ARLINGTON -- The Rangers and the city of Arlington have taken another step toward realizing the dream of a new $1 billion state-of-the-art ballpark opening in 2021.
The Arlington City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved a master agreement that outlines the partnership between the city and ballclub for construction of a new retractable-roof ballpark and supporting development in the Entertainment District.
"Tonight's action by the City Council is an important step in the process in this public-private partnership to build a new ballpark for Arlington and all our fans," Rangers co-owner Ray Davis said in a statement. "I want to thank and commend Mayor Jeff Williams and the Arlington city leaders for their vision in reaching out to us and helping put together and approving this historic agreement.
"The Rangers are excited about the possibility of calling Arlington home for many years to come, and we are committed to building a world-class facility which will provide the best possible experience for our fans. We look forward to working with Mayor Williams, the City leaders and the citizens of Arlington over the next several months to insure that this dream becomes a reality."
After the agreement is reviewed by the state comptroller, the next step will be for Arlington to hold an election on Nov. 8, asking voters whether to extend the existing venue taxes approved in 2004 to build AT&T Stadium -- a half-cent sales tax, 5 percent car rental tax and 2 percent hotel occupancy tax -- to help publicly finance a new ballpark for the Rangers as well.

The ballpark would be built across Randol Mill Road to the south of Globe Life Park. The target date is Opening Day, 2021.