12 April 13th–April 19th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | music | cafe | film | culTuRe | NighT+Day | feaTuRe | NeWs | OPiNiON | feeDBacK | cONTeNTs | phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | At a press conference in February, Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall said it would now take as much as $500 million to renovate the stadium — more than it cost to build. But a new venue elsewhere in Maricopa County would cost $1 billion to build, he said. Hall indicated he was prepared to pony up the paper for upgrades if the team decided to stay put. Fans are hopeful that the stadium undergoes renovations. “I fully believe the team is going to invest in some pretty major renovations at Chase Field,” Phoenix resident and D-backs fanatic Todd Williams told New Times. “They’re pulling in massive concerts. Hall has referenced the Wrigley Field renovations in several interviews.” Between 2014 and 2019, Chicago Cubs owners invested $500 million in renovations at Wrigley Field. It was the most expensive MLB renovation to date. Will the D-backs do the same? Fans hope so. “Downtown Phoenix has drastically improved, too, so Chase Field’s location is prime now,” Williams said. The team will decide in the next two months whether to stay at Chase Field or search for a new home. Next door to the field sits the two-story Caesars Sportsbook. A spokesperson for Caesars Entertainment declined to discuss the venue’s future if the team relocates. Bargain Baseball Despite the uncertain future of Chase Field, there are some new things to look forward to in 2023. The stadium built addi- tional premium seating during the offseason and rolled out new specialty foods, including footlong Sonoran hot dogs — a cherished local favorite — and a baseball helmet full of carnitas nachos. This season, the D-backs offer the cheapest fan experience in all of Major League Baseball, according to NBC Sports. Its fan cost index — the total cost of taking a family of four to a sporting event — is $152.30. This means that fans in Phoenix will save more than $100 per game compared with the league average and more than $200 compared with fans in Chicago, Boston, and Houston. Chase Field grills the cheapest frank — just $2 per hot dog — in any major league ballpark. And ticket prices are the lowest in the land at $22 a pop, according to a recent study by the sports gambling clearinghouse Play MA. Oh, and if you want to watch a baseball game in the glittering swimming pool and spa in right-centerfield, that suite can accommodate up to 35 people. Despite its cost — suites at Chase Field range in price from $2,500 to $8,000 — it’s often a sellout. The D-backs are projected to finish third in the National League West with a losing record and have less than a 1 percent chance to win the World Series this year, according to odds- makers in Las Vegas. But hey, anything is possible. At least we have a swimming pool. Mobile home parks are an important source of affordable housing in Phoenix — and one that is starting to dry up. While most mobile home park resi- dents own their trailers, they don’t own the land on which the dwellings are located, meaning that property owners who want to develop a mobile home park can simply send eviction notices to longtime residents. This is what happened in the case of three mobile home parks in Phoenix: the Periwinkle Mobile Home park, located near Grand Canyon University’s campus on Colter Street near 30th Avenue; the Las Casitas park at 18th Avenue and Buckeye Road; and Weldon Court, which is located near Osborn Road and 16th Street. Residents of the parks — 123 different households — have just weeks to find new homes. Weldon Court residents face eviction on May 1, Periwinkle on May 28, and Las Casitas resi- dents face a newly extended eviction date in June. Relocation of a mobile home can be difficult, if not impossible, for many owners. Trailers are often too old or unstable to be moved. And those who manage to figure out how to move their trailer will need to find a new loca- tion for it — which can be challenging. Many mobile home parks do not accept trailers over a certain age. The new bill was a win for mobile home park resi- dents, said Sylvia Herrera, a longtime community orga- nizer who has worked closely with residents of the Periwinkle, Las Casitas, and Weldon Court parks. Herrera said that her work now is ensuring that resi- dents successfully apply and access the focus. “We’re in that process of getting all the different paperwork that people need to apply,” she said. The bill’s passage was a win for the hundreds of mobile home park residents, who have rallied and orga- nized for months against the evictions — but have not managed to stop the displacement. On March 22, the Phoenix City Council failed to approve several measures to prevent development on the three mobile home parks whose residents were facing eviction, despite hours of emotional testimony from residents about how the displacement was taking a toll on their lives. A faction of the council supported the measures, but Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and the more conservative wing of the council rejected them. The council opted instead to create a $2.5 million fund to assist mobile home owners, although that money will not go directly to park residents but instead to a nonprofit that will provide housing navigation assistance. “Now, it’s time for Mayor Gallego and Phoenix City Council to stop the destruction of affordable housing and the displacement of mobile home residents,” Herrera said. “The problem is not going away.” Katya Schwenk Residents of the Periwinkle Mobile Home Park protested in September over Grand Canyon University’s plans to evict them. Field from p9 Aid from p9
