D-backs president Hall blasts Chase Field lease extension proposal

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Tensions are rising between county officials and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the continuing saga for a Chase Field lease extension.

D-backs president and CEO Derrick Hall went on a local radio station and blasted the latest proposal, a 50-year lease that would force the franchise to pay $150 million in stadium upgrades without public funding.

“It was definitely the offer, the counterproposal, which is in my words, ridiculous,” he said in a radio interview with Bickley and Marotta on Arizona’s Sports on Thursday. “Here they are asking us to sign a 50-year extension without any public funding at the time — which we’re trying to seek through tax recollection, which is very realistic — and still asking us nonetheless to not even pursue mixed-use, which we have said all along we need with restaurant, hotel, retail around the ballpark.”

On Tuesday, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers sent a letter to Hall, proposing a 50-year deal that would start when the current lease ends, which is 2027.

It would allow the Diamondbacks to terminate the lease as long as they gave three years’ notice starting in 2032.

The county’s proposal would require the franchise to be responsible for Chase Field’s maintenance and commit to paying $150 million in the first ten years and pay $250,000 each year to cover administration costs.

The deal would also allow the county and the team to collaborate on developing land near the stadium.

Hall says they should be able to build shops and restaurants near the stadium with the county’s approval.

“They say they won’t allow us to even talk about that opportunity and ‘unlock’ that opportunity and possibility until we’ve put nearly $200 million into the ballpark. Again, they’re not even putting a penny,” Hall said in the interview.

Maricopa County and D-backs officials have been verbally battling for years over Chase Field and who should pay for the maintenance and upgrades.

The stadium was built in 1998 and has shown its age as one of the oldest in the National League.

The roof at Chase Field is broken and can only open and close when fans aren’t inside the stadium.

Last month, complaints about the stadium’s air conditioning, or lack thereof, made national headlines.

At issue is that the D-backs would like a method of recovering tax revenue like the Arizona Cardinals have done in Glendale.

The team sued the county over Chase Field in 2017.  A judge ordered the case to arbitration, and in 2018, the two sides came together on a new memorandum of understanding. The deal directs $2 million of the team’s $2.25 million in annual rent and fees into a reserve account to be used for stadium maintenance.

“In our 2018 memorandum of agreement (MOU), the Team was granted full control over the Stadium which allowed for the generation of revenues from non-baseball events to be used for maintaining the structure,” Sellers said in the letter. “The current MOU places the responsibility of maintaining the structure squarely on the Team. Reports of falling concrete and excessive heat are an indication that the party responsible for the structure may not be taking the steps necessary to maintain a safe and friendly environment.”

The county didn’t respond to Hall’s comments but is hopeful a deal can be made.

“We remain optimistic that a mutually beneficial agreement can be reached that serves the interests of all stakeholders—the team, the fans, and the taxpayers,” Maricopa County spokesman Fields Moseley said in an emailed statement. “We believe our recent offer is fair, balancing the flexibility the Diamondbacks have said they need while requiring necessary investment in Chase Field.”

He added that the county’s goal is to keep the Diamondbacks playing baseball in downtown Phoenix “for decades to come.”

Considering the November election is less than two months away, the D-backs could make this a ballot issue. Voters will decide on all five seats on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

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