Derrick Hall: D-backs encouraged about Chase Field improvement bill
Jan 30, 2025, 1:02 PM | Updated: 1:03 pm
Things are looking up for Arizona Diamondbacks CEO and president Derrick Hall. For the past several months, he and the D-backs have discussed their big-picture plan to fund renovations for Chase Field, their downtown Phoenix home.
A bill introduced on Wednesday by Arizona state Rep. Jeff Weninger, HB2704, represented the on-paper product created from those hopes. The bill needs majority support in the Legislature and a sign-off from Gov. Katie Hobbs to pass.
If passed, it would create a steady flow of cash to help maintain the stadium, which is owned by Maricopa County.
“We’re excited about this, we’re encouraged, we’re enthused,” Hall told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Thursday.
“It provides us with that public-private partnership that I’ve talked about … We’re looking at putting hundreds of millions of dollars of our own into the ballpark. To get assistance now … led from the state, where there’s already a precedent in the state for such a mechanism (for the Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium), is the encouraging part.”
The Diamondbacks currently have a 5.6% sales tax that funds programs in education, health care for low-income residents and prisons. Hall said the proposed bill will retain a 0.6% education funding portion and redirect 5.0% toward a fund that the D-backs can pull from for, as the bill reads, “reconstructing, equipping, repairing, maintaining or improving the major league baseball facility owned and operated by the district.”
Funding will also come from recaptured income taxes for team employees.
Hall added the team is already expected to build in new sales tax structures for businesses just outside the stadium to continue funding other initiatives at the state level.
“What we have talked about is the ability to generate more sales tax around the ballpark so that those can be fulfilled,” Hall said. “As we invest in the ballpark, there’s going to be more revenues. And as we as an organization develop around the ballpark, that won’t be part of the sales tax that goes back into the ballpark. That’ll be a new sales tax that goes back to the state, city and county — and of course, all the businesses that thrive around us and the sales taxes are going to continue to increase because of our presence and because of the investment we’re making into Chase Field.
“We plan on fulfilling those shortfalls with new generated taxes and new development as well, which will bring all-new taxes.”
The D-backs in 2018 took over operations at Chase Field from the county, allowing the team to own more control of concerts and other events at the ballpark. Money made from those events would also go into the ballpark fund.
The Diamondbacks expect to self-fund $100s of millions for renovations that could top out in the $400-500 million range. But the team wanted some help for annual upkeep.
If HB2704 passes, then the D-backs would pivot hard into negotiating with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors about a lease extension, Hall said. The two parties were at odds toward the end of last year but before the November election.
“We’re going to start meeting with the new members as well. Seeing how this goes, it’s very positive so far,” Hall said of the next steps. “There’s a lot of momentum behind this bill, there’s tons of positivity, so knock on wood assuming that it gets improved, then we have to really focus and shift our focus back to what the lease looks like. Do we keep the lease that we have and extend it? We’ll have those conversations, but let’s get through this phase as quickly as we can.”
The state of Arizona, Maricopa County and Phoenix have “all expressed interest in keeping us” at Chase Field, Hall said.
“I believe we can get to the solution,” he added. “This is the biggy. This is the public-private partnership we were seeking and then going back to the county, who has been our partner since Day 1, and saying, ‘OK, now we’re able to improve your asset. … Let’s figure out a way that works for both of us continue.'”
