The Arizona Coyotes have, for now, lost their last bit of hope for a new arena, with the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) canceling the Phoenix land auction that was scheduled for June 27th, shares Craig Morgan of Go PHNX (Twitter link). The Coyotes, now reduced to a short team behind ex-owner Alex Meruelo, were hoping that this land auction would provide the ground for their new arena – one fans have been waiting for since the Coyotes were booted from Gila River Arena in 2022.
But once again, the Coyotes seem to be missing logistical steps, with the ASLD sharing that the Coyotes’ arena proposal would require a Special Use Permit that the team hasn’t yet filed for. Morgan adds that the Coyotes were under the impression that the land had already been zoned, though reports from the Spring emphasize that wasn’t the case (Twitter link). It won’t be until the Coyotes have received that zoning permit that the ASLD will move forward with the land auction. This will include going through a formal process with the City of Phoenix’s Planning and Development Department, including a vote from the city’s Board of Adjustment.
In other words, the Coyotes seem a long way out from even considering buying more land in their old namesake city. The permit application process can take upwards of two or three months, depending on Board activity, effectively sidelining the Coyotes while the succeeding Utah Hockey Club settles into the league. No representatives from the prevailing Coyotes organization have yet commented on this matter, leaving it unclear as to whether the team intends to move forward with the land purchase at all now.
More importantly, the NHL hasn’t commented on this setback. The team previously shared that Meruelo was grandfathered into NHL ownership should he compile the pieces necessary to build an arena. But he’s now moving backward in that quest, with no indication of the next steps. That uncertainty won’t be able to stick around for much longer if Meruelo really does want to bring hockey back to the desert – with plenty of other cities – like Houston, Quebec City, and Atlanta – vying for NHL expansion of their own.
What coyotes?
Why doesn’t this moron just call up Jerry Reinsdorf? He probably owns half of Arizona and is a rich real estate tycoon. It might actually be something Reinsdorf could be useful for. Because he isn’t any better at owning a franchise lately than this guy is. But I guarantee one thing, He knows how to buy and zone a piece of Real Estate.
These idiots couldn’t run a lemonade stand. Good riddance!
They will never come back with him running the show. Merullo is a complete moron. If there is ever to be a future back in Arizona, the NHL needs to take back the name and branding from Merullo and boot him out for good.
Bettman knows this clown will never manage to get anything built.
Merullo is executing his plan. Take the $ and run.
He cashed in and all the arena teasing is nothing more than propaganda.
Atlanta again for hockey? the definition of insanity is to keep making the same mistake over and over
Thanks Vaas from Far Cry 3
Only if you’re expecting a different result ;). Otherwise it’s just plain stupidity.
I think Atlanta could work if the arena they play at is actually in Atlanta or right by Truist in Marietta so you get the benefit of that whole sports district. The recent discussions of Alpharetta would kill any hopes of a success.
As deserving as Quebec City is for a team (they got royally a-fd), I think the NHL would be smart to put a team IN Atlanta. Team names?
Pick up the phone, call your lawyer and make sure the damn prerequisite conditions are met before trying to move forward with something like this. Dude just made himself look like even more of a buffoon.
It’s amazing to me that a person with the resources he has could be so blatantly incompetent.
This whole ordeal shows why Merullo doesn’t deserve to own a hockey team, and why the NHL should finally pull the plug on this whole Arizona “era”.
Yes, this is what an epic fail looks like. I have a better chance of bringing hockey back to AZ than Merullo does.
A larger thing to consider here is…. wonder how many public sector jobs in the US exist to perpetuate this byzantine world of administrative bureaucracy and how many private sector jobs exist to ensure compliance with those administrative laws? If you look at job postings, there sure are a lot of them.
How did this guy even get rich enough to theoretically buy an NHL team? He can’t even buy a piece of real estate big enough to get an arena built and get it zoned properly. Isn’t that like Rich Guy 101 the way it’s taught at places like Harvard and Yale?
Merullo can’t even run a hockey team in name only.