It was announced late Thursday night that the Arizona State Land Department has officially posted a 95-acre parcel of land in northeast Phoenix for auction. It is this land that the Arizona Coyotes will hope to use for their next arena, per PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Web link). The auction will take place on June 27th and carry a minimum bid of $68.5 million. Other interested bidders aren’t currently public at this time, though Morgan references recent research that suggests only 22 percent of Arizona land auctions since 2017 have had multiple bidders (26 of 117 auctions).
That means that the Coyotes could end up unopposed as they pursue the site of their new home. That’s great news for the team’s visioning staff, who have mocked up an in-depth rendering of what Arizona’s new rink could look like (YouTube link). Per the rendering, the 95-acre plot would become the home to a 17,000-seat arena, an adjacent practice arena, a training facility, a theater, residential areas, and an entertainment area. The plan carries an estimated cost of more than $3B.
Morgan did an interview with team president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez, where it was revealed that owner Alex Meruelo does not plan to use taxpayer dollars to fund this project. Gutierrez also shared that the land should transfer ownership within 30 days of the auction, if the Coyotes organization were to win. He added that this site shares all of the same zoning that the land parcel in Tempe carried, giving the team the ability to fully carry over their plans.
It seems things are turning around for the better for the Arizona Coyotes, who now have a date to look towards in their pursuit of a new home.