Proposal leaves a feasible impression
Got anything on the calendar for April 2026?
If things go according to plan – and there’s a lot of planning to be done – you will be able to enjoy baseball – likely of the independent league variety – at the Louisiana State Fair Grounds.
Alongside Mayor Tom Arceneaux and District G Councilwoman Ursula Bowman, REV Entertainment President Sean Decker recently gave details – and showed artist renderings – of a proposed stadium and mixed-use development. The idea was first made public last October by then-Mayor Adrian Perkins. Some looked at the announcement as a late-inning pitch by Perkins to win re-election. Perkins didn’t make the runoff. Arceneaux took office last New Year’s Eve and kept the idea from going cold.
“The more we’ve looked at it, the more it gives me the impression it is feasible from REV’s aspect, Arceneaux said. “They have made a significant investment in planning. They’ve gone and found out where all the infrastructure is, and what needs to be done, and how roads need to be done.”
Phase One of the project would include a baseball stadium (with construction paid for by the city), a mixed-use development, and “possibly” a hotel, Decker said. Phase Two would consist of improvements to the State Fair of Louisiana and more “demand drivers to bring more folks to the fairgrounds,” like livestock events. Phase Three “is where we start to say, ‘OK, what is the next need? Do we need more hotel rooms? More commercial? Some residential? In our experience, usually, the market will tell us the biggest need in Phase Three.’”
Last Tuesday, the city was hopeful of receiving council approval to enter into a feasibility study agreement with Wisconsin-based Baker Tilly at a cost to the city of approximately $100,000. However, before a vote could take place, the request was pulled from the agenda. An administration spokesperson told 318 Forum the request will be re-submitted after go ing through the Request for Proposal process.
Then, there’s the issue of how the city will pay for the stadium, which Arceneaux said may cost $70-75 million. The mayor described that as a “Big Ask.”
“We hope that the project will largely be self-supporting,” Arceneaux said. “There will be some public dollars involved, but there will not be any general obligation bonds, and no increasing of property tax to finance it.”
With REV’s offices in Arlington, Texas, Decker—who used to umpire minor league games at old Fair Grounds Field—drives by the fairgrounds when traveling east.
“This is the front door of the city,” Decker said. “The opportunity to bring a catalyst for economic development at a place that something like 65,000
people drive by a day to do something that we think would be
transformational not only for the community, but for our business and
our company, is a really exciting opportunity.”
If the project becomes a reality, District G would be the immediate beneficiary.
“It’s not bad, but it needs to be revitalized – 100 percent,” Councilwoman Bowman said of her area. “It has gone down, but my goal is, Queensboro used to be a really nice, clean, quiet neighborhood. A family neighborhood. We’re going to bring the family back with sports.”
Baseball wasn’t popular in Shreveport until Fair Grounds Field opened in 1986. The stadium was the place to see and be seen, more for sitting in the beer garden and eating softserve ice cream out of miniature plastic batting helmets than for the game. That doesn’t deter Decker. In fact, that’s what he would like to see if baseball returns.
“People are looking for things to do and things that are fun,” Decker said. “We’re going to throw a great party, and a baseball game may break out. I don’t think long-term, people are going to remember the starting first baseman in 2026. That’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about creating an atmosphere — creating fun.”
To learn more about the proposed development, you may visit www.shreveportballpark.com.
