Arizona Coyotes confirm land deal for potential Mesa arena in process

Arizona Coyotes confirm land deal for potential Mesa arena in process

By Brandon Brown 

The Arizona Coyotes confirmed Wednesday morning that the team's owner Alex Meruelo has executed a letter of intent to purchase a parcel of land in Mesa as a potential arena site.

While the Coyotes' confirmation statement did not include many details, Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro reported Tuesday that the Valley's National Hockey League franchise was attempting to buy 41 acres. Gambadoro's report also said the Coyotes' target date for a new arena is the start of the 2026-2027 season.

A source familiar to the Coyotes' real estate moves confirmed to the Business Journal that the site in question is in northwest Mesa in the vicinity of Alma School Road and Loop 202.

A spokeswoman for the city of Mesa confirmed that the land the Coyotes might buy is not city-owned property.
Mesa is also home to a pair of Major League Baseball Cactus League spring training complexes, including the Chicago Cubs’ Sloan Park and Hohokam Stadium, home of the Oakland A’s.

“Hearing that the Coyotes have taken a step forward in their process to find a location in Mesa or the East Valley is exciting for all those eager to see professional hockey remain in Arizona," Mesa Mayor John Giles said in a statement. "Mesa is a desirable location, and we will continue to follow along as they consider options.”

While the team's ownership has signed a letter of intent for this property in Mesa, it is not necessarily where the arena will be built. The team plans on going under contract to acquire land for multiple possible locations in the coming months and then moving forward with the property that can get the arena construction done in the timeline most suitable for the Coyotes, the source said.

The Coyotes expect to have a deal in place for a permanent arena solution by the first quarter of 2024.

Earlier this summer the Coyotes CEO Xavier Gutierrez said the team had six different sites in the East Valley that it is considering. The team appears to still be exploring other options besides the land in Mesa.

"The Coyotes remain committed to building the first privately funded sports facility in Arizona history and ensuring the Valley as the Club’s permanent home. In addition to this property in Mesa, the Club will continue to explore other potential sites in the East Valley," the Coyotes said in a statement.

Coyotes still want to build full entertainment district

The team said it still wants to not only build an arena, but an entertainment district surrounding the venue. The source familiar with the Coyotes moves said that the team is negotiating on sites that would be able to accommodate an arena, practice facility, residential units, retail spaces, hotels and offices. Similarly to its previous proposal, the Coyotes ownership plans on developing the entire project.

The Coyotes had plans to build an entertainment district on 46 acres in Tempe that would have included an arena, a theater, restaurants, retail stores, multiple hotels, office space and luxury apartments. Meruelo was set to spend more than $2 billion on that project. Voters in Tempe rejected the proposal in May.

Gutierrez has said the team wants to find a piece of land to build on that would not require a public vote on the project. Buying their own land may help avoid that scenario.

“We appreciate the tremendous support that we have received from many communities, elected officials, and community leaders who have expressed their desire to see the Coyotes remain in the Valley permanently," the Coyotes said in a statement. "We would also like to thank NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly for their steadfast support of the club’s efforts to find a permanent arena solution, and for their recognition that Arizona is a tremendous hockey market."

The NHL season starts in October and the Coyotes will play a second season at Mullett Arena on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, after taking an extensive pre-season trip in September to Australia to play a pair of games against the Los Angeles Kings.