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Friday, August 22, 1997

Dallas Mavericks talk to Grand Prairie officials about new arena

DALLAS (AP) - After 14 months of unfruitful talks with Dallas, the Dallas Mavericks are no longer exclusively negotiating with the city about building an arena for the NBA team.

"Basically progress wasn't being made," said Ross Perot Jr., majority owner of the team. "We need to get an arena program off the ground, and that's what I told them."

"We are very cordial," Perot said after team officials discussed arena possibilities with Grand Prairie. "We just said, 'Guys, we've got to go out and start talking to the suburbs."

Grand Prairie Mayor Charles England said that he and his city manager had lunch Wednesday with the Mavericks' negotiator, Tom Luce, and Mavericks minority owner, Frank Zaccanelli.

On Thursday, Dallas officials said they are writing a letter warning Grand Prairie to keep away from the team or face the possibility of a lawsuit on interference with a contract to keep the Mavericks playing at Reunion Arena for several more years.

Luce informed Dallas City Manager John Ware in an Aug. 13 letter of the Mavericks' intentions to look elsewhere in the Dallas area.

Perot would only say that his representatives are shopping for other sites with the help of commercial real estate brokers.

"All the suburbs that want the program, we've either talked with them or we will be talking with them," he said.

Arlington and Irving, home to two sports franchises, have long been the chief suburb contenders.

Reunion Arena, which also is home to the Dallas Stars of the NHL, seats about 17,000, but has no luxury sky boxes, something that Perot and Stars owner Tom Hicks say they would like.

Still, Hicks said he's not ready to talk to any suburbs about a new facility.

"We think what's best for everyone is that the arena gets built in Dallas. Until somebody pulls the plug on that idea, that's the direction we intend to go," Hicks said.

Mavericks owners and Dallas officials remain vague about the sticking points in talks.

The Mavericks asked the city six months ago to pay half the cost of a $220 million arena, in return for a commitment to build a mega development with offices, shops and apartments that Perot said could revitalize downtown Dallas.

The Stars asked the city for a $70 million interest-free loan to help finance a $378 million project.

Ware and Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk dismissed suggestions that Perot's move hurts their chances to land a project that could be worth $1 billion.

"It's not a setback unless they go cut a deal with somebody else. I have always assumed other cities have been making proposals and that the teams have looked at them," Kirk said. "The only difference is now they're being honest about it." Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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