $12 million as a package deal for the stadium, for the necessary parking, and for the resolution of the litigation involved in this is a very good deal and a good use of one-time funding for something that provides long-term benefits for the city,” Simpson said.
Hosmer previously spoke of the potential sales tax benefits Hammons Field and baseball offer in a previous interview with the Daily Citizen. His sticking point was the price of the parking lot and the specifics of Springfield’s $5.5 million deal with 946 East Trafficway LLC.
“We have other issues that those resources could be used for,” Hosmer said.
The parking lot holding company was incorporated in April 2019, and its chief officer is Atrium Holding Company attorney Brian Cameron, according to records from the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office.
Fallout from the death of John Q.
Hotelier and businessman John Q. Hammons built University Plaza and oversaw development of several other nearby properties in downtown Springfield, like Hammons Field and the Springfield Expo Center. He died at the age of 94 in 2013. The John Q. Hammons Trust then assumed control of his properties.
The John Q. Hammons trust’s largest creditor, JD Holdings, took ownership of many of the hotels Hammons built throughout his career. The JQH Trust held onto Hammons Field and an adjacent parking lot under the terms of its bankruptcy plan, with JD Holdings agreeing to cover operating expenses, much to the frustration of Springfield Cardinals executives.
The Revocable Trust of John Q. Hammons and its 75 subsidiary companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016.
In 2021, the Springfield Cardinals released a statement criticizing JD Holdings and Atrium Hospitality for increasing parking fees in its lots to $20, an “outrageous price” the team said gouges baseball fans.
Context for Springfield and Cardinals
McClure said the city’s purchase also opens the possibility of the stadium developing into a four seasons facility, capable of hosting non-baseball and non-sporting events.
“If the City Council formally approves these agreements for the purchase of the stadium, its doors will be open to the community hosting what we hope to become the type of signature events that you have come to appreciate and expect from the city of Springfield,” McClure said. “Movie nights, family-friendly activities, and a new and improved children’s play area, fireworks shows — the sky is the limit and it’s our responsibility to swing for the fences.”
On Feb. 1, Springfield Cardinals General Manager Dan Reiter said the pending stadium transaction is the second-most important event in the 18-year history of the club, with the most important event being the launch in 2005.
“We exist for two reasons,” Reiter said. “We exist to help the St. Louis Cardinals win their next world championship — any way possible, and we exist to make our community better.”
Matt Carpenter, Tommy Edman, Kolten Wong, Paul DeJong, Luke Voit, Dakota Hudson and the late Oscar Taveras are among the Springfield Cardinals who went on to make it in the major leagues. More than 6 million fans have attended Cardinals games in the past 18 years, according to Cardinals attendance records. Reiter said the Cardinals have also contributed $2.5 million to local charities and nonprofits.
“Yes, we love this community, and we feel the love back,” Reiter said. “We have to make people feel that we are worth it.”
The Cardinals are scheduled to play 69 home games in 2023.
