Arizona Cardinals Get New Stadium in Tempe

P H O E N I X, Feb. 13 -- The new stadium for the Arizona Cardinals will bebuilt in Tempe, just a mile from where the team now plays.

The Arizona Tourism and Sports Authority voted 7-2 today tochoose the Tempe site over an undeveloped tract of land in suburbanwest Phoenix.

Backers cited Tempe's experience in handling big events and alocation close to hotels, restaurants and resorts. Those amenitieswould make it easier to use the stadium for things other thanfootball games.

"If it was just a football stadium I would definitely go forthe west side," board member C.A. Howlett said. "But with themultipurpose factor I just couldn't get past those obstacles forthe west side."

Dissenter Says Public Favored Phoenix Site

Board member Rod Williams, one of the two dissenters, detailed along list of concerns about the Tempe site, including questionableparking and the leasing of the land where the stadium will bebuilt.

He also said polls showed Maricopa County citizens heavilyfavored the west side site.

"The people of Maricopa county should be listened to,"Williams said. "They should be reckoned with."

The stadium cost has risen from $331 million to $334 millionwith Tempe promising the extra $3 million to cover costs associatedwith a bedrock problem at the site.

The nine-member Arizona Tourism and Sports Authority hadnarrowed the field from five candidates to the two finalists:

Land in Tempe, near Papago Park and just a mile from Sun DevilStadium, where the Cardinals now play.

And a vast tract of undeveloped land at the junction of twofreeways in suburban west Phoenix. The Avondale City Councilendorsed this choice on Monday.

The Tempe site, to be leased from the Salt River Projectutility, was endorsed by the Cardinals, the Fiesta Bowl and thehotel and tourism industry, a triple-whammy that left the west sidebackers angry. The Tempe City Council gave its endorsement onMonday, and a consultant hired by the authority recommended thesite as well.