Top Menu

Poll: Arizonans Against Arizona Coyotes Arena Proposal

Phoenix Coyotes

There is little interest among Arizona residents in seeing state involvement in an Arizona Coyotes arena, according to a new poll.

The Arizona State Legislature has been weighing a proposal that could authorize a special taxing district, and create a private/public funding plan for a new Coyotes arena in East Valley or downtown Phoenix. That bill, sponsored by state Senator Bob Worsley, cleared two senate committees in February, but has been met with a tepid reaction by many state legislators.

A new poll shows that many Arizona residents are against the plan. The survey, which accounts for 786 registered voters statewide, found that 68% of Arizona voters are against using public funds for a project, while 71% of Maricopa County residents oppose the idea. In addition, the poll asked voters for their opinions on specific items from the bill, and found a significant level of opposition. More from the Scottsdale Independent:

Additionally, 79 percent of statewide and Maricopa County voters are opposed to legislative efforts under consideration to create a special taxing district to finance the construction of a new arena and when voters become informed about current taxpayer debt is still owed on the current Glendale arena, voter opposition to a new facility stiffens even more with only 10-11 percent of voters in support.

“It is clear that a vast majority of Arizona and Maricopa County voters are very opposed to the use of taxpayer generated dollars to finance a new hockey arena,” Bert Coleman, the principal in the firm of Coleman Dahm Layeux and the one who completed the survey, said.

Awareness of the proposed plan is much greater in Maricopa County than Statewide, the release states.

“The poll shows that the more voters know about the proposed plan the less they like it,” Mr. Coleman said in a release.

The margin of error on the poll was 3.58%.

The taxing district was originally to be conceived for a new arena in Tempe, which called for a partnership with Arizona State University. The Coyotes have been forced to look at other options, however, as ASU withdrew from that plan.

RELATED STORIES: Coyotes, Suns Push for Arena ProjectsArizona Coyotes Deny Visits to Seattle, PortlandArizona Coyotes Urged to Stay at Gila River ArenaASU Kills New Arizona Coyotes Arena ProjectBest of 2016, #8: Arizona Coyotes Pitch New ArenaArizona Coyotes Arena Could be Subject to ABOR ApprovalGroup Changes Stance on Arizona Coyotes Arena ProposalArizona Coyotes, ASU Discussing Tempe ArenaASU/Coyotes Arena Still Looks Viable

, , ,

Quantcast