The long-debated upgrades to Scottsdale Stadium, spring home of the San Francisco Giants, will move forward after the Scottsdale City Council approved the first phase of the project, set at $50.6 million.
The city will pay up to $35 million in hotel taxes toward the renovations, with the Giants paying $15.1 million over 20 years. The ballpark’s concessionaire, Arizona Sports Services, will pay $2.5 million, while the nonprofit Scottsdale Charros will pay another $2.7 million. The current version of Scottsdale Stadium debuted in 1992 and renovated in 2005, but baseball has been played at the site since 1956.
And what will they get for their money?
- A new clubhouse and event center (shown above) would be constructed on the Osborn Road side of the ballpark, at the east end of the parking lot. The new 10,000-square-foot-plus event center would be the largest in downtown Scottsdale. It would be used year-round by both the team and the city, but the exact terms of usage need to be finalized.
- The right-field Charro Lodge and an existing concessions platform would be expanded. The Charro Lodge is one of the hottest tickets in all of spring training, and an expansion/reconfiguration would also allow it to be used year-round for a variety of events.
- Concourses would be widened to allow better traffic flow throughout the ballpark. Right now there are several pinch points where fans spend a lot of time working to get through to their seats.
- New bleachers and standing-room space would be added to the right-field concourse.
- Access to the second level suite/press area would be expanded.
- The main entry, which now feels like an afterthought, would be expanded and may feature mass transit and rideshare areas.
Work on the first phase of the project would begin in April and be ready for spring training 2020. There are still parts of the agreement to be finalized between the city, the Giants and the Charros. Right now the plan calls for the Giants to commit to Scottsdale Stadium through 2044, with two five-year options.
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