New renovations, arenas could be in store for Valley-area professional sports teams
Sep 26, 2015, 12:44 PM
The Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury, Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Coyotes may be in store for refurbished, if not new, arenas in the not so distant future.
According to the Phoenix Business Journal, though talk is early and any conclusions made at this juncture would be premature, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community next to Scottsdale is rumored to be targeted as a potential future home for all four aforementioned teams. With the Coyotes keeping a keen eye on new arena options, the D-backs calling Salt River Fields their home during the spring and the Salt River tribe holding the naming rights to Talking Stick Arena (formerly U.S. Airways Center), the notion isn’t so far-fetched.
Locked into their lease at Chase Field until 2027, the D-backs aren’t necessarily in a rush to do away with their 17-year-old venue, but they are exploring renovations to the stadium that would reduce seating capacity in order to increase the value of tickets. The snag in the deal, however, could be the logistical challenge of performing quality stadium renovations in between seasons.
Similar are the arena concerns of the Suns, Mercury and Coyotes, who together have been reputed as being potential partners in an arena built on the 29-acre parcel of land owned by the Salt River tribe at McKellips Road and McClintock Drive. The Coyotes’ arena misfortune is well-documented, but Suns and Mercury may have a wandering eye due to the fact Talking Stick Arena remains as one of the oldest arenas in the NBA (built in 1992).
With the lease for the Suns and Mercury valid until 2022, it may be more likely that the teams remain downtown where they would receive either a complete renovation of their current arena, or have a new downtown arena built, with the site of the South Building of the Phoenix Convention Center discussed as a possible location.
