On Tuesday night, Avondale's City Council unanimously approved a financing package and site proposal to be sent to the Tourism and Sports Authority, the group that's deciding where to build the new 73,000-seat stadium.

Avondale is proposing a 450-acre site at 99th Avenue and Thomas Road. The parcel, and another 450 acres around it, is owned by home builder John F. Long, who will lease the land to the city for just $1.8 million a year, a fraction of the $25 million that Ernst & Young estimated that it would cost to buy the land. Long has also promised to purchase $28 million in city bonds, funds that would be used for parking and infrastructure improvements.

To assemble the parcel Avondale plans to annex 300 acres from Phoenix, combining it with 150 acres already within Avondale to form the full parcel. "If we are not selected to be on the short list, there will be no further negotiations," says Avondale city manager Scott Schrader.

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