By Renata Cló | Arizona Republic
The Arizona Coyotes’ proposal to build a sports entertainment district by Tempe Town Lake and under a flight path to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport continues to raise concerns from the Federal Aviation Administration and the city of Phoenix, which manages the airport.
The issue was brought up by the airport administration in September when the Coyotes submitted their bid to Tempe leaders to build a $1.7 billion entertainment district that would include a hockey arena, hotels, apartments, restaurants and shops on 46 acres of city-owned land on the south bank of the dry Salt River, near Rio Salado Parkway and Priest Drive.
The concerns arise over the proximity of the site to the runways that account for 68% of the flight activity at Sky Harbor and 95% of the departures. They also include noise in a potential residential area; the 80-foot height of some of the proposed buildings; potential construction equipment, specifically cranes, impacting air traffic; and lasers, fireworks and other lighting devices that could negatively impact aircraft performance and visibility.
