The RDA board on Tuesday cleared the way for USA Climbing, the nonprofit that governs competitive climbing in the country, to build a new headquarters and national training center at 310 S. 500 West in the Rio Grande area.
The Redevelopment Agency has long Station Center In the Rio Grande area, we rely on USA Climbing (USAC) Project to provide firewood.
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300 S and 500 W, the former state-owned warehouse, are demolished. -
Rendered from the same angle at 300 S and 500 W -
Latest RDA Vision for the Rio Grande Region -
The RDA is willing to sponsor zoning changes to encourage more high-rise development in the area. From the RDA's latest vision document:
The agreement between USAC and the city includes a deeply discounted land lease and $7.3 million in construction costs, but has been delayed due to controversy within the climbing community.
The National Training Centre's revenue model involves selling memberships and day passes, which has angered local gym owners and drawn criticism from the entire national climbing community.
With the delays now resolved, RDA staff is now working diligently on getting the agreement approved by the Board and finalizing the terms with USAC.
During the briefing, staff clarified that it was only recently that RDA reviews of project operational estimates were incorporated into the contract.
That review has not yet taken place, but the board approved the term sheet by a 4-1 vote.
A small backlash
The lone dissenter, Darin Mano of District 5, questioned whether specific performance measures for activations and events were outlined in the agreement.
“This is a very important piece of land, and as a city we have a lot to offer and we have pretty high expectations in terms of revitalizing the area,” Mano said, “so it makes you wonder what would happen if the area wasn't revitalized.”
“What would happen if USA Climbing wasn't successful? What would success actually mean? Is it the number of visitors that come to the area or is it financial success?”
Staff responded that while visitor numbers and other activation data are difficult to measure, the agreement includes several steps the city can take if USAC doesn't live up to its commitments.
These include claims for breach of contract, termination of the ground lease, damages and injunctive relief.
Mano continued, “I said this because once a lease agreement is signed and a building is constructed, it is not possible to easily change the use of the property to a different purpose in the future.”
Project Manager Ashley Ogden noted that staff has made just one change to the term sheet since last month's briefing, adding a clause that “requires the RDA to look at USA Climbing's projected operational estimates and basically make sure they have a solid business plan, so that we don't end up in a situation, as you described, where we have a very single-purpose building on the site that we currently own.”
The cost of building the USAC National Training Center is estimated at $30 million, and the new main structure will be “approximately 65-75 feet tall and have a site area of approximately 45,000 square feet,” according to RDA documents.
RDA staff will be in discussions with USAC officials to finalize the agreement in the coming months. USAC's website states that the organization “hopes to break ground on the NTC in 2025 and have it completed in time to prepare athletes for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.”
Email Luke Garrott
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