The Arizona Diamondbacks’ lease at Chase Field expires in 2027, and with the 2025 calendar year just around the corner, Derrick Hall said Tuesday he sees an urgency to join forces with local politicians to fund renovations to the downtown Phoenix stadium.
“Unfortunately, we are not much further ahead than before,” said the CEO and President of the D-backs KTAR News 92.3 FM The Mike Broomhead Show“I don’t know who is being blamed. It’s being blamed on us, on our partners. But there just hasn’t been much urgency. I think when we look at the calendar, we realize that it takes a lot more.”
To recap, the D-backs have agreed on a plan to finance an estimated $400-500 million upgrade to the interior of county-owned Chase Field. The building has struggled with issues recently, from the roof to the cooling system. While the team has been open about those problems, owner Ken Kendrick and Hall have remained adamant about pursuing a solution to stay in the club’s original stadium.
To finance the renovations, the Diamondbacks plan to follow a similar path to the Arizona Cardinals, who put forward a proposal before building what is now State Farm Stadium that would create a revenue stream through reclaimed revenue and stadium sales taxes. Some of that money would go toward potential upgrades and maintenance at their home stadium in Glendale.
“You collect income tax, you collect sales tax. Everything that is generated from football and other events there then goes back into the building – not all of it – but the majority of it goes back into the building so it can be renovated,” Hall said Tuesday. “That makes sense for us.”
“If we can put some of the sales tax that we generate for the state, county and city back into the stadium – not into the D-backs, not into our operations – but just every year for the renovation so we have that funding pipeline, then that makes the most sense. And that’s what most communities do for their stadiums.”
Now the D-backs’ plan will likely need help in the state’s next legislative session, which begins shortly after the start of 2025, Hall said.
Hall makes it clear how urgently he is looking for a solution, but remains confident that the Diamondbacks will stay at Chase Field.
“I don’t think it’s a particularly uphill battle. You never know. It seems like we have the support we need,” Hall said. “When we talk privately to people who work in government in any of the three municipalities (Phoenix, Maricopa County and Arizona), they all seem to get it.”
“There are already precedents. This is what is happening at the NFL stadium, on the ground… We have support from all business leaders and organizations.”
Who is supporting the D-backs in their quest for a new source of revenue through the renovation of Chase Field?
The Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Greater Phoenix Leadership, Greater Phoenix Economic Council and Downtown Phoenix Inc. have informed Hall that they support the MLB club’s efforts to remain at its current location, he said.
There were disagreements between the county and the team in the past that led to Arizona considering moving out of downtown Phoenix, but today they are in a better position.
Regardless, Maricopa County does not have the financial resources to assist with renovations, as the city of Phoenix did in 2019 to modernize the Phoenix Suns’ Footprint Center.
The Suns needed a City Council vote to approve a $230 million facelift. Phoenix paid for $150 million of the project, and the team, under then-owner Robert Sarver, covered the rest.
More recently, the Arizona Coyotes were unable to find a home stadium before the franchise relocated to Utah.
The Coyotes failed to secure an arena in Tempe due to the citizens’ inability to do so. Then the NHL franchise tried to buy land in Phoenix, but lacked government support.
Hall believes the Diamondbacks have a good chance of staying at Chase Field with a different plan. Lease negotiations with the county are ongoing if the issue isn’t resolved soon, but the D-backs hope that will finally give some movement to their renovation plans, which begin in early 2025.
“I think there is a desire now to make sure we get it right,” Hall said.
