How could this NOT go wrong?The city of Mesa revealed their proposal to keep the Cubs in Arizona yesterday. The plan goes to a vote on Monday. (Does anything good ever happen on Monday?)
The new stadium would seat about 15,000 and the overall facility would cost up to $84 million, according to the agreement. The Cubs would pay anything that exceeded that.
The team’s five-member board of directors meets this weekend but the Cubs told Mesa they will make the decision only after the Monday vote, Brady said.
The decision would give Mesa exclusive negotiating rights while a more formal deal is worked out. Also, the legislature must approve a bill to direct tourism taxes to the new facility and Mesa voters would need to approve elements of the deal.
The key to the deal that is if the Cubs agree, Mesa would be given "exclusive negotiating rights," effectively ending negotiations with Naples.
Here are the details:
An $84 million plan unveiled Thursday to keep the Chicago Cubs in Mesa includes:
• Stadium
• 13,500 to 15,000 seats
• Team facilities
• 50,000-square-foot clubhouse, with state-of-the-art training/offices/meeting facilities
• At least two Major League-sized practice fields
• At least one practice infield
•Agility field
• At least 16 batting tunnels
• At least 16 pitching mounds
• Temporary living spaces
• Team/public facilities
• Four full-sized practice fields
• Major League-quality lighting
Other highlights:
• Complex would be on at least 100 acres; site unknown
• Up to 4,000 parking spaces (up to 3,500 provided by Mesa)
• Mesa owns stadium
• Cubs control facility operations and development of “Wrigleyville West” commercial village
• Cubs get exclusive naming rights and advertising revenue
Financing:
• State and city bonds; amounts and terms not disclosed
Key hurdles:
• City Council vote - Monday
• State legislation - this session
• Citywide bond election - expected in November
Dave Kaplan, Bruce Levine, and the Tribune are all reporting that the deal is basically done. But wait, notice that the part about where the money will come from is not disclosed. If you live IL, think of your state's budget problems and then realize that AZ is in the same amount of debt as you guys. While the Cubs bring a projected $50 million worth of business state-wide in just a month's worth of time, Arizona citizens are notorious for not voting to increase taxes. Just too many old people more worried about their bridge games than wanting to keep the economy alive. This could be the major hurdle that kicks the Cubs out of the Cactus League and to Florida, where they seem more than willing to throw any amount of money the Cubs way. That being said, a promised $84 million dollars is a pretty sweet if the money can be found.
So don't get your hopes up too high, the deal is close, but just as it took the Ricketts WAY more time to get the financial hurdles of purchasing the Cubs finalized, it might be a while before it's certain that the Cubs will indeed stay in Mesa.
Stay tuned, and stay classy Cubs fans.
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