On Tuesday morning the nine-member board of the Tourism and Sports Authority will pick a site in Tempe to build the new stadium for the Arizona Cardinals because the site is more beneficial to a broader number of business interests than a site in the West Valley, according to several people close to the selection.

Although no official notice has been given, the consensus among experts, politicians and consultant is that Tempe has the edge over the West Valley based on its abundance of resorts, hotel rooms, restaurants and other amenities that will help the new stadium become an entertainment mecca that is capable of attracting non-football related events.

The proposed site in Tempe is at the northeast corner of Loop 202 and Priest Drive, just north of the Tempe Town Lake, a two-mile long ,man-made lake that's zoned for millions of square feet of commercial development, including hotels, office and retail space. The site is less than a mile from the vibrant Mill Avenue, which has some of the most successful retail space in the city and more consistent pedestrian traffic than any other place in the Valley. There are thousands of hotel rooms within just a few miles of the proposed site.

In sharp contract, the West Valley site is miles removed from any concentration of amenities. The site, at the northwest corner of Loop 101 and Thomas Road, is currently surrounded by farmland. West Valley backers said that development would flow in if the site were to be declared the winner. The greatest asset of this site is the cost: residential developer John F. Long has promised to donate nearly 50 acres on which to build the stadium.

The battle to land the stadium has become uglier as the final deadline nears, with each side calling into question the viability and legality of the other's site. But it was the site in Tempe that received critical endorsements from powerful groups, including the Fiesta Bowl, the resort industry and the Arizona Cardinals themselves, which promised to invest an additional $18 million beyond their original $85 million commitment to have the site in Tempe.

The Tourism and Sports Authority will vote on the issue at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Instant Insights /

Tempe Has Edge in Race to Land $335-Mil Stadium

Related Stories

Recommended For You