Scottsdale mayor David Ortega is opposing the Arizona Coyotes’ potential new arena in northeast Phoenix near his city’s border.
In a written statement,, Ortega said the renderings and plan released by the Coyotes last week were “presented without mention of market demand for a new entertainment venue disguised as a hockey arena, or congested highway access, or questionable arena zoning entitlement.”
The Coyotes have said they intend to bid on state trust land that will be auctioned in an area north of the Loop 101 freeway and west of Scottsdale Road in Phoenix. The starting bid is set at $68.5 million based on an appraisal of the l and, but could go much higher if other bidders are involved.
The Coyotes have indicated the land would be used for an arena and an entertainment district that would include restaurants and retail center, hotel, office space, a 3,500-person theater and 1,900 residential units. Ortega said such a development doesn’t take into account the lack of infrastructure on the land and other nearby centers with similar components in Scottsdale nearby.
“The prospect of a rookie developer attempting to buy Arizona State Trust Land with absolutely no infrastructure on the Phoenix side of the 101/Scottsdale Road intersection at the doorstep of Scottsdale is not feasible, or welcome,” Ortega wrote.
More:Arizona Coyotes’ new arena plans hinge on buying state land. What to know about the auction
The Arizona State Land Department on Thursday listed the auction for the more than 100 acres of land on the northwest corner of Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road. The auction date is set for June 27. Proceeds from state trust land auctions are primarily used to help fund state schools.
Ortega said he met with Arizona State Land Department officials in March and “demanded that infrastructure for the proposed site, including water and sewer, be pulled from Phoenix assets along 56th Street,” which is two miles west of Scottsdale Road.
“I have demanded that the 64th Street-AZ Loop 101 north exit be built out to serve the area, again to the west of Scottsdale Road. At our meeting, the Arizona State Land Department agreed that these requirements will be bundled with any successful bid for the property. I also met with the mayor of Phoenix who confirmed that all utilities must be extended from 56th Street,” Ortega wrote.
With the land auction flyer, the city of Phoenix attached a letter of recommendations about zoning, traffic, water and sewer infrastructure that would be required for a developer to add to meet the demands of a new entertainment district.
Phoenix projected the costs to be upward of $80 million on top of the cost of the land itself.
