A Palm Springs arena groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for February 18 has been delayed, as a project partner cites “extenuating circumstances” for postponing the event.
Oak View Group (OVG) and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians are partnering on the $250 million, privately financed arena that will be built on tribal land in downtown Palm Springs and is slated for a 2021 completion. Along with hosting an AHL expansion team that will be affiliated with the upcoming Seattle NHL expansion franchise, the venue will be used for a number of other events, including concerts, family shows, and more.
In what was to be a major milestone for the project, the tribe announced last week that a groundbreaking ceremony would take place on February 18. It appeared that the event was still on schedule until Wednesday, when the tribe formally announced that it would be delayed. The announcement cited “extenuating circumstances” for delaying the event, but neither the tribe nor OVG have provided any further explanation as to why the groundbreaking ceremony is being postponed. A makeup date has not been revealed thus far. More from the Desert Sun:
Tribal officials on Wednesday confirmed the delay and cited “extenuating circumstances” as the reason. A new date has yet to be announced.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to celebrating with the community in the future. Groundbreaking event ticket holders will be notified regarding the postponement,” tribal officials said in a news release about the delay….
A representative from Oak View Group declined to comment and referred all questions to the tribe.
Tribal spokeswoman Kate Anderson said additional details would not be released.
The arena will offer a capacity of over 11,000 for certain events, with that figure expected to be over 10,000 for AHL games. The AHL announced in late September that it had awarded a Palm Springs expansion franchise to OVG and NHL Seattle. Palm Springs is slated begin play in the fall of 2021 as the league’s 32nd team.
Renderings via AHLPalmSprings.com.
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