Sports

Irwin Kishner, co-chair of Herrick's Sports Law Group, was quoted in Construction Dive and Order on the Court, in articles discussing both the community considerations and the potential obstacles faced in building sports arenas and how these projects best serve the local communities. As Kishner noted in the article, there is always some form of pushback against large sports complexes, whether environmental or fiscal. This includes potential legislation encouraging or mandating reduction of the environmental impact by sports venues. Ultimately, the environmental regulations may not present a hurdle for many organizations given that sports arenas have expanded "environmentally minded efforts."  

"It's a fairly hot issue," Kishner stated. "Are you properly utilizing public resources in a manner that most benefits the community, or could the dollars being spent be better utilized towards putting up a school or hospital or community center? Everybody has their idea as to what's the best and highest use for a particular site, so there are always issues." Kishner added, though, that there is usually a fairly rigorous zoning approval process for these projects.

"While it sounds, emotionally, like a very compelling issue, you have to think that some very smart and involved people thought through a lot of that," he said. There may be some level of initial resistance often resulting from "a diversity of opinions about the project."