Latest on the Arizona Coyotes Arena ordeal

[rt]

That makes sense.

Since this parcel of land is in such a desirable area of the city is it likely that the land auction will bring other bidders out of the wood work possibly driving up the cost of the land for Meurulo?

It could. But it usually doesn’t. Most times for auctions in this price range there’s only one bidder. Something like +80% of the time. Also, there’s speculation that the auction notice may have requirements that rule out those hoping to build something other than a mixed use sports and enters district. We will have to sit and see.

Do you guys think the union lobby that spent big to defeat the Tempe project follow suit and look for ways to disrupt the project at the new site? Possibly trying to source other competing bidders?

It’s possible. They better have got started with that six months ago, though. Think there’s a reason most people didn’t become aware of this until a couple of months ago, despite the coyotes applying last June. They wanted a head start and they wanted it quiet. It seems they did a good job of that.

Not sure what unions can really do in Arizona. It’s not much of a union state. I mean, they supported a no campaign for a public vote but that’s different. This is a state land trust sale. No reason to involve the public on this that I can see. No zoning or tax dollars issues that I know of. Yet. Haha.

Meruelo has a lot of development experience in Nevada and California. I suspect AZ unions are pretty easy to deal with by comparison. But I don’t know much about that.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Not correct. The coyotes refused to sign a long term lease. Glendale wanted them to sign for over ten years. The Coyotes wanted a short term lease as they planned to build their own arena in a location that would actually work.

Do you think Glendale really wanted to enter into a 10+ year lease with the Coyotes given the problems it already had with getting the Coyotes to make required payments, to the point that it threatened to lock the team out of the arena? Maybe it really would have, and maybe the reason why is in the details that none of us are privy to, but spending money on legal fees to get money you're owed leads to frustration and distrust of the other side; I struggle to see Glendale signing up for another 10+ years of that with no sign that things will change unless it was getting protection against it up front.

 

[BiolaRunner]

For everyone who thinks the league can make Meruelo do ________, I have a couple simple questions:

1. Do you think the league can go to Meruelo in the offseason and say "Alex, you must play in [Salt Lake City, Quebec, Hartford, wherever you think deserves a team] next season?"

2. How does the league make an arena operator in that location sign a lease agreement with Meruelo?

3. Who pays for any early-termination fees on the lease at Mullett Arena, since it's a league-directed command to terminate the lease early?

4. What is the solution if the league tries to make Meruelo play in [city directed by the NHL] and whoever has an arena there says 'nope, not happening under our watch?"

If the League was going to do what is said in question 1, they wouldn't have them do it until the lease at Mullett is up, so that takes care of question 3.

 

[rt]

Do you think Glendale really wanted to enter into a 10+ year lease with the Coyotes given the problems it already had with getting the Coyotes to make required payments, to the point that it threatened to lock the team out of the arena?

Obviously. Which they’ve confirmed multiple times.

Maybe it really would have, and maybe the reason why is in the details that none of us are privy to, but spending money on legal fees to get money you're owed leads to frustration and distrust of the other side; I struggle to see Glendale signing up for another 10+ years of that with no sign that things will change unless it was getting protection against it up front.

I’m not in the mood fantasizing. We know the reasons they’ve given.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

If the League was going to do what is said in question 1, they wouldn't have them do it until the lease at Mullett is up, so that takes care of question 3.

OK, let's go back to question 1.

Do you think that after the lease is up at Mullett, the league can go to Meruelo say "Alex, you must play in [Salt Lake City, Quebec, Hartford, wherever you think deserves a team] next season?"

And then answer questions 2 and 4 accordingly.

 

[Shwan]

Do you guys think the union lobby that spent big to defeat the Tempe project follow suit and look for ways to disrupt the project at the new site? Possibly trying to source other competing bidders?

UA 469 has several options to disrupt construction should Alex Meruelo continue to pursue out of state labor. Mayor Gallego receives significant support from them and 2024 is an election year for her along with other city council members. She is already on thin ice from other construction organizations for the prevailing wage ordinance she voted on in January and the city is still embroiled in court with Tempe because of Meruelo.

If the Coyotes don't use Arizona union labor for their hypothetical arena they can expect it to be extremely difficult to receive the GPLET tax break for his arena which will be tens of millions of dollars added to the costs.

 

[Maple Leaf]

I don't know maybe they are inhaling that fungus from the arizona soil keeping this dream alive

 

[TheLegend]

Do you think Glendale really wanted to enter into a 10+ year lease with the Coyotes given the problems it already had with getting the Coyotes to make required payments, to the point that it threatened to lock the team out of the arena? Maybe it really would have, and maybe the reason why is in the details that none of us are privy to, but spending money on legal fees to get money you're owed leads to frustration and distrust of the other side; I struggle to see Glendale signing up for another 10+ years of that with no sign that things will change unless it was getting protection against it up front.

Need to look at the bigger picture.

Glendale's arena is one of two in the metro area. Glendale has a hard enough time filling dates there compared the one in downtown Phoenix given it's remote location relative to the airport and central location to the entire metro.

Now you have Meruelo who's looking to build a third arena in Tempe, centrally located like Phoenix's is and as close to the airport. He's also the first owner of the Coyotes with the means to pull it off..

Not hard to figure out that Glendale's position at this point is either keep the Coyotes there, or make it near impossible to let them get that third arena built and/or leave the market all together. They knew the Coyotes would not be able to go back downtown at that because the owner of the Suns at that time wasn't going to allow it. They knew the old Suns arena wasn't capable of being restored to NHL standards.

What they didn't count on was ASU having Mullett ready for the following season and the NHL willing to sign off on it as a temporary venue.

 

[TheLegend]

That makes sense.

Since this parcel of land is in such a desirable area of the city is it likely that the land auction will bring other bidders out of the wood work possibly driving up the cost of the land for Meurulo?

Do you guys think the union lobby that spent big to defeat the Tempe project follow suit and look for ways to disrupt the project at the new site? Possibly trying to source other competing bidders?

Only if this gets to a public vote in some way. Everything is pointing it's never getting to that point, but we don't know everything yet.

Nevertheless, Arizona is a right to work state. Unions don't have quite the clout they do in other states, but they can throw their influence and money around some.

Besides..... Meruelo had at least 3 local unions who gave their endorsement to TED. Meruelo has no outstanding issues with unions AFAIK. He's works with one of the largest and most powerful unions in US with his Nevada properties. The conflict over TED appears to have come down to Meruelo wanting to use primarily Arizona labor (including some union) and a certain union wanted him to import laborers in from outside of Arizona (primarily California).

 

[WATTAGE4451]

Which is legal under the current CBA, and no amount of complaining by real hockey fans is going to change it.

Sure its legal, but it seems weird to flex that you have a rich owner, when hes not even willing to spend the bare minimum on the team. He therefore might as well be the poorest owner in the league cuz he aint spending to the max like a billionaire.

 

[Voight]

Look the entertainment district Vegas built around their arena.... so ahead of the game, they built the district first.

They were light years ahead of the game.... in the 50s and 60s they already had entertainment in the area... visionaries

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Sure its legal, but it seems weird to flex that you have a rich owner, when hes not even willing to spend the bare minimum on the team. He therefore might as well be the poorest owner in the league cuz he aint spending to the max like a billionaire.

"Billionaires get to be billionaires by spending to the max."

-- Everyone who's not a billionaire

 

[klefbombs shoulder]

Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo has sought out potential buyers

 

[Spirits]

If the Coyotes don't use Arizona union labor for their hypothetical arena they can expect it to be extremely difficult to receive the GPLET tax break for his arena which will be tens of millions of dollars added to the costs.

Good. Need more union work in AZ.

 

[robertocarlos]

I'm still waiting for criss-cross. Jets to Hotlanta and Yotes back to Winnipeg. Chipman gets a cheque for $250 million as comp. That's a win win.

 

[yukoner88]

They were light years ahead of the game.... in the 50s and 60s they already had entertainment in the area... visionaries

Who'd a thunk that the heads of organized crime could have such a big picture frame of mind lol

 

[Voight]

I'm still waiting for criss-cross. Jets to Hotlanta and Yotes back to Winnipeg. Chipman gets a cheque for $250 million as comp. That's a win win.

Dont think the Jets want to trade their roster for the Yotes roster.

 

[GreenHornet]