Avondale Offers Site for $331-Mil Stadium

AVONDALE, AZ-In hopes of countering other proposals with better locations and more political clout, a small Phoenix suburb has submitted a financial package and site proposal that would be the least expensive option for building a $331-million stadium for the Phoenix Cardinals.

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.