The Arizona State Land Department has cancelled the Phoenix land auction

[Empoleon8771]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1804241818663686606

https://x.com/i/web/status/1804244774486208905

Think this may be the final nail in the coffin for Phoenix to get a new team anytime soon.

Click to read more...

 

[Varcus]

The fans deserve better.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

Woah. When it was on record saying he was the only bidder I figured he would be the eventual winner.

I really do wonder if a hockey team to ever be in Arizona if it will have to be a different owner. They may just not want him specifically at this point.

@HolyCrap what a name!

 

[Captain Mountain]

Woah. When it was on record saying he was the only bidder I figured he would be the eventual winner.

I really do wonder if a hockey team to ever be in Arizona if it will have to be a different owner. They may just not want him specifically at this point.

@HolyCrap what a name!

Auction eyed for Arizona Coyotes arena land canceled

The land auction that the Arizona Coyotes expected to win Thursday as the first step toward building a new arena has been canceled.

arizonasports.com

Looks like Merulo needed to obtain a Special Use Permit prior to the auction and didn't get it, so there was no bid they could proceed with. So Merulo Merulo'd it.

 

[LeafalCrusader]

Insert days without incident meme here.

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1804241818663686606

https://x.com/i/web/status/1804244774486208905

Think this may be the final nail in the coffin for Phoenix to get a new team anytime soon.

Oh no who could’ve seen that coming

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

I'm shocked, shocked!

 

[Dr Pepper]

Maybe they realized Meruelo wasn't ever going to come through on his word anyway, so they just pulled the chute on the whole plan.

Gotta feel for the Yotes fans who've been led on by incompetent ownership for years on end, only for it to finally dissolve like this.

 

[Stealth1616]

They are definitely moving the team

 

[Rowlet]

At this rate, there may not be a team in Phoenix next season.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Hope this puts an end to the idiotic talks of another team there

 

[gstommylee]

They want him to get the zoning/use permit before the auction moves forward. And i don't blame them for delaying it. Basically they don't want the land to sit there and do nothing if the auction moves forward and he wins the land but is denied permits. Permitting process was always a big step in getting anything built.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

From what it sounds like, they don't trust Meruelo or his plans for the land (because let's face it, why would they?), so they're forcing him to get a permit to legitimize his plans for the land before selling it to him.

Meruelo probably won't do that.

 

[lakeshirts37]

I might be crazy but Im pretty certain Bettman and the NHL are fine with this. They don’t want Meruelo to succeed because he’s a shady and terrible owner. They will return to AZ in 10+ years after all the drama dies down, people forget how incompetent the Yotes were, Meruelo is out of the picture, arena is approved to be built or already built, etc. It will be an Atlanta situation but wont take as long.

 

[gstommylee]

From what it sounds like, they don't trust Meruelo or his plans for the land (because let's face it, why would they?), so they're forcing him to get a permit to legitimize his plans for the land before selling it to him.

Meruelo probably won't do that.

Its just changing the order of the steps Meruelo needs to complete. He would had to get the permits ANYWAYS regardless of when the auction happens. Remember the winner of the aucton isn't allowed to own the land and have it sit there doing nothing.

There is no guarantees the city of phx would had granted him the zoning and permits.

 

[Crede777]

"Come back with the proper permit" is so common in state proceedings that I don't think this weighs on the chances of an arena in Arizona. It just delays the process.

On the other hand, if Merulo is denied the permit... that'd be something.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

Auction eyed for Arizona Coyotes arena land canceled

The land auction that the Arizona Coyotes expected to win Thursday as the first step toward building a new arena has been canceled.

arizonasports.com

Looks like Merulo needed to obtain a Special Use Permit prior to the auction and didn't get it, so there was no bid they could proceed with. So Merulo Merulo'd it.

I imagine if they wanted him. They could have reminded him to get a special permit and get it all sorted before the 27th.

 

[gstommylee]

"Come back with the proper permit" is so common in state proceedings that I don't think this weighs on the chances of an arena in Arizona. It just delays the process.

On the other hand, if Merulo is denied the permit... that'd be something.

he would still need to get the permit anyways even if he gotten the land next week. No matter what the project is or how project is funded there is still some city process to it.

 

[StreetHawk]

I might be crazy but Im pretty certain Bettman and the NHL are fine with this. They don’t want Meruelo to succeed because he’s a shady and terrible owner. They will return to AZ in 10+ years after all the drama dies down, people forget how incompetent the Yotes were, Meruelo is out of the picture, arena is approved to be built or already built, etc. It will be an Atlanta situation but wont take as long.

I would agree that the NHL probably are happy if AM can't deliver an arena.

Timing wise, the Suns lease expires in 2037, so we are about a decade away in 2034 before serious talks between the Suns and the City have to take place on what to do with the arena. Will it just be an NBA only one or will the Suns owner (whomever that may be in a decade) wants to own an NHL team or not? I think that's their best shot of returning to AZ, not a separate arena from the NBA suns.

 

[gstommylee]

I imagine if they wanted him. They could have reminded him to get a special permit and get it all sorted before the 27th.

That's what i want to know is why did it take this long before they found out that the land required zoning/special permits.

 

[LuckyDay]

I'm shocked, shocked!

 

[Golden_Jet]

Well that sucks for Zona fans

 

[LuckyDay]

View attachment 885288


They want him to get the zoning/use permit before the auction moves forward. And i don't blame them for delaying it. Basically they don't want the land to sit there and do nothing if the auction moves forward and he wins the land but is denied permits. Permitting process was always a big step in getting anything built.

It sounds like red tape. The AZ State Land Dept. is in charge of auctioning the land, but who's in charge of supplying the permit? What would be the holdup in granting one?

 

[gstommylee]

It sounds like red tape. The AZ State Land Dept. is in charge of auctioning the land, but who's in charge of supplying the permit? What would be the holdup in granting one?

City of phx would be in charge of any zoning changes and permit granting which he would had to go through anyways regardless of the land being acquired now or acquired after the city approved the zoning/granting the permits.

This is normal for these things.

Remember no one is allowed to acquire the land through auction and just have it sit there. They want to make sure who ever wins it in this case AM that he follow through with what he plan on doing and the only thing that would prevent that is lack of proper zoning/permits.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I had zero expectations for Meruelo getting the job done and I'm somehow still surprised at how little he can get done.