Private investors "hoping to tear down Chase Field" and build a new ballpark for the D-backs have "dropped their proposal, citing lack of cooperation from the team," according to a front-page piece by Rebekah Sanders of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. The collapse of the proposed deal with Stadium Real Estate Partners II (SREP) puts the D-backs and Maricopa County, which owns the 18-year-old ballpark, "back at square one in an ongoing dispute about the cost of stadium repairs and who is responsible for paying for them." County officials hoped the out-of-state members of SREP "could bridge a divide between the county and the team" by purchasing the ballpark, striking a deal with the D-backs on upgrades and building new retail and restaurants around the ballpark "to make a profit." The team had "asked investors to provide information about their identities, funding sources and business plan before sitting down." Attorney Martin Greenberg, who was representing SREP, sent a letter to the county calling the team's demands "unreasonable and rather dubious" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 11/22). In Phoenix, Mike Sunnucks noted the D-backs "still have an option to buy Chase Field from the county." The club's lease at Chase Field is through '28, and they "had veto power" over the potential sale (BIZJOURNALS.com, 11/21).
