New Cubs Spring Training Facility Approved by Mesa Voters

The efforts to keep the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Arizona had been going on for years.

For some time, the Cubs wanted a larger spring training stadium with improved baseball facilities. The City of Mesa wanted to keep the Cubs in town for the annual economic benefit the team and loyal Cubbies fans bring each spring.

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The first part of the process occurred in October 2011, when the Chicago Cubs and the City of Mesa finally reached an agreement that will keep the Cubs in Mesa for 30 years, with options for 20 more years beyond that.

Then in November 2010, 63% of Mesa voters approved a measure for the city to spend up to $84 million on a new Cubs spring training stadium and related facilities and $15 million on infrastructure.

Mesa voters also approved an increase of the city hotel bed tax from 3% to 5% in this same election. Part of this tax will help pay for the new Cubs spring training facility, which will be owned by the City of Mesa.

Additional money for the new Cubs spring training site will also come from the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority.

The site is bordered by the Loop 202 Freeway to the north, N. Dobson Road to the east, W. 8th Street to the south, and the Loop 101 Freeway to the west.

The new Cubs spring training facility will be next to Mesa’s Riverview Park

The new Cubs spring training facility location is on 100 acres of land owned by the City of Mesa.

The new ballpark will accommodate at least 15,000 fans and have a 50,000 square foot clubhouse.

Visit this link to see an official artist's rendering of the new Cubs spring training facilty complex.

The complex will include training facilities for minor league players, a year-round training complex, and the Cub’s Western headquarters.

There will also be four professional level baseball fields for use by Mesa residents during non-spring training times.

The 9-hole Riverview Municipal Public Golf Course has closed and it will be replaced by baseball practice fields on the west side of the new Cubs spring training stadium.

East of the new Cubs stadium, there may be an area of 6 soccer fields that would be used as parking during spring training games.

The planned new layout of the area from West to East is:Practice Fields - New Cubs Stadium - Soccer Fields / Parking - Riverview Park.

Click here to see the official new Cubs spring training complex land use layout.

The multi-purpose facility will be used for community, entertainment and other events the rest of the year.

Four softball fields that occupy 25 acres to the north of Riverview Park are closing for redevelopment in the summer.

A "Wrigleyville West" entertainment area may be built by the Cubs who have exclusive development options on up to 6 acres.

These baseball fields north of Riverview Park will also be developed for the new Cubs spring training facility complex

Riverview Park is at the corner of W. 8th Street and N. Dobson Road. This city park has a very large pond that is stocked with fish and is part of the Urban Fishing Program managed by the State of Arizona's Game and Fish Department.

Riverview Park and the pond will close in the spring to be renovated as part of the new Cubs spring training stadium complex construction and street improvement project.

See this link for an official street improvement map for the new Cubs spring training facility.

The Chicago Cubs will share the use of the new stadium and practice facilities with the Arizona State University (ASU) Sun Devils baseball team. This arrangement will help both organizations.

ASU needs a new baseball stadium and the Cubs welcome the additional revenue from ASU. An increase in activity for the new Mesa stadium would also help the proposed entertainment area.

Just east of Riverview Park, across N. Dobson Road, is the Mesa Riverview outdoor shopping center. It has over 60 stores and restaurants including Bass Pro Shops, Wal-Mart, and Home Depot.

In spite of its name, there is no river view at Riverview Park or the Mesa Riverview shopping center.

The Loop 202 Freeway blocks sight of the Salt River north of Mesa. The Salt River is dry through most of Phoenix and the surrounding cities. To the west of Mesa, in Tempe, the city installed an inflatable dam across the Salt River and pumped in water to create what is now Tempe Town Lake.

What will happen to Hohokam Park? As part of the deal, the Cubs will assist the City of Mesa to attract another major league team to use Hohokam Stadium when the Cubs move out. The Oakland Athletics are in talks about moving to Hohokam.

The City of Mesa has built three spring training facilities in the past 60 years.

Construction of the new Chicago Cubs Spring Training stadium began in spring of 2012. The first spring training game in the new Cubs ballpark is expected in 2014.

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