PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) The Pawtucket Red Sox officially ended their pursuit for a proposed baseball stadium, club officials said on Saturday, terminating a monthslong campaign to build on a piece of public waterfront land in downtown Providence.
The news of the dead deal came a day after House speaker Nicholas Mattiello said that negotiations between Rhode Island and the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox had stopped weeks ago.
In an emailed news release, PawSox officials said that Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo had determined the land unsuitable.
Larry Lucchino, PawSox chairman, said team officials believed the site was ''exceptional'' and that they ''tried hard to bring (the deal) to fruition.''
''We have received word the site still confronts certain obstacles and lacks the necessary support, and we have been urged to consider other possible sites,'' he said.
The proposal had faced strenuous public opposition from the start. The planned site along the Providence River was home to protests in recent months from stadium naysayers who wanted the land to be a public park, as originally slated. They were also opposed to using public money for the ballpark.
Additionally, the team's original proposal seeking $120 million in state subsidies spurred backlash.
The team had been meeting behind closed doors with state officials to renegotiate a deal.
But those negotiations stopped two weeks ago when it was disclosed that Brown University wanted $15 million for the 2.19-acre parcel it owns that was part of the anticipated ballpark area, according to Mattiello's spokesman.
Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza didn't immediately return a request for comment on the suspended deal.
Lucchino said the next move is for the PawSox to explore other options, including more alternative sites in Providence
