2007 domed stadium proposal

The idea of constructing a Domed stadium in Birmingham has been discussed for decades.

The Metropolitan Area Projects Strategy campaign of 1998 contained, among its numerous project, a proposal for a "multi-purpose convention and entertainment facility", which was projected to cost under $300 million. The overall package of capital projects, to be funded by a 1-cent increase in sales taxes as well as larger increases in lodging taxes, was put to a referendum of all Jefferson County voters. Opponents of the plan, notably the group known as "RAPS" (for "Real Accountability, Progress, and Solutions"), promised an alternative means of funding the same slate of projects. The vote had a high turnout and the plan was defeated by a margin of 57 to 43 percent, with "no" votes coming primarily from outside Birmingham proper. The "RAPS" group never produced any alternative schemes. Despite the other aspects of the MAPS plan and the rhetoric of both sides in the debate, the vote has been commonly viewed as a referendum on a publicly-funded domed stadium.

Proponents of building a dome regained steam over the next decade. The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Authority considered a covered multi-purpose event facility central to their long-range expansion plans. A multi-purpose facility adjacent to the BJCC was incorporated into the City Center Master Plan, presented in 2003 and efforts continued to secure commitments of funding from the City of Birmingham, Jefferson County, and the State of Alabama.

The city agreed to the request, but the county, reeling from a sewer construction scandal, increasing debts, and uncertainty about the future of the occupational tax, would not commit. Governor Bob Riley said the State's support would only be given once local leaders presented a unified plan. The BJCC decided to explore alternatives while and to focus on the development of an entertainment district on the land they had already purchased.

The debate over domed stadium plans continued in the run-up to the 2006 elections. Once again, suburban voters made a stand, putting a new Republican majority on the commission which promised greater fiscal responsibility and specifically rejected the notion of lending their support to having a domed stadium as part of any expansion to the BJCC. Other locations for a stadium were floated, including a former limestone quarry in Alabaster (reviving a 1995 proposal) and another undeveloped site in Forestadale. Birmingham City Council president Carole Smitherman called for designing a fabric roof over Legion Field as a cheaper alternative.

Meeting in Salt Lake City in February 2007 the BJCC authority, including Birmingham mayor Bernard Kincaid and Jefferson County Commission president Bettye Fine Collins, voted unanimously to pursue a $505.5 million expansion, including $380 million for a 40,000 seat arena which could be used to provide 175,000 square feet of exhibition space. For a time it appeared as if the smaller stadium proposal enjoyed broad support, but criticisms sprung up regarding its inability to house potential tenants such as the Magic City Classic (or a possible NFL team). Conflicting reports of private backing came and went, with State Representative John Rogers and County Commissioner Larry Langford periodically stating that a full-scale dome in one or another location, built with private money, was a "done deal."

The dome remained a hot topic during the 2007 Birmingham mayoral election. All nine candidates expressed some support for building a dome, or at least for putting it to another referendum. In a forum in Smithfield, candidates addressed a question about the future of Legion Field. William Bell said he hoped to build a domed stadium in its place. Larry Langford proposed turning into a park like New York's Flushing Meadows and building a new stadium at Fair Park. As Langford's status as a front-runner emerged, he promised to make building a dome a priority for his administration and that he would propose a way to pay for it without help from the state or county within his first 30 days in office.

Once he was sworn-in, Langford needed only a few days to prepare a 1-page summary of a plan to pay for a domed stadium and other projects. His Birmingham Economic and Community Revitalization Ordinance called for a 1-cent increase in local sales tax and a doubling of business license fees. The revenue from increases in business licenses would provide, according to the proposal, enough to fund a $500 million bond issue for a "Dome Stadium". In a meeting of Operation New Birmingham he stated, despite earlier hedging on the location, that the downtown site was the only real choice. The City Council has indicated general support for the mayor's slate of projects, but plans to review more detailed proposals and listen to public input before taking a vote.

More details about the most-recently-proposed dome were released in late November.

References

• Chandler, Kim and Stan Diel (November 25, 2007) "Langford's dome plan takes form." Birmingham News.