Mayor Dick Murphy called the votes a "first big stride" toward the project's revival, but pointed out that eight ballpark-related lawsuits pending against the project must be resolved before the city can issue bonds and resume construction.
It will likely be late summer or early fall before the suits are settled and a financing plan to sell bonds to cover the city's $225-million share of the project can be brought to the council for a vote, according to City Attorney Casey Gwinn. Construction has been stalled because of the finance question since October.
The council voted to reaffirm 28 ballpark-related agreements approved by the previous city council. Several council members at Tuesday's meeting said they would have voted against the project if Murphy hadn't revised it to remove the city's reliance on tax revenue from a waterfront hotel to pay down the bonds. Efforts to build such a hotel have lagged.
Under Murphy's plan, the city would have to front more redevelopment money into the project.
Gwinn said the council vote to reaffirm the agreements was needed to remove any possible taint left from the financial involvement of former city councilwoman Valerie Stallings with Padres owner John Moores.
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