What the Arizona Coyotes Plan for Their New Home If They Win a Monumental Land Auction
The Arizona Coyotes say they're fully committed to winning an auction for land in northeast Phoenix and building a new arena without taxpayer funding.
The Coyotes are going all-in to stay in Arizona.
On Thursday night, the team announced its commitment to winning an auction for state-owned land in Phoenix and developing an arena and entertainment district. Almost 11 months after referendum voters decided against their proposed arena project in neighboring Tempe, their latest commitment could keep the Coyotes in Arizona if it works out in their favor.
“Arizona is our home and an incredible market where the Coyotes belong,” Coyotes chairman-governor Alex Meruelo said in a statement. “This district would provide a beautiful home for the Arizona Coyotes for decades to come. Our loyal fans deserve this vibrant gathering place that would serve as a landmark to create lifelong memories.”
The Arizona State Land Department released a public land auction notice before the Coyotes' announcement. The auction is for 110 acres of land, roughly a half-hour drive northeast of downtown Phoenix, with a minimum bid of $68.5 million. The big auction is scheduled for June 27 at 11 a.m. local time.
The Coyotes' announcement for a proposed arena and district include:
- 17,000-seat capacity for NHL games and about 1,500 extra temporary seats for non-hockey events;
- A 150,000-square-foot practice facility and headquarters;
- 400,000 square feet of retail space and a multi-purpose watch party plaza;
- A live music theater for 3,000 concertgoers;
- About 1,900 luxury residential units;
- 10,800 new permanent jobs the Coyotes say this proposed development would create;
- $15.5 billion generated in new spending over the next 30 years;
- $581 million in new tax revenues for Phoenix and $232 million in new tax revenues for Maricopa County;
- More than $100 million worth of infrastructure improvements the Coyotes say will "unlock thousands of acres of land around the property" that the Arizona State Land Department can sell later on;
- "No burden placed on taxpayers," said Meruelo.
“This is more than just an arena project – it is a best-in-class urban redevelopment project that would transform a perfectly located parcel of land into an Arizona landmark and create a vibrant neighborhood for individuals to live, work and play,” Coyotes president-CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez said in the team's statement.
More than two years since the City of Glendale terminated the Coyotes' lease for city-owned Desert Diamond Arena (then-named Gila River Arena), the team has had to play out of Arizona State University's Mullett Arena, which sits only 4,600 spectators for NHL games.
In May 2023, the City of Tempe held a referendum on whether to sell the land to the Coyotes' group and rezone it to a mixed-use district. Fifty-six percent of voters voted "No" on two propositions related to rezoning, while 57 percent voted against an agreement that would have allowed selling the land to the Coyotes.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said on March 20 the league's aware that time is of the essence, but he's focused on Meruelo working on acquiring the land for the Coyotes' new arena.
“We would've preferred to be in a new arena by now, but there are certain things that couldn't be controlled," Bettman told reporters about the process at the time. “We would've preferred that the referendum in Tempe went the other way, but it didn't, and so we deal with what we can deal with.
“Having said that, we believe Arizona and particularly the Greater Phoenix Area is a good NHL market. It's a place we want to be.”
Just like that, the countdown's begun in Arizona on whether its NHL market will succeed in buying land for its new home or whether it could truly be the beginning of the end for this franchise in the state.
For continued coverage of the present and future of the Arizona Coyotes, on and off the ice, visit The Hockey News' Arizona Coyotes site.