Casa Grande makes play for Dbacks/Rockies

[HooverDam]

From: http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2009/02/02/daily22.html?surround=etf

Casa Grande makes play for Cactus League's Diamondbacks, Rockies
Phoenix Business Journal - by Chris Casacchia

Casa Grande is making a play to land a spring training baseball team, and the far southeastern Phoenix suburb is eyeing the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

The Casa Grand City Council on Monday night unanimously approved a motion to place a referendum on the May 19 general election ballot, asking voters to approve a sales tax increase of nearly 1 percent to bring Pinal County’s largest city a baseball team –– or possibly two.

“It’s no secret the Diamondbacks and the Rockies are in play right now,” said a source close to the situation. However, up to this point, “no one has put a funding source in play.”

The D-backs and Rockies both play in Tucson. The Chicago White Sox have shared Tucson Electric Field with the D-backs since 1998, but paid Pima County $5 million last year to break its lease and move into a new stadium this month with the Los Angeles Dodgers on the Glendale-Phoenix border.

The tax revenue would be used to fund a parks and recreation complex anchored by a 10,000-seat publicly owned spring training stadium and practice fields that could be used throughout the year for youth sports, concerts, special events, community festivals and exhibitions.

If approved by voters in May, the bonds would be sold for up to 30 years. The tax would not be implemented or bonds sold without the City Council approving an agreement with at least one franchise.

If the D-Backs or the Rockies leave Tucson, it would be a crucial blow to that market, and possibly end its ties to the Cactus League, which continues to outgrow Florida’s Grapefruit League in a number of economic categories.

“We want Major League Baseball and Casa Grande citizens to know that we intend to be a spring training home whether that involves National League West teams, or other teams,” said Bill Bridwell, co-founder of the Los Caballeros, a group of prominent businessmen who have lobbied to bring spring training to Casa Grande.

The parks and recreation measure, if passed by Casa Grande voters, would not take effect until at least one Major League Baseball team signed a long-term agreement with city officials. If a deal isn’t reached in 10 years, the measure would expire.

Depending on ultimate site selection, privately funded commercial development likely would surround the spring training complex, ballfields and parks and recreation facilities.

A similar type of authorization was instrumental in helping Glendale land the Phoenix Coyotes and Goodyear securing a stadium.

In March, the Goodyear City Council approved an agreement to build a Cactus League stadium for the Cleveland Indians and a retail center on 240 acres on Estrella Parkway near Yuma Road. Goodyear and the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority are expected to split the cost of the $75 million development with voters approving $10 million in bonds to help finance the project.

A month later, the Cincinnati Reds announced they would leave Sarasota, Fla., to join the Indians in Goodyear in 2010.

I suppose I'd be OK w/ this, Casa Grande is closer than Tucson, so thats convenient for us in the Valley. I wonder if they'd consider building the facility on the site of Francisco Grande, it already has a large hotel there and it would be cool to bring back that history.

However, I'd much rather see both the D'backs and Rockies move even closer to the Valley. I'd love to see either (or both) teams on the Pima Indian reservation, as it wouldn't affect Maricopa County Tax payers but they'd still be in a close proximity. Either near one of the casinos to create sort of of an entertainment district, or on the SE corner of Hayden and McKellips so it could be super centrally located.

I also think if Chandler was smart they'd look into rehabbing Compadre Stadium (I believe its still standing, I haven't been out that way in forever) and trying to attract a team. The SE Valley in general seems underserved by Cactus league facilities with HoHoKam being their only one. Im surprised Gilbert, Apache Junction, Queen Creek, or Mesa in its Eastern area (perhaps near ASU Poly) wouldn't be trying to make a move for a stadium/teams.

Finally Im going to quit rambling now by saying, I really hope the Cactus league is doing whatever it can to try to get the St Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros to move here. They're the only teams west of the Mississippi that don't play here and they seem like natural fits. They both have more rival teams that play here and would be very popular in the Valley.

 

[Shzm13]

Whats there to do in casa grande again?

Outlets?

 

[Mulli]

Whats there to do in casa grande again?

Outlets?

Dairy Queen?

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

This would be a complete disaster. Why not just move it to Florence by the prison? Or Eloy by the mobile home parks? For all it's flaws at least Tucson has good hotels, restaurants, golf courses, etc. Casa Grande and other towns like it are basically doomed right now with no chance of creating or supporting the infrastructure the DBacks would need, you'd run into worse problems building a stadium there than the DBacks did allowing TEP to be built by a mental hospital in South Tucson.

Casa Grande is convenient for those of us in the Valley. That's a good one.

 

[HooverDam]

Casa Grande is convenient for those of us in the Valley. That's a good one.

Huh? How is it not more convenient than Tucson? Like I said, I don't want it to go in Casa Grande, I'd rather it be on Indian land, Scottsdale, Apache Junction, East Mesa, Chandler, Queen Creek, Gilbert, etc. But how is it not more convenient than Tucson? According to Google Maps its a 45 minute drive (1 hour in traffic) from my place in Tempe to Casa Grande. Tucson is an 1h 45m drive. Going down to a game in Tucson usually meant having to spend the night for many Valley residents.

But either way, I do agree with your other points, Case Grande is closer but not close enough.

 

[Dback Jon]

25 minutes from Chandler to Casa Grande - a hell of a lot closer than the west valley areas.

I wish the EV had more than two teams - it sucks.

Compadre Stadium is gone, now recreational fields.

 

[BC867]

Whats there to do in casa grande again?

Outlets?

Hop the I-8 for a short 6-hour drive to Sandy Eggo. (That's with a lunch stop in Yuma.)

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

If you put the DBacks stadium in Casa Grande you're going to run into the exact same issue they are having now in Tucson. Nobody wants to watch a game (and therefore teams who need ticket revenues do not want their teams to play) in a crappy part of town without nearby infrastructure in a poorly maintained facility when they can wait a day and see the same team play in Scottsdale, Peoria, Tempe, or wherever. CG is a hole right now, infinitely worse than the city of Tucson as a whole and is only going to get worse with the housing market. The DBacks will be in the same scenario they are in now somewhere around 2020 if they allow the CG thing to go through.

 

[Ryanwb]

The problem with Casa Grande is the exit points. The I-10 is crowded as it is with Casino, Race track and Maricopa traffic. You could take the scary way through Florence if you live on the Eastside.

I just don't see it as a viable option, the same with the Fort McDowell people for simular reasons

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Its real tough to see that people would be willing to flock to Casa Grande of all places just for spring training. I'm still hopeful that the east valley winds up with another team as they're really underrepresented considering how many people live in the area. Maybe somewhere in Gilbert or Queen Creek would be nice, but the kind of money needed to be put up for a stadium is obviously hard to come by right now.

 

[Hazzard29]

As was mentioned already, Casa Grande would have just as many, if not more, attendence problems than Tucson did. CG doesnt have the population to support the Cactus League, not to mention the hotels needed to support out of town fans that may travel down from Denver. CG is still too far out to drive when you could just wait a couple days for the Dbacks to play in Phx, Tempe, or one of the WV cities. As inconvienant as Tucson is from Phx, there are still far more Tucson residents going to games than there would be CG residents supporting a team there.

Bring the Cactus League to Gilbert!

 

[Lefty]

Looks like Marana is making a play.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/286612.php

 

[Dback Jon]

Might as well stay in Tucson vs marana - which is just a suburb.

 

[Ryanwb]

Mesa should call the Cubs bluff and offer up Hohokam Park to the D'backs. The Diamondbacks always are a huge in town draw.

Tucson is just not a viable option, the teams do not like driving down there to play games any more than the people want to drive down there.