"Nobody over the last 2 1/2 decades could doubt the NHL's commitment to Arizona because we believe that this is a place where hockey should be, permanently," Bettman said in Tempe before city council members and union leaders. "We believe that being a part of this great community is something that enhances our game and we believe that, finally, we're at a place where we can ensure the future of the Coyotes for the benefit not just for the Coyotes or Coyotes fans, but for this community. Being in Tempe is the answer to all of the issues we've seen over the years."
Ballots to approve Propositions 301, 302, and 303, which would remove an unlined landfill next to Tempe Town Lake and replace it with the sports and entertainment district, are expected to be mailed to area residents beginning April 19.
"(Coyotes owner) Alex Meruelo and his team have put together a visionary plan for what is now a toxic landfill," Bettman said, "and he's demonstrating an incredible commitment by saying, 'I'm going to do this myself and I'm not asking for the taxpayers to subsidize this project.' We're going to build a state-of-the art arena, and we're going to have an entertainment complex that is going to help enhance the community. It's going to create jobs. It's going to create an even greater identity for the great community that Tempe already is."
The project, first proposed in September 2021, includes a 16,000-seat arena, a practice rink, two hotels, retail shops, 1,600 apartments, a theater and a sportsbook. The Coyotes estimate the district would generate $13.1 billion of new spending on site (an average of more than $435 million over 30 years).
"There is everything so right about this project and about this arena," Bettman said. "It's something that obviously the Coyotes need and it's something that, frankly, I'm having trouble understanding what the downside of it is. Yes, there's a lot of rhetoric out there, but if you look at the substance and what our League has committed to, when it would have been easy to say we're leaving, when you look at the financial commitment that Alex Meruelo has already made to this area, what he's already put into Tempe and what he's prepared to do going forward, I can't imagine why anybody would think this is a bad idea."
The Tempe council voted 7-0 on Nov. 10 to allow residents to vote on the project during a special election May 16, if a sufficient number of signatures were generated requesting the referendum.
"This is where we've been playing for the last year," Arizona chief hockey development officer and former Coyotes forward Shane Doan said. "As a player, I was so proud to play for the Coyotes, and as someone who now has the opportunity to work in the organization with Mr. Meruelo and his family and the Coyotes as a whole, I'm proud to be working here."
The Coyotes have played their home games at Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University this season and will continue to do so through the 2024-25 season, with an option for 2025-26.
"What's going to happen in Prop 301, 302 and 303 is an incredible vote, not just for us, but for our home, for my home, for my community," Doan said. "I have two kids that live here in Tempe and are part of that, and it gives us an opportunity to turn the landfill into something that is a place where we can all gather. As our public officials have all got behind this, that's probably the most encouraging thing.
"It's a great opportunity for the city of Tempe to grow."
Bettman said, "Once this project is built, this team is never going anywhere. It's going to be here forever. And that is a great legacy for the Meruelo family and the National Hockey League and for Tempe."
