New Rangers Ballpark
 Construction site in 2017 | |
| Location | Arlington, Texas, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°44′50.5″N 97°5′3″W / 32.747361°N 97.08417°WCoordinates: 32°44′50.5″N 97°5′3″W / 32.747361°N 97.08417°W |
| Owner | City of Arlington |
| Operator | Texas Rangers |
| Capacity | 42,000[1] |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | August 2017 |
| Opened | April 2020 (expected) |
| Construction cost | $1 billion[2] |
| Architect | HKS, Inc.[1] |
| Tenants | |
| Texas Rangers (MLB) (2020–) planned | |
The New Rangers Ballpark is a proposed American baseball park that would be located in Arlington, Texas for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.[2]
On May 20, 2016, the Rangers announced that they would vacate Globe Life Park in Arlington for a stadium to be built in Arlington, Texas. The new stadium will be constructed in a public/private partnership and have a retractable roof.[3] The ballpark was approved on the following Election Day.[4] HKS, Inc. was announced as the architect on January 5, 2017.[1]
The Rangers cited hot weather as the reason fans don't attend games at Globe Life Park. The current ballpark is prone to high temperatures and rain delays and therefore the Rangers are proposing their new ballpark be constructed with a roof. If approved, the new ballpark would be constructed across the street just south of Globe Life Park. Unlike its predecessors, the new stadium's center-field will face northeast, instead of southeast.
In 2008, the NFL's Dallas Cowboys managed to move to a retractable roof stadium due to the frequent hot weather in the Metroplex. The venue opened in time for the 2009 season. [5]
The 3D renderings[6] and artwork of the new stadium show the design to be very similar to the looks and layout of Minute Maid Park, the Houston Astros' stadium. A new shopping mall, as well as two hotels, and a ballpark village are planned to go along with the new stadium. The plans to build the stadium have generated a mixed reaction. The new stadium will mean a more comfortable environment to watch baseball but will raise taxes. According to the Dallas Morning News, "The deal calls for the city to issue $500 million in bonds to help pay for the stadium. A half-cent of sales tax, 2 percent hotel occupancy tax and 5 percent car rental tax would pay off those bonds over an estimated 30 years. Voters also approved a ticket tax of up to 10 percent and parking tax of up to $3 at the new stadium. That money would be used for some of the Rangers' portion of the debt, which was criticized by the opposition campaign."[7]
| Preceded by Globe Life Park in Arlington |
Home of the Texas Rangers 2020– (tentative) |
Succeeded by N/A |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "Rangers tab HKS to design new ballpark". texasrangers.com. January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- 1 2 Mosier, Jeff (May 20, 2016). "Rangers new stadium plans unveiled; find out what it will cost and timeline for its construction". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ↑ "Rangers, Arlington announce new ballpark". MLB.com. May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Raise the roof: Rangers' new ballpark approved", MLB.com
- ↑ "Dallas Cowboys, Stadium Info", stadiumsofprofootball.com
- ↑ "Ballpark Renderings", Texas Live
- ↑ "10 things to know about the new Rangers ballpark, including where it will be and how much it will cost", Dallas News, retrieved August 28, 2016