Following a public meeting lasting more than eight hours, the Tempe City Council voted 5-2 to begin negotiations with the Arizona Coyotes on a proposal to build a new arena and entertainment district on 46 acres of land currently owned by the City.
The Coyotes’ proposal includes a state-of-of-the-art arena, retail, hotels, restaurant and entertainment spaces, office and hundreds of multifamily units.
Hundreds of residents filled the Council chambers and overflow areas. Coyotes representatives gave two presentations; Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport representatives gave a presentation opposing the plan; dozens of citizens requested to speak, and more than 200 submitted comments were read into the public record.
The team also unveiled new renderings for the project and disclosed design duties would be filled by two firms – Gensler and Manica.
Business and community leaders generally spoke in favor of the proposal, while airport officials repeated their opposition, claiming the development and implementation of the project’s residential components will cause lasting harm to Sky Harbor operations, a claim the Coyotes deny. Sky Harbor officials have repeatedly stated the residential component is the focus of their opposition, not the arena or entertainment district, themselves.
Federal Aviation Administration officials have sided with Sky Harbor for the moment, calling the residential development plan a noncompatible land use.
Airport representatives have also alleged residential development would violate a 1994 intergovernmental agreement between Tempe and Phoenix. Attorneys for Tempe and the Coyotes have disagreed with Phoenix’s interpretation. Phoenix has said it may file a lawsuit against the proposal if it proceeds in its current form. (Source)