A new Henderson arena has polled well in the Nevada community, as plans for the Vegas Golden Knights to bring an American Hockey League team to the suburb moves forward.
The Golden Knights received AHL approval to purchase the San Antonio Rampage franchise membership from Spurs Sports & Entertainment and relocate the team to the Las Vegas area for the 2020-2021 season. Long-term plans for the yet-to-be-rebranded AHL squad include the construction of a new arena in Henderson, with the Golden Knights and city officials announcing that they are exploring the construction of a new 6,000-seat venue at the Henderson Pavilion site.
A public outcry after the announcement of the arena project led Henderson officials to commission a study on resident attitudes toward the project. The fundings, as announced yesterday by Henderson, indicates broad support for the project with over 70 percent of residents saying both an arena and an AHL team would be good for the city, and 69 percent supporting a plan to build the arena at the Henderson Pavilion site.
The city last month authorized the issuance of $60 million in general obligation bonds to facilitate the project. City officials say they will pay for up to $40 million toward the arena project, with the rest expected to come from the Golden Knights ownership.
Henderson officials and the Golden Knights have pitched the arena as not only a venue for minor-league hockey, but also for a wide range of offerings that could include concerts and other performances, high school and college graduations, other sporting events, and more. For the city, it would also address the future of Henderson Pavilion, a 6,500-capacity venue that is facing a number of challenges, including a failing sound system and seating. In addition, its canopy structure suffered damage from weather incidents twice in recent years, leading to the complete removal of the venue’s tent-like cover last year.
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