Voters in Tempe, Arizona, will decide on three ballot measures proposing an entertainment district on May 16, 2023. The entertainment district would house the Arizona Coyotes arena.
The three proposals will appear on the ballot as Proposition 301, Proposition 302, and Proposition 303.
- Proposition 301 would approve the redevelopment by changing the classification of land from a city-owned commercially zoned property into a mixed-use project. The new classification would allow for the development of the proposed arena and entertainment district.
- Proposition 302 would rezone the property as an official mixed-use district.
- Proposition 303 would approve the construction of the arena and entertainment district from Bluebird Development LLC.
All three measures would need to pass for the construction and development of the arena and entertainment district to continue.
The plan for the entertainment district was first proposed in Sept. 2021. The $2.1 billion 46-acre project would include a 16,000-seat arena and practice facility, hotels, retail, apartments, and a theater. Officials representing the Arizona coyotes said that the district would create 6,900 permanent jobs and create about $200 million in new tax revenue for the city over the next 30 years.
According to the Tempe City Council, the developer would use largely private funding to build the 4 million-square-foot development and will pay Tempe $50.3 million for the land.
Xavier Gutierrez, CEO of the Arizona Coyotes, said: “Together, 301, 302 and 303 will authorize all the necessary components of the development agreement. We have full confidence that Tempe voters will embrace all three propositions and the economic, community and environmental benefits the project will bring to the City of Tempe.”
Former Tempe City Councilmember Lauren Kuby (D), who opposes the measures, said, “We’re just creating bottlenecks and traffic congestion and neighborhoods in the southeast neighborhoods are really going to suffer from that.”
Tempe 1st is a campaign opposed to the ballot initiatives. “While our schools, public safety, roads and other services suffer from a lack of funding, Props 301, 302 & 303 will rob Maricopa County and Tempe Residents of half a billion dollars in tax revenues,” the campaign said.
Tempe voters will decide on the measures on May 16, 2023.
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