PHOENIX — It’s crystal clear. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego doesn’t support using taxpayer funds for an Arizona Coyotes arena.
A spokesperson for the Mayor told 12Sports Cameron Cox:
Mayor Gallego had a productive meeting with Alex Meruelo and his family a few weeks ago, and they spoke about Mr. Meruelo’s plans to participate in the state land auction and, if successful, develop the north Phoenix site The mayor believes professional hockey can thrive in the desert, but also made clear that she does not support using taxpayer funds, including property tax abatement, for sports arenas.
Does that include establishing a theme park district?
“The Mayor doesn’t support any kind of property tax abatement,” Gallego spokesperson Arielle Devorah said.
The Coyotes were relocated to Salt Lake City in April. Meruelo still wants to bring NHL hockey back to Arizona. A Coyotes source told 12Sports Cameron Cox “The team plans to continue to move forward with the land auction.”
The team plans to bid on state-owned land off Scottsdale Road and Loop 101 near Desert Ridge in North Phoenix. The auction is set for June 27.
Winning the auction would be the first step for the team to build a new arena. Meruelo still owns the Coyotes’ name, logo and trademark. The league granted him a 5-year window to bring back the Coyotes if an arena is built.
NHL Gary Bettman said the league needs advance notice of 18 months in order to reactivate the franchise.
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Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
