By Henry Greenstein | Cronkite News
PHOENIX – It’s a short declarative phrase in Tempe’s request for proposal, which was published July 22: “Finally, it will be respondent’s financial responsibility to remediate the land.”
But along with a cost estimate of $70 million presented in June, it represents a considerable fiscal and logistical burden for the Arizona Coyotes if the team hopes to develop a new stadium in the East Valley.
The process of environmental remediation – removing contaminants from water and soil – for the 46-acre site northeast of Priest Drive and Rio Salado Parkway on the Salt River will be multifaceted. Judith Grant Long, a professor of sport management and urban planning at the University of Michigan, said she has seen reports of land costs become much more detailed during her time studying sports venues. But she added that the public might not have a desire to know the intricacies of these estimates.
“People want to know it’s $70 million,” Long said, “but they don’t really want to know how much of that is soil-based, how much of it’s water-based, how much of it’s trash-based, et cetera.”
The Coyotes, who play in Glendale, acknowledged in a statement July 22 that it is looking at options for a new home, “given our determination to remain in the Valley for many years to come.”
