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Longing for home Cardinals await vote on new stadium
Posted: Monday May 17, 1999 05:43 PM
MESA, Ariz. (AP) -- The Arizona Cardinals, the only franchise in the four major pro sports to play all their games on a college campus, could soon have a home of their own. The Cardinals have been homeless for 11 years, since the Bidwill family moved the franchise to Arizona from St. Louis. If voters in Mesa and two smaller communities give the go-ahead Tuesday -- and the latest poll shows the race a virtual dead heat -- the Cardinals won't just have a home, they'll have a palace, the centerpiece of the $1.8 billion Rio Salado Crossing. It's a project ambitious even by the "build anything, anywhere" standards of booming Arizona. Now would seem the time for the Cardinals to win at the ballot box. The team had its first winning record in 14 years and won a playoff game for only the second time. Their star is Arizona State hero Jake Plummer, who already has engineered some hair-raising comebacks. Plummer appeared in a 30-second commercial spot for the project, one of the few mentions of the Cardinals in a campaign that has emphasized the supposed benefits of an undertaking that would include hotels, shops, restaurants, golf courses, a park and large convention center. "If people like us, they're going to be more apt to get a stadium done," Plummer said. "If they don't like us, then we've got no chance of getting it." Critics say the NFL team will be handed, virtually free, one of the most opulent stadiums. "The proper role of government is not to subsidize professional sports," Mesa city councilman Keno Hawker said. The Cardinals aren't the only Arizona pro sports team looking for a new home. In Scottsdale and Avondale, voters will cast ballots on a $624 million renovation project that includes a 20,000-seat arena for the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes. The Cardinals have pledged $75 million for their stadium. The remainder of the $507 million cost of the public share of the project -- to pay for the stadium, convention center and adjacent parks -- will come from Mesa taxpayers. The remaining $1.3 billion is to come from private investment. Mesa, a fast-growing city of 380,000, is being asked for a new quarter-cent sales tax and extension of another existing quarter-cent tax. The smaller cities of Gilbert and Queen Creek only must approve the project under Arizona law. The NFL has promised a Super Bowl there in 2004 or 2005. The Fiesta Bowl also has indicated it would move there. Although proponents, who have outspent opponents 70-to-1, say $500 million in private investment is assured, critics doubt the entire private portion will be built. They also are skeptical of a provision requiring the contractor to cover cost overruns and say Mesa could be stuck for huge operating costs. In addition to the $75 million they've pledged for construction, the Cardinals have promised to invest $75 million in the private portion and pay $2 million a year in rent for 25 years. The Cardinals, in turn, get to sell the stadium's name to a sponsor, which should bring in $50 million or more. The team also gets all the parking revenue on game days, all revenue from sale of advertising signs and up to half the revenue for parking at other events held at Rio Salado. Michael Bidwill, the Cardinals' vice president and general counsel and son of longtime owner Bill Bidwill, says the deal is fair, and the Cardinals could have demanded more. "There are many other NFL stadium deals and other sports arena deals around the country that have guarantees in terms of season tickets, suites and things like that," he said. "There are no guarantees here, and the Cardinals are taking on risks." Even if the measure passes, Rio Salado faces hurdles. A working agreement must be reached with the Mesa City Council, and failure to sign a major hotel would kill the project. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have been careful not to make any ultimatums about moving. "We're totally committed to Rio Salado Crossing," Bidwill said. "And there is no Plan B."
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