![]() ![]() Mullett Arena seats around 5,000 fans for hockey, by far the NHL's smallest capacity. The NHL team committed to play at Mullett Arena for three seasons with an option for a fourth. While waiting on approval and construction of a permanent home in Tempe, the Coyotes relocated to Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State, sharing it with the Sun Devils' men's hockey program. The Coyotes turned their attention to Tempe, which was much closer to where most of the team's fans lived. The team originally played in Phoenix but called Glendale home from 2003 through last season, when the city council did not renew its arena lease. There were moments when relocation to Hamilton, Ontario Winnipeg and Seattle were close to happening. ![]() There have been several ownership changes, including one infamous bankruptcy in 2009 that led to the NHL owning the team for some time. The Tempe vote is another twist in the Coyotes' journey in Arizona, where the franchise relocated from Winnipeg in 1996. The city of Phoenix also had pending litigation against the planned residential units in the district, claiming that violated the 1994 Intergovernmental Agreement on Noise Mitigation Flight Procedures. There were questions about Meruelo and the bitter split between the Coyotes and Glendale. Those who opposed the project cited everything from use of public funds to traffic congestion to the desire to develop the land in other ways. ![]() All the things that say this club wants to be here, and frankly, the NHL wants the club to be here," he said. "It's a private-funded project, and the club's prepared to execute a 30-year, non-relocation agreement. Bettman also threw the league's support behind it. Four former Tempe mayors, as well as current Mayor Corey Woods, endorsed the bid. In November, the Tempe City Council unanimously approved the Coyotes' arena and entertainment district proposal. The Tempe arena bid had some significant supporters. What is next for the franchise will be evaluated by our owners and the National Hockey League over the coming weeks." "While we wanted a different outcome, we remain grateful to all those who volunteered their time and talent. "We are very disappointed Tempe voters did not approve Propositions 301, 302, and 303," Coyotes president and CEO Xavier A. When the initial returns had 56% of voters selecting "no" on the ballot for the three propositions, they acknowledged the voters had rejected the plan. Internally, the Coyotes had been optimistic about the vote entering Tuesday. In-person voting was held through Tuesday for ballots that were lost, spoiled or not received. Those ballots were mailed to voters on April 19 and were returned through May 9. The Coyotes needed voters to approve Propositions 301, 302 and 303 on a special election ballot. One of the team's rallying cries for the project was "Landfill to Landmark," as 1.5 million tons of trash would have been removed from the site at an estimated cost of $75 million. Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo owns the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, and the Sahara Las Vegas. The project also was expected to include a gambling component. The total project cost was estimated at $2.1 billion, with at least $1.9 billion privately funded, and would have included two hotels, a 3,500-person theater and up to 1,995 residential units. It's a 46-acre tract of land located roughly two miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. The Coyotes were seeking to build a 16,000-seat arena and an entertainment district on city-owned land at Rio Salado Parkway and Priest Drive, at the west end of Tempe Town Lake. "We are going to review with the Coyotes what the options might be going forward." ![]() "The NHL is terribly disappointed by the results of the public referenda regarding the Coyotes' arena project in Tempe," league commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. The Arizona Coyotes' plan to build a new arena in Tempe as part of a $2.1 billion entertainment district was rejected by voters on Tuesday, and the team said its future "will be evaluated by our owners and the National Hockey League" in the coming weeks. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĬoyotes' arena plan in Tempe rejected by voters future cloudy ![]()
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