Overview
- The City of Vancouver has selected The Show Vancouver, led by developer Zack Ross, as its preferred partner and instructed staff to negotiate a memorandum of understanding to guide collaboration and start due diligence on potential ballpark sites.
- The Show Vancouver has retained stadium and design firms including Populous, CAA Icon and Gensler and partnered with BRS Sports, and it has won endorsements from local business and political leaders.
- Vancouver officials say The Show Vancouver will bear all costs and financial risks of preparing and advancing the Major League Baseball bid, but the group has not released a site, project cost estimates, financing plans, or projected economic impacts.
- Major League Baseball has not announced an expansion plan or timetable; commissioner Rob Manfred has previously said he hopes the league could grow to 32 teams before his planned 2029 retirement, but that hope is not a formal commitment.
- The bid would require a new ballpark because BC Place can no longer host baseball after its 2011 renovation and the city’s current professional team plays at the 6,500-seat Nat Bailey Stadium, so the MOU and site work will shape land use, transit and housing planning next steps.