BOSTON-The $665 million plan to build a new ballpark for the Red Sox here in the Fenway, right next to the old one is appearing less and less viable. As a result, bidders for the team, which has been up for sale for a number of months, are scrambling to find potential sites in other locations.
While it is unclear whether the winning Sox buyer needs to have a site for the team, it is becoming more and more probable that it will be the new owner who will most likely define where the new home for the Red Sox is. A number of potential owners–including developer Stephen Karp, Joseph O'Donnell, television producer Tom Werner and cable king Charles Dolan–have made their interest clear but the bids are not due for another three weeks so others can throw their hats into the ring by then.
One of the most likely potential bidders is developer Frank McCourt, who has been heavily promoting a ballpark on his swath of 25 acres on the waterfront here in South Boston. McCourt's proposal has been losing steam lately as city Mayor Thomas M. Menino opposes the idea of moving the ballpark there. Menino has been a staunch supporter of building the ballpark in the Fenway.
According to unconfirmed reports Karp and O'Donnell are looking into building a new ballpark at Suffolk Downs here in East Boston and Revere. O'Donnell has an ownership stake in the racetrack and Karp is reportedly about to acquire a 28-acre lot right near Suffolk Downs. Altogether, the over 200-acre area could accommodate additional development in addition to the waterfront but it is unclear what else O'Donnell and Karp would put there.
It is clear though that the current site being considered by Karp and O'Donnell would benefit from development. The 28-acre parcel is essentially a large parking lot with oil tanks at its borders. New roads would need to be built to accommodate a ballpark and new development but reportedly local politicians would gladly ask the state for infrastructure money.
Last summer, the state pledged $212 million infrastructure money to develop a new ballpark in the Fenway. That money does not automatically transfer if the team builds at another site.
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