City of Glendale won’t renew Arizona Coyotes lease, ending 18-year run

By PETER VALENCIA

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    GLENDALE, AZ (KTVK) — The City of Glendale says it will not be renewing its lease with the Arizona Coyotes. The lease ends after the upcoming 2021-2022 season ends. After this season, they will need to find a new home.

City officials say they are continuing their focus on bigger events scheduled to take place at Gila River Arena and the ever-growing Westgate Sports and Entertainment District.

In a news release, the City said it informed the National Hockey League (NHL) that this year would be the team’s last, marking the end of the Coyotes’ 18-year run in Glendale. Both the City and the team had been operating on a year-to-year basis. “The decision to not renew the operating agreement with the Coyotes was not made overnight or in a vacuum,” City Manager Kevin Phelps said. “We carefully weighed input from key stakeholders, our expert economist, our arena management firm, and our City Council.”

Phelps says that an economist looked at the city’s financial impact on not renewing the lease and those 43 dates on the Coyotes’ calendar. In order to make up for the loss, Glendale needs about 20 events of more than 10,000 throughout the entire year.

Xavier Gutierrez, President, and CEO of the Arizona Coyotes, issued the following statement regarding the City of Glendale’s decision:

“We are disappointed by today’s unilateral decision by the City of Glendale to break off negotiations on a multi-year lease extension agreement. We are hopeful that they will reconsider a move that would primarily damage the small businesses and hard-working citizens of Glendale. We remain open to restarting good-faith negotiations with the City. Most importantly, the Coyotes are one hundred percent committed to finding a long-term arena solution here in Arizona, and nothing will shake our determination to do what is right for our organization, residents of the entire Valley, and, most importantly, our fans.”

The Coyotes kick off their season on October 16. The lease officially expires on June 30, 2021.

City officials say they are looking forward to announcing new projects that will generate incredible excitement for visitors, residents, and stakeholders alike. “As amazing as the Sports and Entertainment District is today, the next several years will be even more transformative as this momentum continues,” Phelps said. More than $3 billion in investments have been made at the Westgate Entertainment District over the last three years.

Earlier this summer, the site of the future “Crystal Lagoons Island Resort” was announced. It will be located near State Farm Stadium and the Westgate Entertainment District. Crystal Lagoons is expected to open ahead of the city’s hosting of the Super Bowl in 2023.

A mixed-use development in the area was also announced in August. Plaza Companies and the City of Glendale chose to partner with the Arizona Cardinals to cooperate on a master plan that could create up to 600,000 square feet of office development, 60,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and about 230 units of multi-family housing.

City officials say the development will provide event parking for the stadium and the water park. It’s slated to be located east of the Loop 101, south of State Farm Stadium and to the east of the new Crystal Lagoons.

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