Residents are likely to get the opportunity to vote on the Tempe Entertainment District, now that the Tempe City Council has unanimously approved key aspects of the plan.

If voters approve, the 46-acre project could be built with a planned Coyotes hockey arena, hotels, multi-family residential, retail and more. The developer will use largely private funding to build the 4 million-square-foot development and, according to the agreement approved, will pay Tempe $50.3 million for the land. This includes $40 million in non-refundable cash up-front before environmental remediation of the land.

Inclusion on the May 2023 ballot would require Bluebird - the affiliate for the Meruelo Group and the Arizona Coyotes -  or any other interested party to timely get the required number of qualifying petition signatures. Tempe voters would then decide whether the project should move forward. According to the development agreement approved on Nov. 29,  if Bluebird does not successfully refer the items to a ballot, the City Council may within 90 days thereafter rescind the development agreement.

The Arizona Coyotes have pledged to collect the needed petition signatures to refer the project to the ballot as soon as May 16, 2023.

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Tempe makes 'A list' for climate action leadership

Tempe is one of 122 global cities and counties to be recognized for its bold climate action leadership by CDP. Tempe received a top score based on an updated community-wide emissions inventory, an updated Climate Action Plan, a climate risk and vulnerability assessment and a climate adaptation plan.

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Click here to View the More Information About City of Tempe This Week - December 5, 2022