Аренда нового стадиона Вирджинского университета отложена из-за спора с владельцами команды

With an agreement still not reached with the owners of the Flying Squirrels over Virginia Commonwealth University’s use of CarMax Park, the stadium’s landlord – the Richmond Economic Development Authority – has pushed back the start of VCU’s lease at the new stadium to allow more time for a meeting of the minds. At its board meeting last week, the EDA, which owns the ballpark and is leasing it separately to the Squirrels and VCU, amended its lease with the university to change its commencement date by four months, from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31. The delay gives more time for VCU and Navigators Baseball, the Squirrels’ parent company, to come to terms on a use and operating agreement that is needed before the Rams can start playing ball at CarMax Park. VCU’s lease, which the EDA finalized in May, is contingent on that agreement, which the lease amendment says has not been executed. “VCU still desires to lease from the EDA, and the EDA still desires to lease to VCU, the Leased Premises,” the amendment states, adding that VCU would have the right to use the ballpark’s common areas on certain dates for its baseball team’s games and practices. The setup would be similar to VCU’s use of The Diamond, which it shared with the Squirrels before the minor-league ballclub moved to CarMax Park. The Rams have continued to play and practice at The Diamond, which the EDA also owns, since the new ballpark opened in April. However, negotiations with the Navigators over VCU’s use of the new ballpark have been off and on since a ceremonial agreement signing that was held last October. Three months later, the Navigators said it was ending discussions with VCU over the operating agreement, leading city officials to contemplate entering into a separate agreement with VCU for use of the ballpark – a move that prompted legal threats from the Navigators. In March, EDA Director Angie Rodgers said talks between the Navigators and VCU were back on and that an agreement between them was anticipated. But six months later, an agreement still has yet to be signed. Over that time, friction between the parties has grown amid disputes over access to the ballpark’s main entrance and a defamation lawsuit brought by Lou DiBella, the Navigators’ managing partner, over statements stemming from a heated exchange at CarMax Park’s opening night with the developer leading the surrounding Diamond District project. Filed in May and amended in July, the lawsuit states that “DiBella and the Squirrels have no obligation to maintain the field and stadium and share MLB-used spaces with VCU,” adding that DiBella “has been clear that he currently does not intend to do so.” (Major League Baseball oversees minor-league venues like CarMax Park.) It isn’t clear whether negotiations between the parties are active. A Navigators spokesperson did not return an email seeking comment Tuesday, and in a statement, VCU Athletics Director Ed McLaughlin said: “We’re looking forward to working with all partners to complete the next steps of this important community project.” An EDA spokesperson said Wednesday that to the best of its knowledge the Squirrels and VCU are still talking but stressed that the EDA is not part of those conversations. She said logistics regarding VCU Baseball’s fall season and whether it would continue using The Diamond would depend on those talks. The lease amendment pushes back rent payments from VCU that the EDA plans to use, along with rent from the Navigators, to pay off $40 million in infrastructure bonds for the Diamond District’s initial phase. VCU’s lease calls for annual payments of $410,000 over 30 years, or over $12 million in total. Under its separate lease with the EDA that was signed in 2024, the Navigators are to pay $3.2 million annually for each of the first 10 years of its 30-year lease, with lower rents in subsequent years. The overall rent payment over the 30-year lease totals $66 million – said to be among the highest in Minor League Baseball. The Navigators’ first quarterly payment for this year was made to the EDA in June. Note: This story has been updated with input from the EDA received after publication.