The Arizona Coyotes Are Now One Step Away From Realizing Their Arena Dreams

Tuesday night, the Arizona Coyotes took a big step toward turning their long-sought-after dream of a new centrally located arena into reality.

Tempe City Council delivered a unanimous 7-0 vote to approve the last three items on their agenda regarding the Coyotes’ proposed $2.1 billion, privately funded arena and entertainment district project.

Just one step remains before Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo and his team get the green light to proceed: a public referendum slated for May 16, 2023.

“Tonight’s a momentous occasion,” Coyotes president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez told the media following Tuesday’s city council meeting. “A 7-0 vote really shows, I think, their support of what we’ve put forth. We’ve said from the beginning: this is the right project, this is the right deal and we are the right team to execute on it.”

“I really do believe that this, as constructed, is the best entertainment district arena deal in the history of the state of Arizona,” said Tempe mayor Corey Woods. “That’s something I’m obviously very proud of, as mayor.”

The journey to Tuesday’s vote goes back decades, and has temporarily landed the Coyotes in the new Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University. The arena has a capacity of 4,600 for NHL hockey, thousands below the other venues around the league, and has also required nearly $20 million in add-ons in order to be NHL-ready, including an annex that will house NHL-quality locker rooms and training facilities.

Construction of the annex was not complete when the Coyotes played their first four home games of the season a month ago. The team is currently 10 games into a record-tying 14-straight games on the road and will return to Mullett Arena on Dec. 9, hosting the league-leading Boston Bruins.

After overseeing the Coyotes’ tumultuous existence ever since the original Winnipeg Jets franchise first relocated to the desert in 1996, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was on hand to voice his support on Tuesday.

To help quell the constant talk of potential relocation that has plagued the franchise practically since its inception, Bettman told city council that the team would be willing to sign a 30-year non-relocation agreement. He then sweetened the pot by adding that the league would commit to hosting either an upcoming NHL Draft or All-Star Game at the new arena — both major tentpole events which generate buzz for the host city and team as well as significant economic benefits.

“We’re very enthused about the prospects for the Tempe Entertainment District,” Bettman told the media after Tuesday’s meeting. “Obviously, the Coyotes need a new arena, and Alex Meruelo’s commitment to this franchise and to Arizona has been unwavering. He has our support, and if you go back over the last 25 years, our commitment to Arizona has never wavered.

“We think this is going to be a win-win for the community and for the Coyotes.”

And while the support from Tempe’s city council has been crucial to moving the project ahead to the referendum phase, the project still has its detractors. The proposed site is two miles west of Mullett Arena, and just over two miles east of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Being so close to the airport, there are concerns about noise, particularly regarding the residential component of the project, as well as potential disruptions to flight paths.

According to Mayor Woods, the Coyotes have been meeting with community members throughout the Tempe region over the last six months, addressing their questions and concerns, as well as handling input from city councilmembers. “I found that they were very amenable to change and to negotiation and to adding additional things that, frankly, help make the deal even better,” he said.

According to Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, Doreen Garlid was one of two councilmembers who voted to oppose moving forward with negotiations on the arena project last June. But she felt comfortable enough with the details as they currently stand to support the move to the referendum stage on Tuesday.

“While I’ve still got some reservations about this being the best fit for our last large chunk of city-owned land, it makes sense for us to give the residents of Tempe the opportunity to weigh in with their vote,” she said.

Bettman expressed confidence in the referendum process.

“We believe, when people understand the merits of this project, that it’ll get widespread support,” he said.