On Friday afternoon, the Texas Rangers announced that they would be building a new $1 billion, retractable roof ballpark in the Dallas suburb of Arlington.
The announcement is a surprise for a few reasons. One, there has been no rumors or speculation that the baseball club was looking to build a new home. Two, the Rangers’ current stadium, Globe Life Park in Arlington, only opened in 1994.
The Star-Telegram reports that the $1 billion cost will be split equally between the city and the Rangers, and that the agreement will keep the team in Arlington until 2054. The tax dollars will come from a half-cent sales tax, a 2% hotel occupancy tax, and a 5% car rental tax. The proposal requires voter approval on November 8.
JUST IN: Early renderings of new Rangers ballpark https://t.co/Hu4mxd4Mn3 pic.twitter.com/taBfCz5HQt
— SportsDayDFW (@SportsDayDFW) May 20, 2016
The retractable roof and air conditioning system would be a game-changer for the players and fans. Temperatures in Arlington regularly reach the mid-90s and triple digits during the summer.
Construction on the new park could begin as soon as late 2017, and the rangers may move in before their lease at Globe Life Park expires in 2023.
This fall, construction will begin on the $200 million Texas Live! The seven-acre development will serve the current and proposed ballparks, and it will have 100,000 sf of restaurant, bar, and retail space, 35,000 sf of convention space, and a 300-bed luxury hotel.
Related Stories
| Sep 30, 2011
Design your own floor program
Program allows users to choose from a variety of flooring and line accent colors to create unique floor designs to complement any athletic facility.
| Sep 16, 2011
Largest solar installation completed at Redskins' football stadium
On game days, solar power can provide up to 20% of FedExField’s power.
| Sep 12, 2011
First phase of plan to revitalize Florida's Hialeah Park announced
This is the first project of a master plan developed to revive the historic racetrack.
| May 25, 2011
Olympic site spurs green building movement in UK
London's environmentally friendly 2012 Olympic venues are fuelling a green building movement in Britain.
| Apr 11, 2011
Wind turbines to generate power for new UNT football stadium
The University of North Texas has received a $2 million grant from the State Energy Conservation Office to install three wind turbines that will feed the electrical grid and provide power to UNT’s new football stadium.
| Apr 5, 2011
U.S. sports industry leads charge in meeting environmental challenges
The U.S. sports industry generates $414 billion annually. The amount of energy being consumed is not often thought of by fans when heading to the stadium or ballpark, but these stadiums, parks, and arenas use massive quantities of energy. Now sports leagues in North America are making a play to curb the waste and score environmental gains.
| Mar 25, 2011
Qatar World Cup may feature carbon-fiber ‘clouds’
Engineers at Qatar University’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering are busy developing what they believe could act as artificial “clouds,” man-made saucer-type structures suspended over a given soccer stadium, working to shield tens of thousands of spectators from suffocating summer temperatures that regularly top 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
| Mar 11, 2011
University of Oregon scores with new $227 million basketball arena
The University of Oregon’s Matthew Knight Arena opened January 13 with a men’s basketball game against USC where the Ducks beat the Trojans, 68-62. The $227 million arena, which replaces the school’s 84-year-old McArthur Court, has a seating bowl pitched at 36 degrees to replicate the close-to-the-action feel of the smaller arena it replaced, although this new one accommodates 12,364 fans.
