AUSTIN, Texas -- Austin leaders set their eyes on one site for Major League Soccer after months of officially considering an array of parks and other city-owned properties.
Early Friday morning, the Austin City Council approved a resolution to explore the economic impact of building a MLS stadium on city-owned property near the Domain known as McKalla Place. The 23.5-acre site's been owned by the city since 1995.
"Finally settling on a place was the catalyst we needed," said Andrew Urban, an MLS fan and co-founder of MLS in Austin. Urban said bringing a team like Columbus Crew to Austin will be a boon to the local economy and the growing soccer community in Central Texas. A letter sent by the owners of the Columbus Crew earlier this month touted a $326 million direct impact over 25 years.
"In Columbus, a 15-year true economic study showed $384 million of economic impact to the Columbus area over that time," Urban said. "Those are real numbers."
While the Council is united in exploring soccer's economic impact, not all 11 members appear ready to green light the move. Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo expressed a desire to explore other options for McKalla Place, including the development of affordable housing.
District 10 Council Member Alison Alter reached out to a Stanford economics professor, who said in a letter to her this week the Columbus Crew letter leaves out important factors.
MORE | Stanford Professor on Economic Impact
"These issues are the financial costs to the City for accommodating the stadium and its operations, the opportunity cost of dedicating the site to a MLS stadium, and the extent to which the plans for the stadium can be integrated into the development plans for the surrounding area," Professor Emeritus Roger Noll said.
FC Dallas is one of the original MLS franchises founded in 1995. Marketing Director Gina Miller said the MLS team brought a $136 million impact to Frisco in 2016 alone, according to an annual study the team assembles with help from Baylor University.
"We have so many different areas of our industry with the football, with the concerts, with the youth camps that we run here during the summer and over the course of spring break," she said.
Toyota Stadium opened in 2005, and the complex includes 18 fields for youth soccer and other events. The stadium also hosts football games and concerts.
Similar to McKalla Place's proximity to the Domain, Toyota Stadium is near a vibrant commercial district, Miller said, surrounded by places for fans to visit before and after matches.
"They can walk to a dining destination, an entertainment venue," Miller said.
On top of passing economic muster with Austin leaders, Columbus Crew must resolve a lawsuit brought by the State of Ohio. The Buckeye State said it's illegal for the team to leave without finding a local buyer first.