Pate Hires Firm To Study Proposed Sportsplex At McFarland Mall

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa businessman and property owner Stan Pate announced an important update Wednesday in his push to bring a sportsplex facility to the site of the McFarland Mall, which is currently being demolished.

Click here to subscribe to our daily email newsletters and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices for free. You can also support local journalism by donating as little as $5 a month to become a supporting member or by downloading our free Patch mobile app.

Pate and Amason & Associates, Inc. have hired Sports Facilities Advisory (SFA) to begin a market study to determine the specific aspects of the future mixed-use, multi-sport, and events facility.

SFA is the planning arm of Sports Facilities Companies, which focuses on providing consultation for recreation, wellness, and entertainment consultants. The organization offers planning, development, and management services for community-focused facilities.

"The engagement of SFA is the first step on a tall ladder as we climb to the top rung to reach our goal: the best sportsplex in the country," Pate said. "If you want to achieve the best, you work
with the best. Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is
success. As in sports, this project is a team effort, and SFA is the newest member of the team.”

District 7 Councilor Sonya McKinstry represents part of the district that includes the McFarland Mall and has been publicly aligned with Pate in his push to redevelop the derelict property.

McKinstry has said on numerous occasions that revamping the property to promote sports tourism would be a game-changer for the area, going as far to propose tax abatements for certain businesses in a one-mile radius of exit 73 at McFarland Boulevard.

She present her proposal - dubbed "Invest 73" in November, but no action was ever taken by the Tuscaloosa City Council's Finance Committee.

"The potential and the need that's available in other areas has to shift its way here," McKinstry said on Nov. 17. "If we don't begin to make investments in these areas with such incentives, then it's going to stay in the dismay it's in. This is not a thrown-together proposal, these things have been sought out."

Sports Facilities Companies Principal Evan Eleff said he and his team had already started their work engaging with key members of the community and stakeholder groups, with the scope of their involvement in the project scheduled to be completed in March.

“This is the first step in determining the specifics for a new sports and entertainment complex in Tuscaloosa," he said. "This is a great destination. Stan Pate and his team’s vision of developing a complex that is differentiated from other facilities across the state and nation puts this project on the best path for success.”

Follow Patch here for updates or on Facebook and Twitter. You can also download the Patch mobile app, free for Apple and Android mobile devices.