Date officially set to determine Coyotes' future in Arizona

PUBLICATION

Cooper Godin
April 5, 2024 (11:05)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Arizona Coyotes seem to be on their last legs in the state, but will make one more big push to remain in the desert, with their future set to be decided in a couple of months.

On Wednesday night, the Arizona Coyotes announced details for their new arena and entertainment district, which they plan to build on a 110-acre plot of land in North Phoenix, which they say will create nearly 11,000 jobs. The date of the auction has officially be set for June 27th by the Arizona State Land Department.

In the proposed entertainment district, the Coyotes announced plans for a 17,000-seat NHL arena, a practice facility, team headquarters, a concert venue that can host up to 3,000 people, 400,000 square feet of retail space, among other amenities.

"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 & 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."

He added, "We are excited that the proceeds from our land auction bid will also generate revenues to fund local education throughout the state of Arizona and support the communities that have been so loyal to the Coyotes for many years. Arizona is our home, and an incredible market where the Coyotes belong. 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."

If the Coyotes win the land auction in late-June, it's unclear how fast shovels will go in the ground, but time will be ticking as the National Hockey League will want their permanent home built as quickly as possible so they can get out of the team's current 5,000-seat college arena.

On the other side of the equation, if the Coyotes fail to win the land auction, there's no doubt that the team and National Hockey League will begin to seriously look at relocation options for the franchise, with Salt Lake City, Utah and Houston, Texas as the most likely landing spots.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with the land auction in June. The Coyotes are hoping that they'll walk away successful and with a permanent home for the franchise, which might not be the news hockey fans outside of the desert will want to hear.

Source - Arizona Coyotes: Coyotes Announce Commitment to Win State Land Auction & Build Privately Funded Arena & Entertainment District