Cardinals could sue Glendale over loss of parking

[BullheadCardFan]

The Arizona Cardinals are accusing cash-strapped Glendale of financial mismanagement and could sue the city over the loss of parking for roughly 9,000 of the team's ticket holders at Westgate City Center near University of Phoenix Stadium.

Glendale, which has spent heavily to try to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in neighboring Jobing.com Arena, is working with the team on a solution to the dispute, Mayor Elaine Scruggs said.

The Cardinals and the Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority, which manages the stadium, sent Glendale a four-page demand letter Monday seeking written assurances the parking problem would be addressed by May 1. If not, the letter said, legal action may follow.

The team does not specify the amount in financial damages will incur if the lost parking is not replaced nearby. The team includes those parking spaces near Loop 101 and Glendale Avenue in ticket packages it markets to customers. The spaces have a value of at least $20 apiece per game, based on pricing of nearby parking that is not controlled by the city.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/car...120409glendale-cardinals-parking-dispute.html

 

[ARZCardinals]

hmmmmmmm.....interesting

 

[crisper57]

I thought I read a while back that the Bidwills want to tear up some of the west parking to put in shops. So maybe the reason they are so mad is that Glendale beat them to the punch?

 

[RedViper]

One of the things that was handled really well with the new stadium is the free parking along with the relative ease of getting out the complex after the game. I'll be really disappointed if Glendale upends this. Having the Cardinals in Glendale along with superbowls, BCS, etc, seems to be the one thing Glendale did right and should try to protect. They seem so prone to mismanagment however, I won't be suprised if they screw this up too.

 

[Phrazbit]

Gotta love pro sports franchises. A city builds them a stadium with tax dollars... team threatens to sue the city for developing their own land.

And I realize they had an agreement with the city, but it just seems really ungrateful is all.

 

[40yearfan]

I thought I read a while back that the Bidwills want to tear up some of the west parking to put in shops. So maybe the reason they are so mad is that Glendale beat them to the punch?

Gotta love pro sports franchises. A city builds them a stadium with tax dollars... team threatens to sue the city for developing their own land.

And I realize they had an agreement with the city, but it just seems really ungrateful is all.

As usual for some fans, the Cardinals are always in the wrong regardless of what a contract stipulates. If you are one of the 9,000 fans who are depending on these parking spaces, are you still going to feel it's wrong of the Cardinals to demand that you get your parking spot?

 

[Lloydian]

Gotta love pro sports franchises. A city builds them a stadium with tax dollars... team threatens to sue the city for developing their own land.

And I realize they had an agreement with the city, but it just seems really ungrateful is all.

Quick: How much did the City of Glendale pay toward the stadium?
Answer: $9.5MM. The Cardinals paid more than 15 times as much, and yet it's owned by the Arizona Tourism and Sports Authority (who paid nearly 2/3 of the total cost), not the Arizona Cardinals.

And what the City of Glendale is doing here is promising the land to two parties. First, they promise it for football parking, then they promise it to developers. The City of Glendale is having financial issues thanks mainly to a bad economy. That isn't an excuse to renege on obligations.

And we don't get free parking. Check out that Facility Use Fee we pay. I have two season tickets. I pay a FUF of $5.50 per seat per game. For my two ticket account, that's $11.00 per game. I only paid $5.00 per game at Sun Devil Stadium. By the way, when a store says "buy one, get one free": you aren't really getting anything for free.

 

[crisper57]

As usual for some fans, the Cardinals are always in the wrong regardless of what a contract stipulates. If you are one of the 9,000 fans who are depending on these parking spaces, are you still going to feel it's wrong of the Cardinals to demand that you get your parking spot?

I wasn't criticizing them. Here is the article in the Phoenix Business Journal:

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/...dale_approve_cardinals_plan.html?surround=etf

I was just saying the maybe Glendale's recent parking move throws a real wrench into the Bidwill's plans. They too want to demolish parking spaces to put up commercial facilities around the stadium. And maybe that is the real reason for proposed litigation.

For the record, I think the Cards are right to fight Glendale on this. And I think they are wrong for wanting to do the exact same thing, only closer to the stadium.

 

[Lloydian]

That article points out an interesting aspect and one that should solve the problem. When the Bidwill family asked to rezone, it was with the promise of providing parking garages to replace any displaced spaces. Why doesn't the City of Glendale just do the same?

 

[crisper57]

That article points out an interesting aspect and one that should solve the problem. When the Bidwill family asked to rezone, it was with the promise of providing parking garages to replace any displaced spaces. Why doesn't the City of Glendale just do the same?

Cost.

The Cardinals estimate the cost to now build a parking garage next to the hockey arena is likely to approach $40 million.

Glendale doesn't have that kind of money while they still have to subsidize the Coyotes.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

Glendale doesn't have that kind of money while they still have to subsidize the Coyotes.

From what I heard on the radio yesterday, there is a parking fund of $25 million (created when the Coyotes moved to Glendale) the the city pointed to to lure the Cards out to Glendale that got emptied by the city and Steve Ellman at some point (50/50 split).

The problem with the parking situation, they were saying, is that the contract the Fiesta Bowl could be in jeopardy if this isn't rectified as well as any Super Bowl bids.

 

[tnmike]

Gotta love pro sports franchises. A city builds them a stadium with tax dollars... team threatens to sue the city for developing their own land.

And I realize they had an agreement with the city, but it just seems really ungrateful is all.

Well you just threw out hundreds of years of contract law. If somebody feels ungrateful its OK just forget they ever CONTRACTED to provide the service.

 

[Hollywood]

Gotta love pro sports franchises. A city builds them a stadium with tax dollars... team threatens to sue the city for developing their own land.

And I realize they had an agreement with the city, but it just seems really ungrateful is all.

Grateful has nothing to do with it...its business. The Cardinals get money from the stadium and the city gets money from the events in the stadium.