By Kevin Zimmerman | ArizonaSports.com
Tempe mayor Corey Woods took offense to Phoenix’s aviation department and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport sending residents of his city a mailer warning them about the results of a yet-to-be-approved entertainment district that would house the Arizona Coyotes’ arena.
Woods took special notice of a call to action for residents to act against a decision that would lead to a domino effect of flight path changes. That, the airport said, would force it to send planes over homes previously out of the current flight path.
“That to me is a scare tactic in an effort to try to concern my residents in terms of their safety and well-being — or their property values, perhaps,” Woods told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “That to me, it’s inappropriate. If people want to have a conversation with myself or members of the city council of Tempe or our city manager’s office, we are always willing and ready to have those conversations.
“As a matter of fact, I have a meeting with the aviation director at the city of Phoenix within the next week and I’m looking forward to sitting down with him and having a conversation.”
Currently, Tempe has not approved any plans for the Coyotes-led entertainment district. The parties are in an exclusive negotiating window to determine if Tempe wants to move forward with planning a hockey arena, as well as hotels, offices, retail and residential spaces.
Sky Harbor said it sent the mailers to another city’s residents “so they understood the risks associated with Tempe’s upcoming decision and have an opportunity to participate in the process,” a spokesperson told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
