Ballpark needs council’s support

The News Virginian / News Virginian
Published: March 18, 2008

Since January 2007, Virginia has enticed large companies to expand or relocate here with more than $20 million in tax incentives, ranging from tax breaks to cash grants to job training, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. That has resulted in the creation of almost 3,000 jobs.

It also has provided an example of the public-private partnerships governments must pursue in order to compete effectively in today's economy. City leaders understand this, having brokered five years worth of tax breaks to get the Waynesboro Town Center built. The center has emerged as a retail mecca, pulling shoppers from Charlottesville to the east, Harrisonburg to the north and Staunton to the west.

A similar but more aggressive approach will be needed to revitalize the city's downtown. The effort could receive an extraordinary boost from the relocation of a minor league baseball team here to a $20-million, 4,000-seat ballpark envisioned by Charlottesville developer Jim Morris. To make it happen, Morris has said developers will need government to step to the plate with investment help, which could take the form of tax incentives.

The idea had been percolating behind closed doors for more than a year when Morris decided to allow word to filter out to The News Virginian. That, people close to the negotiations tell us, was inspired in part by a want of progress in advancing the project. Since we told you about the plans a month ago, there has been a disturbing silence in City Hall, where officials of late evidently have been more consumed with such tasks as deciding whether to use the government access channel for a City Council candidates forum.

Waiting for others to act on the ballpark project should not be considered an attractive option for local officials. Based in no small part on its unique location at the ends of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, our city offers a rich reservoir of untapped potential. Recognizing that does not require the prescience of a prophet, but it does require vision. If our city officials lack it, or simply fail to move on it, the minor league ballpark will slip into the category of opportunities missed.

We call on the City Council to take the lead in moving Morris' ballpark plan forward. If it fails, the people of our city deserve, at least, to know their elected leaders did their able best to put the ball in play.