The Arizona Coyotes bid farewell to their longtime home at Gila River Arena in Glendale in April 2022, marking the end of an era for the team. They temporarily relocated to the Arizona State University’s rink in Tempe while they continued to pursue plans for a new permanent arena within the Greater Phoenix area. Could that new arena be in North Scottsdale? Click HERE to watch Jeff Sibbach on Arizona’s Family News!
Arizona Coyotes Release Details of Proposed Entertainment District Near Scottsdale
From Arizona’s Family News – The Arizona Coyotes released renderings Thursday night of the team’s planned state-of-the-art arena near Scottsdale.
The Coyotes said they are committed to winning a public land auction for a new home arena at a 110-acre plot at the northwest corner of Scottsdale Road and Loop 101.
“My family and I are committed to winning this land auction and building a transformative entertainment district that will not require taxpayer funding for the first time in Arizona history,” said Arizona Coyotes Chairman and Governor Alex Meruelo. “We will buy this land, build this development and finish a project that will incur the cost of more than $100 million in infrastructure improvements with no burden placed on taxpayers.”
The project would be the first ever privately funded sports arena and entertainment district in the history of Arizona, and it would create 10,800 new jobs and generate $15.5 billion in new spending over the next 30 years.
Steve Peters, a hockey analyst for PHNX Sports and who worked as a coach for the Coyotes for more than 20 years, said this auction will decide whether the team leaves or stays in the Valley.
“This is it. This is their last opportunity,” Peters said. “They feel the ball is in their court now. I think the league is finally ready to give up on this market. They’ve held onto this market for so long. Through Portland, Seattle and so many other rumored moves. This one could finally be it.”
The team has been searching for a new home since they were evicted from their long-time arena in Glendale two seasons ago. Now they’re hoping to find a new home in north Phoenix. The land will go to auction on June 27.
Jeff Sibbach, real estate agent with eXp Realty, said he thinks there will be several bidders on the land since it is in a prime location — right off a major highway and next to Scottsdale.
“They appraised it for $68.5 million, and it’s 100 acres,” Sibbach said. “I’m expecting it to go for $100 million up to $140 million. You cannot find a better piece land of here.”
The arena project would generate $581 million in new tax revenues for the city of Phoenix and $232 million for Maricopa County, the Coyotes said in a release.
The development at the Phoenix-Scottsdale border would also include nearly 1,900 luxury rental units, 400,000 square feet of office space, retail, dining, dog park, and other gathering spaces.
“We are thrilled by the prospects of building this historic development for Arizona Coyotes fans and fans in waiting,” said Coyotes President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez. “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.”
