Houston Astros Committed to Palm Beach Gardens Spring Training Facility

Posted by Dan Hauser

Updated on July 12th, 2013

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Published in Events & Entertainment

Photo courtesy of sportslogos.net

After visiting spring training locations in Arizona last week, officials with the Houston Astros have committed to trying to get a spring training facility built in Palm Beach Gardens.

“Our focus is making a deal in Palm Beach Gardens. We are not looking anywhere else,” said Giles Kibbe, the general counsel to Houston Astros owner Jim Crane.

The proposed spring training facility would be off of Central Boulevard on the north side of 117th Court North on an 82-acre piece of county owned land. The biggest variable in getting the stadium approved is the estimated $100 million cost to build the facility. The state would pay for half of the cost but the city and county would need to come up with the other $50 million.

The Astros have been holding their spring training in Kissimmee since 1985, but the team’s deal expires in 2016 and they want to move into Palm Beach County. With Astros owner Jim Crane already owning the Floridian Golf Club in Palm City, he is ready to move his team into the area and make South Florida his summer home.

The goal is to make it a two team facility and Palm Beach Gardens will look to attract the Toronto Blue Jays once their deal is up in Dunedin.