It will cost $3.5 million to polish the Diamond — even though it's to be demolished

With the Richmond Flying Squirrels in Arizona for spring training and folks lining the streets to buy tickets during Nutzy’s Block Party, the city’s baseball season is winding up.

Soon, folks will fill the city-owned stadium and look on as the Squirrels load the bases. It is a feat made possible by a quiet vote on the Richmond City Council floor.

The council on Monday night approved a consent agenda item that provides $3.5 million for repairs at The Diamond, despite a new stadium being just two years away.

Contacted last week by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, no one in city government was willing to take ownership of the project, which the city said was mandated by Major League Baseball to bring the stadium up to league standards.

Third District Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert, the patron of the ordinance, declined to comment, referring all questions to the Richmond Economic Development Authority. The EDA could not be reached for comment.

Second District Councilwoman Katherine Jordan, whose district is home to the stadium, said she hopes the city can reuse as much of the funded materials as possible once the stadium is demolished.

The push for funding comes after the stadium failed to meet MLB inspection standards. City staff said minor league ballparks are subject to the same requirements as those in the major leagues.

Following a tour of the stadium in May, MLB cited numerous violations that must be fixed prior to opening day, which is on April 7 this year.

In order to be in compliance with league standards by next season, the city would need to build a second enclosed batting and hitting tunnel, renovate both locker rooms and make structural repairs to the roof, which was “found to have concrete spalling and cracking.”

The stadium is set to be replaced in the next two years as a part of the city’s Diamond District redevelopment project. According to permit requests, the batting and pitching tunnel construction will cost $1 million, and the locker room renovations will cost $700,000, with the rest of the remaining costs going toward structural repairs, including the much-maligned concrete supports.

The council first formally heard of the ordinance at its Feb. 13 meeting, in which it was introduced and referred to the Planning Commission.

On Feb. 21, the item came before the Planning Commission, which, following a presentation by city staff outlining the project’s needs, ultimately voted for approval. The City Council voted for approval the following week.

Jim Nolan, a spokesman for Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, said the city has been working with the Squirrels to ensure the team has somewhere to play ahead of the new stadium.

“We have been working for the last year with the Squirrels to address MLB requirements and are doing what is necessary to keep the Squirrels playing in the existing facility until a new facility is built,” Nolan stated in an email.

‘This is happening all over the country’

The stadium opened in April 1985 in a game between the Triple-A Richmond Braves and the Syracuse Chiefs. The Atlanta Braves, which owned the team, in 2000 began lobbying for improvements to the stadium. From 2000 to 2003, The Diamond’s reputation suffered in the aftermath of a rat infestation, and again when a football-size piece of concrete fell from a support beam into the stands during a game. No one was hurt.

The City Council was faced with an ultimatum on Monday: Hand over the money, or have the Squirrels sit out the season. The council opted to fund the project.

The need for repairs at The Diamond has long been evident, but the expense is curious coming so late in the ballpark’s life cycle.

For Todd “Parney” Parnell, team vice president and chief operating officer, the repairs are a necessity that came at a bad time — and Richmond is not the only city affected by the inspections.

In recent years, MLB took over minor league inspection to ensure an equal playing field. As a result, numerous stadiums are facing necessary repairs ahead of their season openers.

“This is happening all over the country. Facilities have to be up to code over a period of time,” Parnell said. “There’s a lot of facilities across the country that are having even more work done ... than The Diamond.”

While some of the needed repairs are structural, others, like the locker rooms, are being retrofitted to accommodate everyone, including women umpires and coaches.

While the renovations come with a cost, Parnell said it is an investment to carry the city to the 2025 new stadium launch — a feat made evident by ticket sales.

“They know that we have a new place on the horizon, but this is work that needed to be done in order for the facility to be where it needs to be,” Parnell said. “Our fans are excited for the 2023 season. They’re excited to see what we’re doing for the next couple of years until we can get a new ballpark.”

$2.4 billion development taking shape

A new baseball stadium is just one aspect of the anticipated 15-year, $2.4 billion mixed-use Diamond District project development.

Over the next two decades, the district will transform from its current post-industrial classification into various businesses, homes and other amenities, with the stadium sitting in the heart of the 67-acre plan that has been approved.

A 10,000-capacity stadium will replace the current stadium. It is anticipated to cost roughly $80 million, with construction expected to take about two years according to developers at RVA Diamond Partners.

Ryan McKinnon, a spokesman for the developer, said the project is still on track with a targeted stadium rebuild by 2025.

The stadium will sit on about seven of the 67 acres at the southwest corner of Arthur Ashe Boulevard and the railroad tracks.

Currently, the plan is to construct the new stadium next to the current stadium. Once the new stadium is built, the old one will be torn down, McKinnon said.

The opening will coincide with a 2025 deadline set by Major League Baseball to open a new facility in Richmond. MLB has left once before, when the Richmond Braves moved after a new stadium deal could not be completed in the early 2000s.

Randy Mobley, who was the Triple-A International League president when the team relocated, said: “If there were a facility that the Atlanta Braves and the International League found acceptable, we would never have left. Leaving Richmond had zero to do with the market. In our humble opinion, we think Richmond is a fine baseball market.”

With the plans for a new stadium and other growth in the district, adjacent business owners are hopeful for the future.

Vickie Hall, owner of the Stir Crazy Cafe, a coffee shop in the Bellevue neighborhood north of the site, said the project will create a lot of competition, which in turn will drive business growth.

“The Diamond District has been coming up here the past few years. As you know, there’s quite a lot of restaurants in this area that have closed. Hopefully, this development will revitalize the area,” Hall said. “The more business that comes here, the better it is for everybody.”

Fans praised the Squirrels for the cozy atmosphere that has become the trademark of minor league baseball, the ability to catch infield flies, the mascots and its ease of accessibility.

Diana Kennedy, who attended the Block Party event Saturday, said family members “absolutely love” the Squirrels, saying they get to as many games as possible.

Her son, Shane Paris-Kennedy, added, “We never miss a game.”