Fate of Arizona Coyotes arena proposal to be decided by public vote in May 2023

Tempe City Council has voted unanimously to send the Arizona Coyotes’ proposed 16,000-seat arena and entertainment district to a referendum in May 2023, PHNX Sports‘ Chierstin Susel reported Thursday evening.

The Coyotes have presented a $2.1 billion plan to remediate and develop 46 acres of land on the south bank of the Salt River in Tempe, AZ, just two miles west of Mullett Arena and the Arizona State University campus.

Back in June, Tempe City Council voted 5–2 to approve formal negotiations with the Coyotes on the proposed development, which — save for $200 million in city sales tax revenue generated by the project — the team says would be constructed with private funds.

While a preliminary council vote on the project is expected for November 29, it appears Tempe citizens will have the ultimate say on whether it’ll move forward.

The Tempe City Council has unanimously voted to send the Coyotes proposed hockey arena and entertainment district to referendum, residents will be able to vote in a special election in May. Had the opportunity to push it to August but decided on the earlier date. @PHNX_Coyotes pic.twitter.com/SRVsYBjaXQ

— Chierstin Susel (@ChierstinSusel) November 11, 2022

The Coyotes played their first four games at Mullett Arena in recent weeks after starting the 2022–23 season on a six-game road trip.

As the Coyotes wait for construction to finish on their new NHL-standard dressing rooms, they’re currently in the midst of an NHL record-tying 14-game road trip (which they’ve started with three consecutive wins).

In addition to an NHL-sized arena, the Coyotes’ entertainment district would include hotels, residential areas, restaurants, and retail stores. It’d be built on the site of a compost yard at the northeast corner of Rio Salado Parkway and Priest Drive in Tempe.

As we’ve covered in depth here at Daily Faceoff, the Coyotes would have a few other possible options at their disposal if the Tempe project is rejected. They could attempt to bunk in with the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center, which previously hosted the Coyotes until 2003; other alternatives would include renovating the ancient Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum or (owner-willing) relocation.

The Coyotes defeated the New York Islanders by a 2–0 score on Thursday evening.