Arizona Cardinals Get New Stadium in Tempe

P H O E N I X, Feb. 13, 2001 -- 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.

Tale of Two Cities

The Cardinals, at a news conference last Thursday, even promisedto pitch in another $18 million to help pay for the 88-year leaseof the Tempe site, though the team also said it could work with thewest side if need be.

Tempe's supporters touted the city's experience staging bigevents and the proximity to the resorts and entertainment centersof Tempe and Scottsdale.

West side backers, including a majority of Phoenix City Councilmembers and a coalition of 11 cities and towns, said their site wasthe best because the land was ready for development now, had plentyof room for parking and tailgating, and would be owned by theauthority.

It was time, they said, for a long-neglected section of thebooming city to get its fair share of the tourism and sportsbusiness.

Critics cited the absence of hotels and restaurants near thewest side site. Backers said those developments would come if thestadium were built.

In the days leading up to the vote, there were threats of legalaction and accusations of unfair favoritism by the Cardinals.

Lawmakers asked state attorney general Janet Napolitano to ruleon whether the law authorizing the stadium requires the authorityto own the land.

Napolitano sidestepped the issue on Monday by saying theauthority should make that determination.

Meanwhile, Boston real estate consultant William Steinberg, aformer Phoenix area developer the authority hired to assess eachsite's potential for attracting commercial projects and regionaland national events, said Tempe offered a clear advantage, thoughthe west side site would work.

Stadium to Open in 2004

The stadium, with a retractable roof and natural grass fieldthat would slide out of the structure when not in use, is to openfor the 2004 season.

It was authorized by voters in Maricopa County last November 52percent to 48 percent. Virtually all of the public money will comefrom a hotel-motel tax and a surcharge of rental cars.

The Cardinals, an original NFL member with a long history ofmediocrity or worse, have played at Sun Devil Stadium on theArizona State campus since moving from St. Louis 13 years ago.

Although no threats were made, there was a widespread beliefthat the team would have been headed out of town if the stadiumvote failed.