The city of Arlington and the Texas Rangers are partnering on a multimillion-dollar renovation of the outside of Choctaw Stadium.
The Arlington city council approved the project in a vote on Tuesday night, with the plan set to build a range of new shops and restaurants into the exterior of the ballpark.
In recent years, the Arlington Entertainment District has seen $3.9 billion in investment that has brought new ballparks, hotels and apartments to the area.
Right in the middle of it all is Choctaw Stadium, where fans used to spend their summers cheering on the Texas Rangers.
“Great games,” said Gigi Martinez. “It was super hot though, I’m actually glad that we switched up to the new one, to be honest.”
The team moved across the street to Globe Life Field in 2020.
But now, the Rangers and the city of Arlington are giving Choctaw a facelift.
“We’re coming in and repurposing this stadium so that people can continue to enjoy the stadium by enjoying restaurants, and retail, and everything like that,” said Arlington Mayor Jim Ross.
As part of the deal approved by the city, the Texas Rangers will build 6000 feet of commercial space into the stadium’s exterior, along with new hubs for the police and fire departments aimed at boosting public safety.
The city will put $4.2 million towards the project.
“When you bring that type of density to a community, you’ve got to have something else for them to do,” said Ross.
More to do is coming:
- In 2026, AT&T Stadium will host nine FIFA World Cup matches.
- Four years later, the stadium will bring in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four.
Tuesday’s decision will build at least 200 more parking spots and open the door for more parking construction, with the goal of helping the district prepare for events bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors in the coming years.
“It’s crazy but it’s exciting,” said Ross. “This is what we’re born to do, and I’ll argue there’s nobody that does it better than Arlington.”
Some Rangers fans felt the new development would also bring even more options for gameday.
“The World Cup is coming too,” said Martinez. “And we’re going to have a lot of people from all over the states and it’s going to be pretty awesome for this new thing coming up.”
NBC 5 reached out to the Rangers, who wouldn’t confirm how much the organization will be investing in the new development.
A spokesperson for the team said they expected construction in the area wouldn’t start until after the MLB All-Star Game that’s being held at Globe Life Field in July.
