#Talking stick resort arena update
#Talking stick resort arena plus

The Suns would face a $200 million fine if they break their new agreement and leave Phoenix before 2037. The new agreement keeps the Suns in the arena through 2037, with an option to extend their lease until 2042.

#Talking stick resort arena update

It also will update fan amenities, such as the seating bowls, suite levels and the main concourse. The agreement will replace eroding plumbing and electrical systems, and address roofing and structural issues.

This agreements keeps the team in downtown for an additional 15 years. Work began on the arena in 1989, and it officially opened in 1992. The city will pay $2 million and the Suns will pay $1 million annually towards a new renewal and replacement account for costs of future infrastructure needs, according to the city. Major renovations are not covered under maintenance costs, as the city owns the building and operates as the team’s landlord.

The Suns will also continue to fully pay for operations and maintenance costs, according to the city. The rent and profit share to the city is estimated to be $60 million dollars over the 15-year agreement, from 2022-37. Under the agreement, the Suns will continue to share profits and pay rent to Phoenix. Williams stopped the discussion after more than two hours, with 29 people still waiting to comment. Many residents lined up to speak for and against the proposal. “This was never brought to our attention when they started talking in November, December. “This is a ‘Screw you citizens of Phoenix’ deal,” Rogers said before the meeting. The fund accumulates a 1 percent tax on hotel stays and a 2 percent tax on car rentals within the state. The public money used to pay for the arena renovations will come from the Phoenix Sports Facilities Fund, comprised of tourism tax revenue. “It’s a building that’s owned by the city but utilized by the community.” “The Phoenix Suns are a community asset,” Suns president and CEO Jason Rowley said before the vote. (Cronkite News file photo)Īs part of the agreement, the Suns agreed to pay for the construction of a new practice facility in Phoenix, estimated to cost $25 million to $50 million. Talking Stick Resort Arena not only is home to the Phoenix Suns but also the WBNA’s Phoenix Mercury and the Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers. “Downtown is moving in the right direction,” Mackay said. According to a city breakdown of the expenses, the projected total cost is closer to $235 million.īefore the vote, Chris Mackay, director of community and economic development for Phoenix, reiterated the city’s justification for the proposal, and he emphasized the economic importance and impact of the facility, which the city owns.

#Talking stick resort arena plus

The city’s share of the $230 million renovation is capped at $150 million, with the Suns paying the remaining $80 million, plus any additional expenses.

He told the council that he shot Wilcox – who also attended Wednesday’s meeting – because she had supported a tax for a downtown baseball stadium for the Arizona Diamondbacks. 12 City Council meeting went viral, and Larry Naman, who spent nearly 12 years in prison for shooting then-Maricopa County supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox in 1997. Critics included Greta Rogers, 90, whose protest of the deal during a Dec. “We made a contract,” Interim Mayor Thelda Williams said at the time of the vote, “and I feel very strongly that the city of Phoenix honor its contracts.”Įmotions were high before the vote. PHOENIX – Residents, protesters and basketball fans packed City Council chambers Wednesday in anticipation of a vote dictating the future of the Phoenix Suns.Īfter more than two hours of impassioned public comments for and against, the City Council voted 6-2 in favor of a $230 million plan to renovate Talking Stick Resort Arena downtown.