Arizona Coyotes Leak Renderings of Proposed Arena in North Phoenix

Article originally posted on HERE on March 21, 2024

The team first posted the images on the website overnight but were quickly taken down, according to media reports. However, a photo gallery with the renderings was still live on the Coyotes’ app Wednesday morning.

Arizona’s Family previously reported the team was cleared to bid on a tract of land near the Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road. The Arizona State Land Department Board of Appeals unanimously approved the $68.5 million appraisal of the 95 acres near Desert Ridge Marketplace.

The decision sets the stage for the Arizona State Land Department to sell the land at auction with a starting price of $68.5 million. The next step is to set an auction date, which must be publicly advertised for 10 weeks.

Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo looked at various potential arena sites around the Valley before zeroing in on the tract of land near Scottsdale.

“I think people are craving certainty,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said recently. “And we are, too, but this isn’t a 60-minute game where the light goes on and the game’s over. He’s (Meruelo) working on it. We still have some time.”

The Coyotes have been searching for a permanent home since their former owner took the franchise in bankruptcy in 2009. The team appeared to have stable footing at the then-Gila River Arena, but the city of Glendale backed out of a multimillion-dollar lease agreement in 2015.

The Coyotes have an agreement to play at Mullett Arena for the 2024-25 season with a possible extension.

The Coyotes also have significant interest from the owners of the NBA’s Utah Jazz as they eye the possibility of bringing an NHL team to Salt Lake City. Bettman said Ryan Smith and his group are “very enthused about the possibility.”