PHOENIX — The top of the third base dugout at Chase Field turned into the office of Gov. Katie Hobbs on Wednesday morning, as the Arizona Diamondbacks hosted a ceremonial signing of House Bill 2704 that will fund renovations to the ballpark.
Hobbs signed HB2704 into law in June, allocating $500 million in public funding to ballpark upgrades after months of deliberation.
“ Throughout all of the unforgettable moments and all the history made here, Chase Field has largely gone unchanged, never once undergoing major renovations,” Hobbs said. “We have a 27-year-old HVAC system that has at times struggled to keep fans cool, rainstorms that led to flooding and stadium evacuations, and Arizonans deserve better.”
The Diamondbacks have committed to investing at least $250 million of team money in addition to the diverted sales and income taxes from the ballpark.
“We’ve been looking for a solution for over seven years,” D-backs president and CEO Derrick Hall said. “ Our fans, they came out in full support. … They deserve a world class facility. That’s what this is gonna bring us.”
What comes next for Chase Field?
The building’s funding mechanism from public and private money is in place, but the Diamondbacks’ lease with the Maricopa County Stadium District is still up in 2027.
Hall said the Diamondbacks could extend the lease with Maricopa County or the new Maricopa County Stadium District Board, whose members will be appointed before Jan. 1.
The team is looking to reach an agreement similar to what is in place, which gives the Diamondbacks control of maintaining the building.
“There’s a new board that’s being formed, it’s gonna be 10 members, nine voting,” Hall explained. “We’ll have the oversight over planning, and then we will go to them and they’ll have the approval, but they can also approve a lease extension.”
The language in the bill provides funding for 30 years, and Hall said he could see a lease extension last at least that long.
In terms of updates, Hall said the club is meeting with its consultant, JLL, on Thursday and then will bring in architects. There have been different renderings designed over the years, but Hall said they will start from scratch in that regard.
Infrastructure is expected to take priority, including the HVAC system, pipes, cement cracks and the roof. The team installed a catch-all system and is able to open and close the roof with fans inside, but that is not a permanent solution.
Other front-facing changes include a new video board and ribbon board.
Reducing capacity is not among priorities.
“We talked about it in the past,” Hall said. “There’s times with our concerts, our offseason events, Opening Day, when we make the postseason when we’re glad we have as many seats as we have. … We’ll lose some if we create new fan areas or new standing room areas or if we increase seat sizes in some spots, but not talking about wiping out a quarter of the seats or any of that.”
Major renovations are expected to be stretched out over five years.
