PHOENIX — Fans along the third base line at Chase Field caught a little something extra during Monday night’s Diamondbacks game: drops of rain.
Video shows water dripping from the roof as a monsoon storm dumped rain on downtown Phoenix. The roof is slated to be fixed this offseason, Derrick Hall, the team’s president and CEO, told reporters Wednesday.
It’s on a long list of infrastructure needs at the 27-year-old ballpark, currently the fourth-oldest stadium in Major League Baseball.
“We've got a lot of things that most people wouldn't even see, like the HVAC system, cement with cracks, pipes, a lot of work that we have to do,” Hall said.
And now, there's money for those repairs.
Governor Katie Hobbs visited Chase Field before Wednesday’s game to celebrate the signing of House Bill 2704, legislation that diverts sales tax from the stadium and some of the team’s income tax revenue to pay for fixes and upgrades.
The landmark bill puts an end to years of wrangling over how to pay for repairs at the ballpark, which is owned by the Maricopa County Stadium District.
Major renovations are hoped for within 5 years
In addition to the roof, the team also wants to replace the ribbon board and video scoreboard.
"Those things can happen immediately without interfering with too many of the prearranged and prescheduled offseason events,” Hall said.
But bigger changes will take more time. Hall said he hopes the major renovations can be finished within the next five years.
“We have not mapped it out yet... Obviously, it's not going to happen overnight. It'll take many years,” he said.
The team is meeting with its stadium consultant on Thursday to get started on plans.
“We’re going to have a full afternoon, and then we'll start bringing in architects and getting down to details, drawings of what this is going to look like,” Hall said.
Bigger seats in some areas and modernized fan areas are among the ideas the D-Backs are considering.
Diamondbacks legend Luis Gonzales told ABC15 the upgrades Toronto has made to its ballpark is making a huge difference.
“The fans love being there,” he said. “It's more comfortable. There's a lot more standing areas, you know. And times change. There's not more seating, there's more of social areas in the ballpark.”
But unlike earlier proposals, the team does not plan to significantly reduce seating capacity.
“I mean, there'll be a little reduction, but not like, talking about wiping out a quarter of the seats or any of that,” Hall said.
D-Backs plan to sign lease extension
The Diamondbacks’ lease expires in 2027. Hall said the team expects to re-sign for at least 30 years.
HB 2704 creates a new board for the Maricopa County Stadium District, and Hall said the team could extend the lease with the county or wait until the new board is in place.
The bill, which takes effect Sept. 26, diverts $500 million in tax revenue to the stadium district over 30 years. Inflationary increases over time could raise that cap to as high as $1.2 billion.
Hall estimates only $20 million to $25 million will get transferred each year, but said the district can borrow against it to pay for ballpark projects.
The Diamondbacks have promised to put $250 million into the repair fund. HB 2704 doesn’t require the team to contribute, but lawmakers can repeal it if the team doesn’t pay – and the D-Backs would then be on the hook for the stadium district’s debts.
