On Tuesday, the Shreveport City Council voted against a proposal that included a new arena for a New Orleans Pelicans NBA Gatorade League (G League) franchise.
Under a proposal pitched by mayor Ollie Taylor, Shreveport, LA would construct a 3,000-seat arena along Cross Bayou as part of a larger development plan. If the Pelicans selected Shreveport as the home city for its upcoming G League franchise, the team would play at the new arena.
Shreveport, one of the finalists to land a club that has been planned for a launch in the 2018-19 season, was considering whether to issue $30 million in public bonds for the project. On Tuesday, the city council conducted a resolution vote that could have moved that process forward, but ultimately the council rejected the resolution by a 6-0 margin. More from KTBS:
Tyler did not immediately say whether she will come back with a revised plan, although a handful of council members said more details might have helped things. Tyler said only that she would look for other opportunities.
Six council members voted against supporting the idea. Councilman Jerry Bowman left the chamber before the vote.
The resolution vote was a measure of support for the arena, which is contingent on Shreveport being selected as the site of an NBA minor-league franchise. It was not an authorization for the issuance of bonds that would obligate the city financially.
Along with Shreveport, Pensacola, FL has been the other city in the mix to lure the team. Officials there have had some previous discussions about a larger project that could include a new arena, but nothing has been finalized to this point. Pensacola does have an active venue in the form of the Pensacola Bay Center, which opened in 1985.
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