RENO -- The Reno City Council approved plans Friday to build a downtown stadium for a Triple-A minor league baseball team, with ground-breaking near the Truckee River scheduled Jan. 1.

"Play ball!'' Councilman Dave Aiazzi said after the 5-0 vote to approve final agreements for the $42 million project, which includes plans for a nearby entertainment zone with shopping, restaurants and bars.

The agreements are between the city, its redevelopment agency, Herbert Simon, the nation's largest mall developer, and Jerry and Stuart Katzoff, who own a famous chain of Italian restaurants on the East Coast.

SK Baseball and Nevada Land LLCs, controlled by the Katzoffs and Simon, purchased the Pacific Coast League's Tucson Sidewinders team last week for $15 million.

Officials hope the stadium, which will hold 10,000 people, is ready for the 2009 season. It's to be built just east of the downtown casino district on the north side of the Truckee River.

"As wonderful as the stadium is, even more important is the retail aspect. That's what downtown really needs. It needs a catalyst to drive this and we believe this (stadium) is the project to do it,'' Geoffry Wilson of the Downtown Improvement Association told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

"This is indeed a field of dreams,'' said John Seymour, representing unionized electrical workers, speaking not only of the stadium but future jobs in construction as more new businesses are built downtown. The developers already have agreed to hire union building trade contractors and local contractors if possible.

The final government approval will be considered 2 p.m. next Friday when the Washoe County Commission is scheduled to vote on using a 2 percent car-rental tax, which will provide $27 million in funding, for the stadium.

If the fee is not used by Oct. 1 only three days later -- the ability to use the tax will go away and the Nevada Interim Finance Committee could decide to levy the car-rental tax for some other purpose.