Tempe residents have until Tuesday to vote in a referendum that will determine whether the $2.3 billion plan goes ahead.

The vote comes after the City of Phoenix and Sky Harbor International Airport raised concerns about the homes in the project. You would be in the noisy area of ​​the airport flight corridor.

If the arena were built, the Coyotes could finally settle down somewhere permanently, having played in three arenas since arriving in Arizona.

The team shared an inner-city arena with the NBA’s Suns after leaving Winnipeg in 1996 and relocating to Glendale’s Gila River Arena in 2003. However, the Coyotes endured a tumultuous time in this Phoenix suburb.

Then-owner Jerry Moyes bankrupted the team in 2009, and Canadian millionaire Jim Balsillie made an offer to buy the franchise with the intention of moving it to Hamilton, Ontario. The National League, which wanted to keep the team in the United States instead, submitted a counter-offer and a court ruled that a sale to Balsillie would violate league rules.

The NHL mentored the Coyotes for three seasons, and the financial constraints imposed during that time meant they did not advance to the playoffs for seven years.

A new group of landlords sparked new hopes in 2013, but riots flared again in 2015 when the city of Glendale pulled out of a multimillion-dollar long-term lease. Thereafter, the Coyotes leased Gila River Arena on an annual basis until the municipality announced it would be terminating the contract after the 2021–2022 season.

The team then found a temporary solution by sharing Arizona State Mullett Arena for three seasons. The building seats 5,000 spectators and is by far the smallest amphitheater in the NHL.

The Coyotes made an offer to purchase land in Tempe, and the city council voted to begin considering creating an entertainment district. The council then decided to put the question to the citizens.

The Coyotes’ management believed they were in a good position until a lawsuit provided foreclosure in the area near Sky Harbor Airport.