The state Tourism and Sports Authority decided unanimously Wednesday to start a new site selection process in response to the Federal Aviation Administration's drawn-out review of the proposed Arizona Cardinals stadium site.
The TSA will now begin to look for a backup site if the Tempe location is determined a safety hazard by the FAA. A decision on the site by the FAA is expected this week.
TSA president Ted Ferris said he believes the TSA is in a position to move fairly quickly to identify a secondary site.
"We know a lot more today about the good attributes of a stadium site than we did nine months ago when the initial selection process began," he said. "I think we could identify the best possible backup site in a five-week period."
Ferris said the TSA does not currently have an alternate site in mind but plans to send a letter to the owner of each site involved in the initial process, which includes locations in downtown Phoenix, the West Valley and on the Mesa-Tempe border.
West Valley developer John F. Long offered 40 acres in the first site selection process. After the Tempe site was chosen, Long filed complaints arguing the legality of the TSA, which were later rejected. Long has since withdrawn his property from any future site selections.
TSA chairman James Grogan said that although he remains committed to the Tempe site, he recognizes that the TSA needs to be prepared to move forward no matter what the FAA decides.
"I believe the FAA should bless the Tempe site," he said. "However, it is only prudent to have some kind of backup plan."
Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano said that although he considers the conflict over the Tempe site to be politically driven, he hopes the FAA will approve the site.
"The issues with the FAA have been addressed and resolved, and we look forward to a positive report," he said.
The TSA submitted its first proposal of the Tempe site to the FAA May 31. In a July 11 letter to the TSA, the FAA called the proposed Tempe site a "presumed hazard" to aviation operations at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
In response, the TSA hired independent consultants to decide whether the stadium would pose a safety hazard to Sky Harbor.
Grogan said the consultants, with more than 100 years of flying experience between them, were asked not to be advocates for the site.
"Our consultants, who were specifically asked for the truth, committed their reputations to the Tempe site," he said.
It was concluded that the stadium would not create a safety hazard at the initial Tempe site located at Washington Street and Priest Drive.
After a meeting with the FAA on July 31, the TSA relocated the site to resolve some of the FAA's concerns. The proposed Tempe site is now at the corner of Washington Street and Center Parkway.
At the end of August, at the time the FAA was expected to reach a conclusion about the Tempe site, the FAA announced a 30-day public comment period to end Oct. 6. In response to the terrorist attacks, it was extended to Oct. 22.
In a final response to concerns the FAA voiced over the Tempe site, the TSA released a 40-page report on Oct. 25 that explained how each of the FAA's concerns had been resolved.
TSA is hoping to have the $335 million stadium built by the start of the 2004 NFL season.
Reach Dana Brody at dana5286@aol.com.