Lexington Sporting Club looking at new location for soccer stadium that includes incentives

Lexington Sporting Club made Central Kentucky sports history on Saturday night, as well as a strong first impression.

LSC — the region’s newest professional sports franchise which plays in USL League One, the third tier of American men’s pro soccer — played its first home match in front of 3,029 fans at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown.

The crowd turnout was the fifth-largest announced attendance in the league this season, and each section of Toyota Stadium — which also hosts Georgetown College’s football, soccer and lacrosse teams — was mostly filled for LSC’s home debut.

LSC branding in distinct green color tones was prominently featured throughout the venue, and the stadium’s new, recently installed artificial turf surface held up well during LSC’s 0-0 draw with Forward Madison.

It was a solid start to LSC’s time at Toyota Stadium, which is being used for home matches while the club progresses toward building its own stadium and establishing a permanent home location. The game-day atmosphere on opening night matched what club officials told the Herald-Leader last month.

But as far as a full-time home stadium, Lexington Sporting Club ownership is non-committal about where a permanent site will be, despite getting initial approval for a stadium near Interstate 75 in Lexington.

In January, the Urban County Planning Commission voted to approve a zone change for a proposed 6,500-seat stadium and a training and medical complex for LSC at Athens Boonesboro Road.

The commission also approved a conditional use permit to allow for construction of the stadium.

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council will hold a public hearing April 25 and either accept or reject the commission’s recommendation for the zone change.

LSC considering Brannon Crossing for stadium, with state and local incentives

Lexington Sporting Club is also looking at a possible tax increment financing district in northern Jessamine County near Brannon Crossing, across the Fayette County line. Tax increment financing allows developers to receive some new taxes generated from the project to pay for infrastructure costs.

A public hearing on the proposal for property at 4615 Nicholasville Road was held Monday.

Nicholasville Mayor Alex Carter said the public hearing was just the first step in a long process. The city commission would have to approve the TIF district. A date for that discussion has not been set.

“We need to analyze all the information,” Carter said. Nicholasville has never had a tax increment financing district.

Fayette County no longer creates TIF districts due to concerns that TIF districts may not be producing the tax revenues projected at the time some were approved and the state’s decreased participation in TIF districts. Fayette County has nine TIF districts.

“We have requested more details on their economic impact analysis to the city,” Carter said.

According to the proposal provided by Lexington Sporting Club, a 5,000-seat proposed stadium, a 160-room hotel, a restaurant and retail complex and 360 apartments or townhouse units would cost $224 million. It would generate $356 million in state, local and school taxes over the next 30 years, according to an analysis paid for by Lexington Sporting Club.

The maximum amount in local tax dollars developers could get back or rebated for building roads, installing sewer and water lines and other public infrastructure is $52 million over 30 years. The total amount the group projects in state and local rebates is $327 million.

Those figures, however, have not been approved by Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development officials, who must sign off on all TIF districts. The majority of the $327 million in tax rebates is state tax money. Economic development officials do their own tax analysis when approving TIF projects.

In recent years, the state has dramatically scaled back the amount of tax rebates it gives to TIF districts.

Carter said the 146-acre site is not yet part of the Nicholasville city limits. For the project to move forward, the city would have to annex the area and approve the creation of the TIF district.

LSC non-committal about building on Athens Boonesboro Road

When speaking to the Herald-Leader last month, Lexington Sporting Club majority owner Bill Shively said he couldn’t commit to building a stadium at the previously proposed Athens Boonesboro Road location.

“It’s going to be difficult to build at Athens. It’s not a commitment right now that we can make,” the 72-year-old Shively said on March 7. “There are places that are extremely interested in having us. We’re in that position of now that we can have a place (Toyota Stadium) for two years, we can actually sort through that without rushing it.”

“I would expect within the next six months, we’ll have a firm commitment and be in a position to start the process.”

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said city officials have spoken with Shively in the past several months and want the stadium in Fayette County. Gorton said the city has already set aside $1 million to help with the youth sports complex. Gorton declined to go into any more detail about whether the city was willing to offer the professional soccer club additional money or incentives.

Lexington Sporting Club’s agreement with Georgetown College for the use of Toyota Stadium (which seats 5,000 people) was announced as a “multi-year partnership” by the club. Shively told the Herald-Leader that LSC structured a five-year deal with Georgetown for use of the facility.

“We could keep the training center there, and we may be there several years,” Shively said. “Stadium building is a bit of a process right now. I’m waiting for that slowdown, where the price of things comes down.”

LSC arrived at Athens Boonesboro Road as a potential location for a stadium after other possible locations, including in downtown Lexington and off Newtown Pike, never materialized.

“Obviously there were other locations I thought were better than Athens. ... I think that Newtown, this would have been a fantastic area for us. That was really my first choice,” Shively said.

One benefit for LSC that would come with moving forward with the Athens Boonesboro Road location for a stadium would be its proximity to the club’s new field complex.

LSC has a seven-field complex also located on Athens Boonesboro Road that it plans to have fully open by the end of spring.

“We’re constantly working on the stadium plans, and where we can put it, and how we can do it financially. We didn’t look for public support, but when it’s offered, you have to consider it,” Shively said. “We didn’t go out saying, ‘Hey, how much can you give us to build a stadium?’... If you look at all the USL teams, it seems to me every one of them has the support of the city, and has some financial assistance from the city. And that’s not necessarily money. It’s like tax breaks or things like that. So yeah, you have to consider that.”

“We continue to meet with Lexington. We continue to meet with other places,” Shively added. “Whatever it is, we want to do it right. And we want it to be someplace that you want to go and take your kids.”

Next match

South Georgia Tormenta FC at Lexington Sporting Club

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Toyota Stadium in Georgetown

TV: ESPN Plus (online only)