Phoenix Area Stadium and Arena News

[PHX31]

/\Wow, that is GREAT news. But it makes me wonder if the NHL and Coyotes will ever come back now. Before it seemed like a 5 year guarantee to get a new team back. Now, it sounds like it's just starting from scratch (which could be a better thing with new unknown ownership).

I can't imagine Ishbia would be interested. He paid out the — for the Suns, they are way over the Salary cap into the insane luxury tax 2nd apron or something, and is he even a hockey guy? He played college bball, so getting into the NBA makes some sense from a personal interest standpoint.

[muertecaza]

If hockey leaving made MLS expansion more likely, especially if they built the rumored stadium at the Mesa Riverview gravel pit, I'd count that as a win. But I'm not sure how much hockey leaving would factor into MLS expansion decisions if at all.

[MiEncanto]

I'm interested to see how the law changes on the theme park district impact MLS and Coyotes. The law has been around forever but it has never been utilized. I'm told it was originally created for a theme park in Williams that never happened. Then a few years ago I remember the Dbacks got it amended to make it work for what they wanted.

This year, it was changed again, ostensibly for MLS? A lawmaker from Snowflake sponsored so that doesn't make sense. Basically, instead of needing both the County Board and City Council to approve, you just need one. But only a City with 500k or more people can do it alone, which is Mesa, Tucson and Phx. At least that's my read.

The Dbacks have been saying now for a couple years they have no intention to use it, probably because you have to use your own money to pay the debt service on the bonds, which isn't much fun. It was funny that the Coyotes took so much heat for it being a sweetheart deal when the Dbacks have said several times that its such a bad deal for them they don't even want to use it.

The biggest challenge I see is no one wants their stadium/arena paying property taxes cuz that's a huge cost and literally no stadium in the country does that as far as I know. There's almost always some kind of municipal ownership thing.

So the only option for a team is a city builds and owns it (unlikely), the county does it like Chase (very unlikely), the state decides it wants to do another Cardinals deal with the Stadium district (very unlikely), tribal land, which is complicated because you won't get a full-up district with housing, or the theme park district.

The danger of doing it in Mesa is it could be referred to the ballot and I'm not sure how their voters will react.

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by PHX31

/\Wow, that is GREAT news. But it makes me wonder if the NHL and Coyotes will ever come back now. Before it seemed like a 5 year guarantee to get a new team back. Now, it sounds like it's just starting from scratch (which could be a better thing with new unknown ownership).

I can't imagine Ishbia would be interested. He paid out the — for the Suns, they are way over the Salary cap into the insane luxury tax 2nd apron or something, and is he even a hockey guy? He played college bball, so getting into the NBA makes some sense from a personal interest standpoint.

Kind of a stretch to call it a "guarantee", especially with Meruelo at the helm to try and get an arena built. All the signs/red flags were there that after the sale to Utah, he was never serious about bringing hockey back and he was taking his $1B and headed for the door. No one in the NHL or local government wanted to partner with him.

With him gone, better to have the band-aid ripped now than rather wait the full 5 years and reach the same outcome.

Regarding Ishbia, it's clear he wants to win and is a savy businessman. There is no indication he is slowing down in regards to spending w/ the Suns. I just think there is no appetite currently to support another arena in The Valley and this could be the best case for bringing hockey back to the desert.

If not Ishbia, then hopefully another ownership group revisits the Tempe landfill site and takes the time to do it right and educate the public. Meruelo, his son, and Xavier were complete morons in this regard.

[ASU Diablo]

This probably was his plan from the beginning.

He now gets to use the $1B from the sale to build his ~11K arena in Reno, NV and is taking the Roadrunners with him once built. The bright side of all this is that the 'Yotes rights are returned back to the NHL. Part of me wants future ownership to start from scratch (new name/logo) since it appears to be cursed, but at the same time, I love the 'Yotes name and the Kachina sweaters are amazing.

https://x.com/puckreportnhl/status/1805694738072252714?s=46&t=Kwc5fdQz-9xto6gli9jVMg

Originally Posted by MiEncanto

I'm interested to see how the law changes on the theme park district impact MLS and Coyotes. The law has been around forever but it has never been utilized. I'm told it was originally created for a theme park in Williams that never happened. Then a few years ago I remember the Dbacks got it amended to make it work for what they wanted.

This year, it was changed again, ostensibly for MLS? A lawmaker from Snowflake sponsored so that doesn't make sense. Basically, instead of needing both the County Board and City Council to approve, you just need one. But only a City with 500k or more people can do it alone, which is Mesa, Tucson and Phx. At least that's my read.

Good point. The timing of the announcement (right after the sale being cancelled) was suspicious to say the least. This has to be a positive for future ownership group.

[ASU Diablo]

Progress (albeit slow) continues to happen. DBacks and the City/County just need to lock up the long-term lease already. After this whole Coyote/arena debacle, I'm sure many sports fans around The Valley are wiped out.

https://arizonasports.com/story/3549636/arizona-diamondbacks-in-talks-to-extend-chase-field-lease/

On a related note, anyone have any updates on where the City stands w/ the proposed entertainment project? Last I recall, they approved spending $100Ks on a Consultant. Do we know when that report is supposed to be publicized?

[ASU Diablo]

Slow news month. Interesting comments by Ishbia over WNBA All-Star Weekend. Can't believe he's already thinking about replacing the Footprint Center.

In Ishbia we trust!

https://www.sportico.com/leagues/hockey/2024/ishbia-nhl-new-arena-phoenix-1234790457/

The Arizona Coyotes and the National League Hockey have fled Maricopa County for Utah. But the sport might not be gone forever. If any sports figure in the city is equipped to bring it back, it’s Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia.

He has the wherewithal, the arena and more importantly the will. Ishbia told Sportico he was up to that challenge last week, as the WNBA All-Star Game came to Footprint Center and a $100 million women’s practice facility funded by Ishbia opened behind the arena.

“I’m definitely going to be part of the community, and if I can help bring hockey back, I’ll look at that,” he said. “It’s definitely something I’m interested in. It’s a four-sport town. I’m disappointed we don’t have a hockey team, but I understand what happened, and we’re going to try to fix that one day.”

One day could be sooner than anybody thinks. Ishbia wouldn’t say if he’s already talking to the NHL, and the league didn’t respond when asked to comment. The NHL clearly wants the team in a new or stable arena, and a new downtown Phoenix edifice is part of the long-term plan, Ishbia said.

“I think our arena is first-class right now. I love our arena,” he said. “But at some point we’re going to have to get a new arena.”

Footprint is 32 years old and underwent a $230 million renovation as recently as 2020, though it is cramped compared with more recently built venues.

Ishbia believes a new downtown arena is in the city’s future, and there’s plenty of room south of the current facility to build it, which is just what the NHL wants.

“We’re going to continue to evolve,” Ishbia said. “My investment in basketball and this community’s not going to stop.”

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by ASU Diablo

Slow news month. Interesting comments by Ishbia over WNBA All-Star Weekend. Can't believe he's already thinking about replacing the Footprint Center.

In Ishbia we trust!

https://www.sportico.com/leagues/hockey/2024/ishbia-nhl-new-arena-phoenix-1234790457/

By the time a new arena gets built, it will be close to around 2030 until it's done. Even the recent upgrades will start feeling a little dated by then. If he can grab the 'yotes franchise, a new dual-purpose arena would be stellar. Suns win, Coyotes win, Downtown wins, everybody wins!

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by CrestedSaguaro

By the time a new arena gets built, it will be close to around 2030 until it's done. Even the recent upgrades will start feeling a little dated by then. If he can grab the 'yotes franchise, a new dual-purpose arena would be stellar. Suns win, Coyotes win, Downtown wins, everybody wins!

Wow! No doubt about that one, too! I can’t imagine coyotes are coming back to Arizona. No wonder how much they loved the hockey game. It would be interesting to see what happens. I’ll believe it when I see it! Those Coyotes fans are going to be happy with this. That’s exactly what they want!

[locolife]

Originally Posted by CrestedSaguaro

By the time a new arena gets built, it will be close to around 2030 until it's done. Even the recent upgrades will start feeling a little dated by then. If he can grab the 'yotes franchise, a new dual-purpose arena would be stellar. Suns win, Coyotes win, Downtown wins, everybody wins!

I could see him wanting to do something big downtown. Entertainment, hotel, all mixed in. Looking forward to how this progresses. Combined with what the D'Baks can and should do with the CC and rebuild/remodel of Chase, a lot of momentum could hit the stadium district.

[ASU Diablo]

The gift that keeps on giving. At this point, I just feel like the County is in over their heads. Too bad the City of Phoenix isn't able to work out a deal where they turn over ownership of the ballpark to them.

https://arizonasports.com/story/3558706/d-backs-chase-field-sour-county/

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been negotiating with Maricopa County about extending their lease agreement at Chase Field with the current deal ending in 2027, but the cordial talks took a negative turn this week.

AZCentral.com published a summary of letters from this week that show suddenly contentious exchanges between the D-backs and county. Maricopa County sent a counteroffer that Diamondbacks CEO and president Derrick Hall in a private reply called “extremely offensive.”

Hall confirmed Thursday to Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta the relationship has taken a sour turn in the past week. In fact, he said he now doesn’t “see a deal in sight” with the current lease expiring in 2027.

“It was definitely the offer, the counterproposal, which is in my words ridiculous,” Hall said of what offended him. “But also the fact that they went public with it. I don’t understand it. For quite some time, I’ve used words like ‘encouraging, optimistic.’ Those words are gone, for sure. And it’s sad.

“I mean, they decided to go public with this rather than to do what we’ve done all along, quietly, privately, respectfully. You go attorney to attorney, it stays confidential. They then send us a response and a counter and make it public and it goes into the media, and that’s just their side of the situation.”

Among the problematic parts of a counteroffer sent to the team is that the county is asking for a D-backs commitment of about $200 million if it wants to unlock zoning for mixed-use developments of restaurants, hotels and retail around the ballpark, Hall said.

Assistant county manager Zach Schira told AZCentral.com that the offer was “fair” and the county is committed to keeping the team at Chase Field. But the county did not respond to AZCentral.com when asked for a response to the D-backs’ public statements about the counteroffer. Hall told Arizona Sports that the article shows how difficult the county has been to deal with.

D-backs’ relationship with Maricopa County over Chase Field has an up and down history
The Diamondbacks had reached a gulf with Maricopa County a half-decade ago over who is in charge of the stadium — it is county-owned — but reached a deal that allowed the D-backs to take control of non-baseball events such as concerts. That put the team squarely in charge of keeping Chase Field up to date, the county has maintained.

Up until this week, Hall had said the relationship with the county was in a good place.

Separate discussions for the Diamondbacks about how to fund Chase Field upgrades revolved around a tax recapture similar to how the Arizona Cardinals fund upgrades and maintenance at State Farm Stadium.
But this week, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers’ response and counteroffer to a letter sent by Hall this summer took a different tone.

“I can’t figure out why they want it to be public. It just shows how bad of a proposal it was,” Hall told Bickley & Marotta. “This is a government authority that has proven all along that they do not have the desire nor the ability to put any money into their own building. Not a penny. And you can see it in their proposal.

“Here they are asking us to sign a 50-year extension without any public funding at the time — which we’re trying to seek through tax recollection, which is very realistic — and still asking us nonetheless to not even pursue mixed use, which we have said all along we need with restaurant, hotel, retail around the ballpark. And they say they won’t allow us to even talk about that opportunity and quote-unquote unlock that opportunity and possibility until we’ve put nearly $200 million into the ballpark. Again, they’re not even putting a penny.”

Hall said the timeline to find a solution remains the first month or two of the 2025 calendar year.

The upcoming election before then also comes into play, with the author of the most testy letter to the D-backs, Sellers, having lost his primary, meaning he won’t return to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. Two other supervisors didn’t seek reelection, meaning most of the current five-member board won’t be returning.
Still, Hall said Thursday the tone from the county has “taken the wind out of any sails.”

“I don’t see a deal now with the county, at least with this current board composition. I mean, it’s just impossible,” Hall said. “We’ll continue to work with the state and city and see if there’s a way to bail them out with their problems that they’re building.”

Hall said the D-backs will still pursue avenues to keep the team at Chase Field. A Nov. 5 general election stands between his deadline. Finding answers to how the Diamondbacks will fund stadium updates remains a challenge itself.

“We need to know there’s that partnership, that private-public partnership,” he said. “If we can find that by that time (in early 2025), we’ll be fine.”

[ASU Diablo]

With new blood onboard, hopefully the MCBOS can get a new deal done w/ the DBacks and begin the reno process. NHL appears to be pie in the sky but optimistic something is at least getting done to get the ball rolling.

https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2025/01/06/maricopa-county-bring-nhl-back-to-phoenix.html

Maricopa County intends to form a committee to find a way to get a new National Hockey League team in the Valley.

Supervisor Thomas Galvin made the announcement during the swearing in ceremony in downtown Phoenix for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. During the same meeting, Galvin was elected chairman of the board.

"I'm forming an advisory committee of visionary leaders dedicated to bringing NHL hockey back to the Valley," Galvin said.

The committee is still in its early stages and no committee members were announced. Galvin said it would be made up of "smart, credible people who know how to do things the right way."

The proposed committee would report to Galvin and would only be looking for ways to bring a team back to the state. Galvin said he has no intention of the county owning, building or paying for an NHL arena.

The Valley was home to the Arizona Coyotes for nearly three decades until the team was forced to move to Salt Lake City at the end of the 2023-24 NHL season. After playing at what is now called Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale until 2022, the NHL and Coyotes ownership wanted the team to move to a new arena in the east side of the Valley. In 2023, the team was shut out in its attempt to get voter approval for a project in Tempe and was never able to secure land for another arena site.

The team played its last two seasons in the Valley at Arizona State University's Mullett Arena in Tempe, which is far smaller than a typical NHL arena in the U.S. and Canada. NHL leaders ultimately forced Alex Meruelo to sell the Coyotes for $1 billion in April 2024. He had acquired the team for about $400 million in 2019.

Meruelo still owns the Tucson Roadrunners, the minor league affiliate of the former Coyotes team that is now the Utah Hockey Club.

“Losing the Arizona Coyotes was a low point, and I cringed when local politicians took glee in the demise of our hockey team,” Galvin said.

NHL leaders have suggested that they would eventually like a team back in the Phoenix market, but that it wasn't being actively pursued because an owner and a site for an arena had to be identified first.

Galvin said he's been in communication with NHL executives about bringing a team back to the Valley.

“I’ve had several meetings with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman," Galvin said, "He looks forward to working with us to identify an order in the best location for a world-class building.”

Galvin said he has not met with any prospective owners or developers about building an arena.

The pro sports venue the county does own
During his Jan. 6 speech, Galvin also addressed the issues facing Chase Field, the downtown sports facility owned by Maricopa County.

The county and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in the midst of negotiations about the future of the team and the building. Chase Field is owned by the Maricopa County Stadium District, which is controlled by the county board of supervisors.

The Diamondbacks’ lease is up in 2027. For years, the team has expressed a desire to go build a new stadium or do massive renovations to the existing building. Diamondbacks’ ownership struggled to find a partner with the county or with another municipality to help finance the renovations or the construction of a new stadium.

In the late 2010s, the Diamondbacks took control of the building from the county. With that control, the team was able to book the venue for concerts and other non-baseball events, but it also was in charge of any renovations. While the team has made some upgrades, no significant improvements have been made in the past several years.

On Monday, Galvin said he sees sports as a form of economic development and that he loves the hometown teams.

"I can assure you the board will work very hard with the Diamondbacks on addressing the future of Chase Field," Galvin said. "I see my role in this as looking out for the taxpayers' best interest, and that's my line in the sand."

Galvin also suggested that the newly elected board of supervisors could negotiate a deal that previous leadership could not.

"This is a brand new day," he said. "I'm optimistic that the Diamondbacks and this board of supervisors are going to work together productively and cooperatively and figure out a solution for Chase Field."

[ASUSunDevil]

We're not getting the NHL back after that all-time failure. Rivaled only by the Cardinals playing in Glendale instead of Papago.

Instead lets support ASU Hockey and get Chase Field renovated

[MiEncanto]

I'm a bit shocked that the Board, after having nothing to show for managing the DBacks situation, would double down and say they're going to mange a second problem!

Perhaps if we are being optimistic, we can hope the new board can crack these nuts. But all the staff at the County largely appears unchanged so color me skeptical.

[YourBuddy]

Galvin is the type of shady politician to have a lot of business ties. So maybe he can get some of his backers to start a team.

[locolife]

News on Chase Field.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitch state leaders on upgrading Chase Field using sales tax revenue.

Rep. Justin Wilmeth, a Phoenix Republican and self-described "huge baseball fan," confirmed he was approached about the team's proposal to redirect city, county and state sales tax to stadium improvements late last year.

“And I have no problem with that," Wilmeth said of the proposal. "If you don't want to go to a DBacks game, then you’re not going to pay for it.”

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/pol...prove-county-owned-ballpark/77604696007/

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by locolife

News on Chase Field.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitch state leaders on upgrading Chase Field using sales tax revenue.

Rep. Justin Wilmeth, a Phoenix Republican and self-described "huge baseball fan," confirmed he was approached about the team's proposal to redirect city, county and state sales tax to stadium improvements late last year.

“And I have no problem with that," Wilmeth said of the proposal. "If you don't want to go to a DBacks game, then you’re not going to pay for it.”

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/pol...prove-county-owned-ballpark/77604696007/

https://www.kjzz.org/politics/2025-02-05...ipartisan-support-at-arizona-legislature

A proposal backed by the Arizona Diamondbacks that would let the team use state and local taxes to pay for stadium repairs is advancing through the state Legislature.

...

According to the team, Chase Field needs a roughly $500 million facelift to fix an array of problems, from the roof to air conditioning and plumbing.

...

Rep. Jeff Weninger (R-Chandler) said that’s why he proposed House Bill 2704, which would let the team use sales tax collected at the stadium during games – and income taxes levied against employees, including players – to pay for repairs. He also added a provision requiring the team to pay a $10 million penalty if the team leaves the stadium before 2035.

Those taxes currently flow to city, county and state coffers to pay for services provided by state and local governments.

...

The Diamondbacks estimated Weninger’s proposal could bring in $15 million to $20 million annually. As part of the deal, the team has agreed to contribute $250 million to $300 million toward repairs on top of $250 million it has already spent on the stadium, said Amilyn Pierce, the team’s vice president for government affairs.

...

But critics said the move will divert much-needed funding away from city and state services.

“We simply don't believe that a billionaire owner needs his team to receive handouts from working families,” said Margaret Schultz with Worker Power, a group representing organized labor interests, referencing Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick.

...

Lawmakers on the Arizona House’s Commerce Committee approved HB 2704 on an 8-1 vote, though several legislators reserved the right to change their positions when the legislation reaches a full vote on the House floor.

...

Even if the bill passes out of the House, it will need to win approval in the Arizona Senate and be signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs. It’s unclear where Hobbs stands on the bill now.

“The governor wants the Diamondbacks to stay in Phoenix. As with any bill, the governor’s office is engaging with stakeholders and legislators, but it’s too early in the process to comment on any legislation,” Christian Slater, Hobbs’ spokesman, said.

...

A key stakeholder – Maricopa County – currently opposes the bill. Assistant County Manager Zach Schira told lawmakers the county wants to ensure voter-approved sales taxes that fund transportation projects and jails are not impacted by the Diamondbacks' bill.

Phoenix also registered opposition to the bill but did not provide a reason by the deadline for this story.

Weninger said he planned to sit down with both the city and county soon to address their concerns.

Schira said the county would remain neutral on the bill if the voter-approved taxes are carved out of the proposal.

[ASU Diablo]

With Arizona HB 2704 likely to pass and be signed into law by Governor Hobbs, the latest Chase Field drama can hopefully be put to rest. I'm glad the DBacks are staying in downtown.

I've read that Ken Kendrick has committed to spending $300M on the ballpark itself. If I read correctly, this new piece of legislature is more about repurposing existing state/local taxes into a maintenance fund for the ballpark versus the previous approach of creating a "stadium district".

Hopefully the ownership group is still looking to create mixed-used projects around the ballpark.

[MiEncanto]

It appears to have only passed 1 committee so I think it's premature to say this Dbacks deal is done. CoP, the County, and some progressive groups are opposed. Those group got a deal killed in Glendale and a group came together to turn off the Tempe Coyotes project. Don't forget a lot of Dems hate Ken Kendrick so that could be interesting. We'll see.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by MiEncanto

It appears to have only passed 1 committee so I think it's premature to say this Dbacks deal is done. CoP, the County, and some progressive groups are opposed. Those group got a deal killed in Glendale and a group came together to turn off the Tempe Coyotes project. Don't forget a lot of Dems hate Ken Kendrick so that could be interesting. We'll see.

I'm opposed because this deal would take money from the city and county, and they would not be able to demand anything in return because the arrangement has been dictated by the state. At a minimum, I would like the Diamondbacks to not oppose the proposed Third Street cycle track that would pass by the stadium. It might also be nice if Chase Field joined its neighbor the Footprint Center is covering light rail rides to and from events for all ticket holders. A few modest concessions would make this deal more appealing for local government, but the state is taking away leverage by acting at a higher level.