The Spring Training Shopping Experience

There have been a number of reasons cited for the Chicago Cubs desire to relocate from their existing spring training facilities in the City of Mesa. Among these is the stated intention of the Cubs organization to create a commercial real estate development to be known as “Wrigleyville West” adjacent to the new stadium complex. There is insufficient land available in the immediate vicinity of Hohokam Stadium to build this type of improvement.

Both the City of Mesa and the Cubs hope that Wrigleyville West will generate a substantial amount of year-round activity near the new spring training complex. Of course, what they wish to avoid is the wasteland-like appearance surrounding some other recently completed Cactus League stadiums. Which of these scenarios plays out in the proximity of the new Cubs facility is greatly dependent on the attributes of the specific location where the project is constructed.

Of those sites which currently seem to be in contention for the spring training project, the location least likely to support an adjacent commercial development would be the location near downtown Mesa at University Drive and Mesa Drive. The area with the best chance of sustaining a viable Wrigleyville West is the Waveyard site near the intersection of the Loop 10 and Loop 202 Freeways.