Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Center reached a proposed agreement on the future of Memorial Stadium, the Seattle Center venue that is the home field for Ballard High School football and soccer games, as well as other Seattle Public Schools events.

The agreement is part of the redevelopment of Memorial Stadium as called for in the Seattle Century 21 Master Plan, adopted by the Seattle City Council in 2008, and completes two years of negotiations.

The agreement, if accepted by the Seattle School Board and Seattle City Council, gives priority over a new athletic field to be constructed on the current stadium lot to Seattle Public Schools from just after Labor Day to just before Memorial Day and for June graduations.

The Seattle Center would get priority over the field for use as a concert venue the rest of the year.

The redevelopment of Memorial Stadium under the Seattle Center Century 21 Master Plan, an attempt to increase the openness of the Seattle Center and bring it inline with the environmental goals of the city, includes building the new athletic field to the east of the current stadium, where a parking lot is now.

Memorial Stadium would then be demolished and turned into an underground parking area with a grass-covered lid, expanding the adjacent International Fountain lawn by four acres.

Under the agreement, Seattle Public Schools, which owns the current stadium and adjacent parking lot, would be paid $2.5 million per year by the Seattle Center as rent for the new athletic field for 60 years.

The Seattle Center will construct and operate the facility as well as own the site of the new underground parking area.

The cost of the project is estimated at $206 million, according to the Seattle Center Century 21 Master Plan. Under the agreement, the city council and the school board would have six years to determine public and private funding for the project.

John Bowers, coach of the Ballard High School football team, said Memorial Stadium is already a nice facility.

There is a good view from the sheltered stands, no track around the field, the turf is good quality and everything in the locker rooms works, he said.

"It's not new by any means," Bowers said of the stadium built in 1948. "But, it still gives you what you need."

Under the Century 21 Master Plan, the approximate seating for the stadium will decrease from 12,000 to 5,000. Only half of the 5,000 seats will be sheltered from rain.

Seattle Public Schools spokesperson David Tucker said 5,000 seats more than meets attendance needs for school events at the stadium.

The loss of rain protection for half the seats has been a larger issue, and there has been discussion about potential resolutions for it, Tucker said.

But, the plan does preserve what Bowers said is the most important element of Memorial Stadium – its location.

Bowers, who is from Ohio. said people from Seattle who come watch the high school games at the stadium might take the location for granted.

"It's right below the Space Needle in the middle of the city," he said. "It's near everything you don't have in Ohio."

Bowers said playing at Memorial Stadium is the next best thing to being able to play at Ballard High School.

There are no currently no plans finalized for relocating the Seattle Public School sports teams that play at Memorial Stadium during construction, Tucker said.

If the city council and school board approve the proposed agreement, Seattle Public Schools will coordinate with the various sports teams to minimize the impact of losing Memorial Stadium for a period, he said.