The Maricopa County (Ariz.) Board of Supervisors yesterday voted unanimously to "move forward with negotiations to sell Chase Field ... to private out-of-state investors," according to a front-page piece by Rebekah Sanders of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. The buyers would "be required to purchase" the ballpark and land for no less than $60M. County officials said that the figure is higher than a '10 appraisal that "never was finalized," but valued the ballpark at about $40M. The county vote "raised several key questions that went unanswered, including whether the team would support a sale and whether a taxpayer subsidy would be included." Any sale would "require the consent" of the D-backs. County officials said that they "have not talked in depth with the team about the deal, and the buyer will be responsible for negotiating an agreement with the team." If the team "agrees to move forward, county officials said they will hire an appraiser to determine the actual value of the property, with a goal to finish a review within 30 to 45 days." A local benefit of the deal is that the D-backs would stay at the ballpark through '28, and "possibly longer." Another is that county taxpayers "would no longer be responsible for expensive upgrades." Meanwhile, "little is known so far about the investors." The county said that it is "negotiating with Stadium Real Estate Partners II LLC." That group is "working in conjunction with" Atlanta-based real estate firm Integral Group. The Chase Field buyers "have no connections" to the D-backs or "any of the team's investors" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 8/18). Chase Field BOD Chair Clint Hickman said, "We are here today to protect the taxpayer. This is the best of what private business can offer" (AP, 8/17).
