Arizona Coyotes' plans for new $3 billion arena hits major roadblock

The Arizona Coyotes' quest for a new arena has encountered a significant hurdle as Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega has declared a setback in the form of an insurmountable water issue.

The Coyotes, who currently play their home games at the 4,600-capacity Mullett Arena, have been vocal about their plans to build a new stadium.

The ownership had reportedly been eyeing a 95-acre state-owned plot for the proposed new arena which would be non-taxpayer funded.

However, Ortega's recent remarks have now cast a huge shadow of uncertainty over the plans. In a strongly worded statement gathered by 12news.com, Ortega lashed out at the Coyotes' plans to purchase state-owned land:

"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."

The proposed arena site, located near Scottsdale Road and Loop 101, seemed promising for the NHL franchise, but the lack of "water assets" in Scottsdale has cast a shadow over the project's feasibility.

"The bare Arizona State Trust Land at the edge of Phoenix has no frontage roads and water and sewer lie miles away to the west."

Ortega further went on to note that while he is not against the idea of the new arena altogether, the Coyotes must look further west for a new plot of land.

"I admire the hockey sport, Arizona Coyotes community involvement and phenomenal youth clubs at the Scottsdale Ice Den... As it stands today, the fantasy hockey project must move west, away from Scottsdale."

With the proposed arena site no longer viable in Scottsdale, it'll be interesting to see what alternatives are pursued.

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All we know so far about Arizona Coyotes' new arena and entertainment district

The Arizona Coyotes have been without a permanent home for a while now. Ever since being evicted from the Gila River Arena in 2022 following a lease dispute, the team has been sharing Mullett Arena situated at the Arizona State University.

The Coyotes' ownership has been plotting to move to a brand new state-of-the-art stadium for a while now.

Just last week, Arizona Coyotes Chairman Alex Meruelo and team CEO Xavier Gutierre floated the team's plan of building Arizona's first privately funded sports arena and entertainment district costing roughly $3 billion.

The new arena would reportedly seat up to 17,000 fans for its NHL games while adding another 1,500 temporary seats for non-hockey events.

The multipurpose arena is also proposed to have a 150,000-square-foot practice facility and a 3,000-seat live music theater. The Arizona Coyotes ownership group noted that they would install $100 million worth of infrastructure improvements for the new facility.