Council Subcommittee To Discuss Arena Upgrades
March 23, 2001
A number of renovations to the city-owned America West Arena are recommended in a report scheduled to go before a City Council subcommittee on Tuesday.
The upgrades are designed to modernize the nine-year-old facility by improving spectator access and enhancing the overall experience of patrons.
The city is proposing $9.9 million in interior improvements that would add 250 seats at the north end of the arena and provide new signage, flooring, lighting and ceiling treatments in the concourse. Family restrooms would be added and women's restroom facilities would be expanded by 50 percent.
Financing would come from an excise tax levied on tourist-related businesses such as hotels and rental cars, a fund established in 1989 that has helped build a number of projects, including the Maryvale Baseball Park.
The improvements were recommended by an independent consulting firm hired by Phoenix last summer to assess changes necessary to keep the building up to date. If approved by the City Council, most of the construction work would be done this summer before the start of the basketball and hockey seasons in the fall.
The council's Downtown, Art, Tourism and Sports subcommittee will also hear a report on other proposed renovations, currently estimated at $28 million, that would be funded entirely by the private arena operator.
These include an enclosure of the entry plaza and ticketing facilities on the northwest side of the arena, and a larger entry to the arena from Jefferson Street. Also, the operator would relocate the Team Shop, and replace the Copper Club restaurant with an expanded steakhouse.
A new pedestrian court, called The Paseo, would provide a sheltered connector between the existing arena and a new 75,000-square-foot dining, entertainment and retail experience on the east side of the site.
Phoenix contributed less than half of the $107 million cost to develop the arena a decade ago, and benefits financially under the terms of a public-private partnership agreement.
Since the arena's opening, the city has received more than $6 million in fee payments into its general fund that pays for such basic services as police, fire, parks and libraries.
The subcommittee meets at 10 a.m. on the 12th floor of City Hall, 200 W. Washington St.
