FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Feb. 26, 2016
Office of Sen. Robert Marshall
Contact: Patrick Jackson, (302) 744-404 or (302) 242-0036;
Jesse Chadderdon, (302) 744-4282 or (302) 743-0945
Office of Sen. Robert Marshall
Contact: Patrick Jackson, (302) 744-404 or (302) 242-0036;
Jesse Chadderdon, (302) 744-4282 or (302) 743-0945
Marshall seeks state scrutiny, approval
of Riverfront-Stadium land deals
With open real estate drying up on Wilmington’s riverfront, Sen. Robert Marshall believes state government should play a larger role in vetting proposed projects there.
While some private entities have commercial interests along the riverfront, much of the land there is managed by two quasi-state agencies – the Riverfront Development Corporation and the Delaware Stadium Corporation, which manages the grounds and parking lots adjacent to Frawley Stadium.
Marshall’s proposed legislation, Senate Bill 184, would require the sign-off of the General Assembly before any purchase, acquisition or project involving either the RDC or Delaware Stadium Corporation is finalized. The legislation is necessary to protect the state’s investment in the riverfront area and stadium, Marshall said.
“Since the ‘90s, Delaware taxpayers have invested millions of dollars in the future of the riverfront and the stadium,” Marshall said. “The General Assembly is, in essence, the state’s board of directors and we have a fiduciary duty to ensure any deal in that area is in the best interest of the state and the taxpayers.”
Earlier this week, various media reports indicated plans were in the works for two new riverfront hotels, but specific locations were not provided and no formal plans have been filed.
Of particular concern to Marshall is Frawley Stadium, which he views as an “important community asset that is one of Wilmington’s few options for affordable family entertainment.”
Home to the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the stadium also hosts high school games, as well as other events during the year. The stadium’s free public parking area beyond the outfield wall also is used to launch fireworks for Blue Rocks games and other entertainment events. As the riverfront has blossomed in recent years, the stadium and the parking lot outside the outfield wall have been eyed for different projects.
Marshall, who serves on the Delaware Stadium Corporation’s Board of Directors, says the state needs to review any proposed deal and give its blessing before an agreement can be made.
It’s unclear if any of the land operated by the Delaware Stadium Corporation is being considered for the proposed new hotels, but in October, Stadium Corporation’s board approved a pact that would give the RDC. Marshall did not support the agreement, and says it prompted him to introduce SB 184, which was filed in January, before lawmakers broke for a month of budget hearings.
“This is the same kind of protective action we took when the Diamond State Port Corporation was considering turning operational control of the Port of Wilmington over to a private operator,” Marshall said. “At that time, we thought the legislature needed to have oversight concerning the ownership and control of a facility in which we’d invested more than $200 million in valuable taxpayer dollars.”
Like the Stadium Corporation and RDC, the state created the DSPC to oversee development of the Port of Wilmington when the state took it over in the 1990s. In 2012, the port corporation considered ceding operational control of the facility to Houston-based Kinder Morgan, Inc. Led by Marshall, the General Assembly passed a bill requiring legislative approval before the deal could go forward and in the end, Kinder Morgan opted not to push ahead with the proposed arrangement.
Like the Port, Marshall said the stadium and surrounding Riverfront land are critical assets to protect.
“I would argue the stadium was one of our best investments,” Marshall said. “With it, we gave Wilmington an anchor for the Riverfront district as well as a place for safe, affordable family fun featuring free parking and great baseball as well as other events during the year. It’s a gem for the city and the state and we need to make sure its future is carefully nurtured and decisions concerning it are in everyone’s best interest.”
With open real estate drying up on Wilmington’s riverfront, Sen. Robert Marshall believes state government should play a larger role in vetting proposed projects there.
While some private entities have commercial interests along the riverfront, much of the land there is managed by two quasi-state agencies – the Riverfront Development Corporation and the Delaware Stadium Corporation, which manages the grounds and parking lots adjacent to Frawley Stadium.
Marshall’s proposed legislation, Senate Bill 184, would require the sign-off of the General Assembly before any purchase, acquisition or project involving either the RDC or Delaware Stadium Corporation is finalized. The legislation is necessary to protect the state’s investment in the riverfront area and stadium, Marshall said.
“Since the ‘90s, Delaware taxpayers have invested millions of dollars in the future of the riverfront and the stadium,” Marshall said. “The General Assembly is, in essence, the state’s board of directors and we have a fiduciary duty to ensure any deal in that area is in the best interest of the state and the taxpayers.”
Earlier this week, various media reports indicated plans were in the works for two new riverfront hotels, but specific locations were not provided and no formal plans have been filed.
Of particular concern to Marshall is Frawley Stadium, which he views as an “important community asset that is one of Wilmington’s few options for affordable family entertainment.”
Home to the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the stadium also hosts high school games, as well as other events during the year. The stadium’s free public parking area beyond the outfield wall also is used to launch fireworks for Blue Rocks games and other entertainment events. As the riverfront has blossomed in recent years, the stadium and the parking lot outside the outfield wall have been eyed for different projects.
Marshall, who serves on the Delaware Stadium Corporation’s Board of Directors, says the state needs to review any proposed deal and give its blessing before an agreement can be made.
It’s unclear if any of the land operated by the Delaware Stadium Corporation is being considered for the proposed new hotels, but in October, Stadium Corporation’s board approved a pact that would give the RDC. Marshall did not support the agreement, and says it prompted him to introduce SB 184, which was filed in January, before lawmakers broke for a month of budget hearings.
“This is the same kind of protective action we took when the Diamond State Port Corporation was considering turning operational control of the Port of Wilmington over to a private operator,” Marshall said. “At that time, we thought the legislature needed to have oversight concerning the ownership and control of a facility in which we’d invested more than $200 million in valuable taxpayer dollars.”
Like the Stadium Corporation and RDC, the state created the DSPC to oversee development of the Port of Wilmington when the state took it over in the 1990s. In 2012, the port corporation considered ceding operational control of the facility to Houston-based Kinder Morgan, Inc. Led by Marshall, the General Assembly passed a bill requiring legislative approval before the deal could go forward and in the end, Kinder Morgan opted not to push ahead with the proposed arrangement.
Like the Port, Marshall said the stadium and surrounding Riverfront land are critical assets to protect.
“I would argue the stadium was one of our best investments,” Marshall said. “With it, we gave Wilmington an anchor for the Riverfront district as well as a place for safe, affordable family fun featuring free parking and great baseball as well as other events during the year. It’s a gem for the city and the state and we need to make sure its future is carefully nurtured and decisions concerning it are in everyone’s best interest.”
While some private entities have commercial interests along the riverfront, much of the land there is managed by two quasi-state agencies – the Riverfront Development Corporation and the Delaware Stadium Corporation, which manages the grounds and parking lots adjacent to Frawley Stadium.
Marshall’s proposed legislation, Senate Bill 184, would require the sign-off of the General Assembly before any purchase, acquisition or project involving either the RDC or Delaware Stadium Corporation is finalized. The legislation is necessary to protect the state’s investment in the riverfront area and stadium, Marshall said.
“Since the ‘90s, Delaware taxpayers have invested millions of dollars in the future of the riverfront and the stadium,” Marshall said. “The General Assembly is, in essence, the state’s board of directors and we have a fiduciary duty to ensure any deal in that area is in the best interest of the state and the taxpayers.”
Earlier this week, various media reports indicated plans were in the works for two new riverfront hotels, but specific locations were not provided and no formal plans have been filed.
Of particular concern to Marshall is Frawley Stadium, which he views as an “important community asset that is one of Wilmington’s few options for affordable family entertainment.”
Home to the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the stadium also hosts high school games, as well as other events during the year. The stadium’s free public parking area beyond the outfield wall also is used to launch fireworks for Blue Rocks games and other entertainment events. As the riverfront has blossomed in recent years, the stadium and the parking lot outside the outfield wall have been eyed for different projects.
Marshall, who serves on the Delaware Stadium Corporation’s Board of Directors, says the state needs to review any proposed deal and give its blessing before an agreement can be made.
It’s unclear if any of the land operated by the Delaware Stadium Corporation is being considered for the proposed new hotels, but in October, Stadium Corporation’s board approved a pact that would give the RDC. Marshall did not support the agreement, and says it prompted him to introduce SB 184, which was filed in January, before lawmakers broke for a month of budget hearings.
“This is the same kind of protective action we took when the Diamond State Port Corporation was considering turning operational control of the Port of Wilmington over to a private operator,” Marshall said. “At that time, we thought the legislature needed to have oversight concerning the ownership and control of a facility in which we’d invested more than $200 million in valuable taxpayer dollars.”
Like the Stadium Corporation and RDC, the state created the DSPC to oversee development of the Port of Wilmington when the state took it over in the 1990s. In 2012, the port corporation considered ceding operational control of the facility to Houston-based Kinder Morgan, Inc. Led by Marshall, the General Assembly passed a bill requiring legislative approval before the deal could go forward and in the end, Kinder Morgan opted not to push ahead with the proposed arrangement.
Like the Port, Marshall said the stadium and surrounding Riverfront land are critical assets to protect.
“I would argue the stadium was one of our best investments,” Marshall said. “With it, we gave Wilmington an anchor for the Riverfront district as well as a place for safe, affordable family fun featuring free parking and great baseball as well as other events during the year. It’s a gem for the city and the state and we need to make sure its future is carefully nurtured and decisions concerning it are in everyone’s best interest.”
With open real estate drying up on Wilmington’s riverfront, Sen. Robert Marshall believes state government should play a larger role in vetting proposed projects there.
While some private entities have commercial interests along the riverfront, much of the land there is managed by two quasi-state agencies – the Riverfront Development Corporation and the Delaware Stadium Corporation, which manages the grounds and parking lots adjacent to Frawley Stadium.
Marshall’s proposed legislation, Senate Bill 184, would require the sign-off of the General Assembly before any purchase, acquisition or project involving either the RDC or Delaware Stadium Corporation is finalized. The legislation is necessary to protect the state’s investment in the riverfront area and stadium, Marshall said.
“Since the ‘90s, Delaware taxpayers have invested millions of dollars in the future of the riverfront and the stadium,” Marshall said. “The General Assembly is, in essence, the state’s board of directors and we have a fiduciary duty to ensure any deal in that area is in the best interest of the state and the taxpayers.”
Earlier this week, various media reports indicated plans were in the works for two new riverfront hotels, but specific locations were not provided and no formal plans have been filed.
Of particular concern to Marshall is Frawley Stadium, which he views as an “important community asset that is one of Wilmington’s few options for affordable family entertainment.”
Home to the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the stadium also hosts high school games, as well as other events during the year. The stadium’s free public parking area beyond the outfield wall also is used to launch fireworks for Blue Rocks games and other entertainment events. As the riverfront has blossomed in recent years, the stadium and the parking lot outside the outfield wall have been eyed for different projects.
Marshall, who serves on the Delaware Stadium Corporation’s Board of Directors, says the state needs to review any proposed deal and give its blessing before an agreement can be made.
It’s unclear if any of the land operated by the Delaware Stadium Corporation is being considered for the proposed new hotels, but in October, Stadium Corporation’s board approved a pact that would give the RDC. Marshall did not support the agreement, and says it prompted him to introduce SB 184, which was filed in January, before lawmakers broke for a month of budget hearings.
“This is the same kind of protective action we took when the Diamond State Port Corporation was considering turning operational control of the Port of Wilmington over to a private operator,” Marshall said. “At that time, we thought the legislature needed to have oversight concerning the ownership and control of a facility in which we’d invested more than $200 million in valuable taxpayer dollars.”
Like the Stadium Corporation and RDC, the state created the DSPC to oversee development of the Port of Wilmington when the state took it over in the 1990s. In 2012, the port corporation considered ceding operational control of the facility to Houston-based Kinder Morgan, Inc. Led by Marshall, the General Assembly passed a bill requiring legislative approval before the deal could go forward and in the end, Kinder Morgan opted not to push ahead with the proposed arrangement.
Like the Port, Marshall said the stadium and surrounding Riverfront land are critical assets to protect.
“I would argue the stadium was one of our best investments,” Marshall said. “With it, we gave Wilmington an anchor for the Riverfront district as well as a place for safe, affordable family fun featuring free parking and great baseball as well as other events during the year. It’s a gem for the city and the state and we need to make sure its future is carefully nurtured and decisions concerning it are in everyone’s best interest.”
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Press Contacts
Scott Goss
Communications Director
(302) 744-4180
scott.goss@delaware.gov
Dylan McDowell
Communications Assistant
(302) 744-4282
dylan.mcdowell@delaware.gov
Scott Goss
Communications Director
(302) 744-4180
scott.goss@delaware.gov
Dylan McDowell
Communications Assistant
(302) 744-4282
dylan.mcdowell@delaware.gov