The new Arizona Cardinals stadium, if built on the proposed Tempe site, would pose a hazard to aviation operations at Sky Harbor International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration concluded Saturday.
Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano said he was disappointed, but not surprised, by the FAA's decision.
Giuliano said he feels politics played a big part in the FAA's conclusion that the proposed stadium, about two miles east of the airport, would pose a hazard.
Although the FAA is not a legal entity and cannot control whether the stadium is built in Tempe, the state's Tourism and Sports Authority has decided to move forward with the search for a new site. The TSA is the organization overseeing the stadium project.
There are a few sites Tempe hopes to submit for the selection process by the Nov. 23 deadline, Giuliano said.
Giuliano said the former Peabody Hotel site along Tempe Town Lake looks promising. The national hotel chain, based in Memphis, Tenn., backed out of plans to build a 1,000-room hotel along the lake earlier this year.
Ted Ferris, president and CEO of the state TSA, said he expects several new sites to surface by next week. So far, 29 groups have requested information on the site selection process.
"Our new task is to select a site quickly so that construction can start by next February," he said.
On Wednesday, the TSA voted to reopen the site selection process. The next day, it began sending letters to applicants in the initial process, including West Valley developer John F. Long.
The TSA said it would ask Long to re-submit his 40-acre property, located at 99th Avenue and Thomas Road. Long had retracted his offer after the Tempe site was chosen during the initial site selection process earlier this year.
The TSA plans to choose the new site by Dec. 21.
In a letter to Ferris, the FAA concluded that "the structure would have a substantial adverse effect on the safe and efficient utilization if the navigable airspace" around Sky Harbor.
The TSA had submitted the initial Tempe site, located at Priest Drive and Washington Street, in June. The stadium site was repositioned in August to solve some of the FAA's concerns about over-flight safety.
In its final evaluation, the FAA determined the height and mass of the stadium would have an adverse effect on both the engine-out procedures and the visual environment of a pilot.
The FAA claims there is a high probability that pilots will refuse to use the runway adjacent to the stadium for departures.
The report states that pilots refusing to use the third runway for departures would leave the airport with only two runways, decreasing its capacity and efficiency.
The report also describes FAA's concerns that the stadium's size and brightness at night could effect pilot operations and the efficiency of air traffic control.
"Visual adaptation between dark skies and the glare from stadium lighting could distract pilots," it said.
The FAA's decision on the Tempe site will become final on Dec. 27 unless the city files a petition by Dec. 17.
Giuliano said if the city does decide to appeal the decision, it would only be for the principle of the issue.
"It is our right to have the FAA review their decision," he said.
Reach Dana Brody at dana5286@aol.com.
