Arizona hockey arena project awaits Tempe City Council vote

A proposed $2.1 billion development that includes an arena for the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes and municipal bond financing is scheduled for a vote by the Tempe City Council Tuesday evening.

If approved, the developer will need to woo residents, who will have the final say on whether it will be built.

The mostly privately financed project includes a 16,000-seat arena, a practice facility, two hotels, 330,000 square feet of office space, up to 2,100 residential units, and at least 315,000 square feet of retail space, according to last year by Glendale, which financed the facility with $180 million of debt.

The university’s 5,000-seat arena is much smaller than other NHL facilities, with the next smallest facility seating more than 10,000 additional fans. The Coyotes hope to have a new facility ready for the 2025 season.

In its last season in Glendale, the team drew an average of about 11,600 fans per game. The Coyotes ended that season as the NHL’s second-worst team with 25 wins and 50 losses and the team has a losing record so far this season.