The groundbreaking for a new Chicago Cubs spring-training facility in Mesa, Arizona has been scheduled for July 11.
The Cubs will share the new facility with the Arizona State baseball team.
The new facility is slated to open on Dec. 1, 2013, in plenty of time for the 2014 college season. It will seat 15,000 (12,000 fixed seats, with 4,000 more in suite and berm seating.) The complex will feature seven full-size and one half practice fields and clubhouses for both the Cubs and the Sun Devils.
The Cubs committed to the facility for 30 years, with options for another 20, and a hard penalty of $1 million per year of the unused lease should the team leave. The Cubs will have the right to ask for capital improvements every 10 years, provided the improvements have already been implemented at five other Cactus League complexes. The Cubs will also retain develop rights to six acres in the complex for a so-called Wrigleyville West entertainment district. You can view the lease agreements here.
The city and the Cubs are also working on a plan to develop 25 more acres adjacent to the baseball facility. Under the plan, an operator and developer would come in and pay for a new resort.
Image courtesy city of Mesa.
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