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  #461  
Old Posted Aug 3, 2012, 7:47 PM
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Luke AFB picked as F-35 training hub

Thank you for posting this, HX Guy. This is fantastic news! I have been following this since it was first mentioned that Luke was a candidate for the F-35 training base. This will really help the economy in the west valley, Phoenix and the entire state of Arizona! According to the "West Valley View" several thousand jobs will be created and over $100 million dollars in federal money will be immediately given to Luke for new construction, upgrades etc.
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  #462  
Old Posted Aug 23, 2012, 12:51 AM
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Ambitious West Valley projects sidelined by recession
Shopping malls, houses, municipal buildings, even a lake were put on hold
by Lesley Wright

In the West Valley, large empty fields are a stark reminder of the ambitious projects that were proposed during Arizona's real-estate boom but were never built.

The national recession that began in 2007 dealt a blow to several projects that regional leaders hoped would create jobs and generate sales-tax revenue for local cities' coffers.

The casualties included two glamorous regional malls, a jobs corridor along Loop 101 in Glendale, a Surprise master-planned community and proposed recreation hubs, such as Buckeye Town Lake and a sports-themed complex with a resort and golf course that would help pay for Glendale's baseball stadium.

Many of these developments have been delayed for years. In some cases, decades could pass before some of those ideas become reality.

read more here
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  #463  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2012, 4:33 AM
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If You Build It, They Might Not Come: The Risky Economics of Sports Stadiums

This isn't per se about developments but is still an interesting analysis on the Coyotes Stadium. The city really is in a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

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In June, the city council of Glendale, Arizona, decided to spend $324 million on the Phoenix Coyotes, an ice hockey team that plays in Glendale's Jobing.com Arena.

The team has been owned by the league itself since its former owner, Jerry Moyes, declared bankruptcy in 2009. For each of the past two seasons, Glendale has paid $25 million to the league to manage the Coyotes, even as the city faced millions of dollars in budget deficits. Now, Greg Jamison, who is also part of the organization that owns the NHL's San Jose Sharks, is making a bid for the team, and would therefore be the beneficiary of the subsidies.

To put the deal in perspective, Glendale's budget gap for 2012 is about $35 million. As the city voted to give a future Coyotes owner hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, it laid off 49 public workers, and even considered putting its city hall and police station up as collateral to obtain a loan, according to the Arizona Republic. (The latter plan was ultimately scrapped.)

Overall, Glendale is not only on the hook for $15 million per year over two decades to a potential Coyotes owner, but also a $12 million annual debt payment for construction of its arena. In return, according to the Republic, the city receives a measly "$2.2 million in annual rent payments, ticket surcharges, sales taxes and other fees." Even if the Coyotes were to dominate the league like no other in recent memory and return to the Stanley Cup Finals year after year, the city would still lose $9 million annually.

The trials of the Phoenix Coyotes, the least popular hockey team in the NHL, offer a lesson in public debt and defeat

In June, the city council of Glendale, Arizona, decided to spend $324 million on the Phoenix Coyotes, an ice hockey team that plays in Glendale's Jobing.com Arena.

The team has been owned by the league itself since its former owner, Jerry Moyes, declared bankruptcy in 2009. For each of the past two seasons, Glendale has paid $25 million to the league to manage the Coyotes, even as the city faced millions of dollars in budget deficits. Now, Greg Jamison, who is also part of the organization that owns the NHL's San Jose Sharks, is making a bid for the team, and would therefore be the beneficiary of the subsidies.

"Take whatever number the sports promoter says and move the decimal one place to the left. Divide it by ten. That's a pretty good estimate of the actual economic impact."
To put the deal in perspective, Glendale's budget gap for 2012 is about $35 million. As the city voted to give a future Coyotes owner hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, it laid off 49 public workers, and even considered putting its city hall and police station up as collateral to obtain a loan, according to the Arizona Republic. (The latter plan was ultimately scrapped.)

Overall, Glendale is not only on the hook for $15 million per year over two decades to a potential Coyotes owner, but also a $12 million annual debt payment for construction of its arena. In return, according to the Republic, the city receives a measly "$2.2 million in annual rent payments, ticket surcharges, sales taxes and other fees." Even if the Coyotes were to dominate the league like no other in recent memory and return to the Stanley Cup Finals year after year, the city would still lose $9 million annually.

This is an altogether too common problem in professional sports. Across the country, franchises are able to extract taxpayer funding to build and maintain private facilities, promising huge returns for the public in the form of economic development.

For instance, just three of the NFL's 31 stadiums were originally built without public funds. In two of those cases, public funding was later used to upgrade the stadium or surrounding facilities, even as all 32 of the NFL's teams ranked among Forbes' 50 most valuable sporting franchises in the world in 2012. (Only MetLife Stadium, shared by the New York Jets and New York Giants, received no public funding.)

Time after time, politicians wary of letting a local franchise relocate -- as the NBA's Seattle Supersonics did, to Oklahoma City before the 2008-2009 season -- approve public funds, selling the stadiums as public works projects that will boost the local economy and provide a windfall of growth.

However, according to leading sports economists, stadiums and arenas rarely bring about the promised prosperity, and instead leave cities and states mired in debt that they can't pay back before the franchise comes calling for more.

"The basic idea is that sports stadiums typically aren't a good tool for economic development," said Victor Matheson, an economist at Holy Cross who has studied the economic impact of stadium construction for decades. When cities cite studies (often produced by parties with an interest in building the stadium) touting the impact of such projects, there is a simple rule for determining the actual return on investment, Matheson said: "Take whatever number the sports promoter says, take it and move the decimal one place to the left. Divide it by ten, and that's a pretty good estimate of the actual economic impact."

Others agree. While "it is inarguable that within a few blocks you'll have an effect," the results are questionable for metro areas as a whole, Stefan Szymanski, a sports economist at the University of Michigan, said.

PUBLIC MONEY BALL

There are numerous reasons for the muted economic effects. The biggest is that arenas often sit empty for a significant portion of the year. Jobing.com Arena is guaranteed 41 hockey games annually. The other 324 nights, it must find concerts, conventions or other events to fill the schedule, and in Glendale, where the arena competes with facilities in nearby Phoenix, that can be tough to do.

"We've looked at tons of these things, and the one that we found that seemed to make sense is the Staples Center in Los Angeles," Matheson said. "But they use it 250 dates a year. They don't make sense when you're using it 41 times a year and competing with another venue down the street."

Another reason the projects rarely make sense is because of the way they are structured. Stadiums and arenas are financed with long-term bonds, meaning cities and states will be stuck with the debt for long periods of time (often 30 years). And while cities make 30-year commitments to finance stadiums, their commitments to government workers and other local investments are often made on a year-to-year basis, meaning that, just as in Glendale, it becomes easier to eliminate public sector jobs and programs than to default on debt incurred from arenas.

The counterargument -- made by council member Joyce Clark, who voted for the subsidies, and Glendale First, an organization in favor of the package -- is that the Coyotes and their arena provide support to the local economy that otherwise wouldn't be there.

"It's a huge economic engine for Glendale," Bea Wyatt, a spokesperson for Glendale First said. According to Wyatt, who doesn't live in Glendale but frequents the city for Coyotes games, sales tax revenue made up 41 percent of Glendale's budget last year, and a significant portion was derived from sales around the arena. Supporters also claim the deal with Jamison is a good one for the city, since he will eventually pay for the arena's management and employ local workers.

But again, economists don't seem to buy the argument. While Glendale First claims that more than 600,000 visitors -- three times Glendale's population -- came to the city for hockey last year, the Coyotes finished last in the NHL in attendance. And it is unclear how many of those visitors were, like Wyatt, residents of nearby communities who may patronize restaurants but don't spend money shopping or staying in hotels.

Matheson estimates that 20 percent of fans for a Major League Baseball game come from outside the local area, and that the figure for hockey games is likely much smaller. That's hardly enough to fill the local hotels or to add outside spending to the local economy in other ways, he said.

"It's not generating new revenue. This is local spending on a local event," Matheson said, adding that most of the money spent in and around arenas and stadiums would likely be spent elsewhere in the local economy if there were no sporting events to attend.

Though it is clear that new facilities are not a wise investment for taxpayers, the argument from Glendale First stems from the fact that Jobing.com Arena is already there. Refusing to use more public financing - and potentially allowing the Coyotes to leave for a new town - Wyatt said, would amount to the city turning its back on its initial investment and risking the failure of hotels, restaurants, and other businesses.

Glendale "jumped in with both feet, and to now change course would be detrimental to the city," Wyatt said. "Finding a management company that's going to [run the arena] for nothing, relying on acts of god, I don't think that's the way the world works anymore," added Clark, who objected to the characterization of the $324 million as a subsidy, instead called it a "lease management agreement."

Even faced with that question, though, Szymanski was skeptical of the decision to continue financing the team. Yes, Glendale made a sizeable investment - one that went bad surprisingly fast - but that doesn't mean it should throw more good money into a project that likely isn't sustainable.

"The argument here seems to be that if you only put a little more in, even though the initial investment wasn't viable, we now have a plan," Szymanski said. "It's kind of a perverse argument that taxpayers should subsidize this because businesses depend on this deal that isn't viable."

"It's like doubling up in gambling to get your money back," he added. "At some point, you have to say stop."

HOCKEY IN ARIZONA?

If Glendale lets the Coyotes walk to another city, it won't be alone. The NHL's experiment to bring hockey to southern America has had mixed results, succeeding in cities like Nashville and Raleigh, but failing miserably in Atlanta, which lost the Thrashers to Winnipeg last year.

By all indications, the Coyotes are more Atlanta than they are Nashville, particularly in the sense that they have yet to be embraced by the local population even during periods of success. "This is hockey in a non-hockey city where the average resident hasn't seen ice outside of a margarita," Matheson said.

With the city shedding jobs and cutting services, the logical decision would seem to be to take back the funding it has promised to Coyotes in order to preserve those jobs and programs, a stance taken by city council member Phil Lieberman, who voted against the funding package. "I can use that $15 million [annual payment] for good things for Glendale," Lieberman said. "Open our libraries up again...Replace the 55 cops that we're short right now."

But if the city and its residents are desperate to keep the Coyotes in town, they have to understand that doing so comes at a cost that likely won't be replaced -- not by sales tax revenue, not by economic growth, and not by outside spending. When the city subsidizes hockey, it reduces its ability to pay for public safety officials, public transportation, and services upon which its citizens rely.

That's a choice the city is free to make, of course, but it shouldn't pretend that the mere presence of the Coyotes is an economic investment. Doing so simply enables a further transfer of public dollars to a private enterprise, without much hope for a return.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/...adiums/260900/
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  #464  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2012, 3:40 AM
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Appeals court to allow tribe to take casino land near Glendale into trust
BY Lisa Halverstadt and Cecilia Chan
Arizona Republic
September 11, 2012

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A U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on Tuesday will allow the Tohono O'odham Nation to take 54 acres into trust near Glendale's sports and entertainment district.

The tribe has been battling with Glendale and others since announcing in 2009 that it planned to open a resort and casino near 95th and Northern avenues. The tribe had purchased the property, which is an unincorporated Maricopa County island, several years earlier.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/g...nto-trust.html

Absolutely great news! Build baby, build!
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  #465  
Old Posted Sep 20, 2012, 4:22 AM
HX_Guy HX_Guy is offline
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This is sort of...interesting. Can the West Valley support all of this? I guess it does get pretty busy when spring training is going on, but the rest of the time?

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Peoria entertainment/hotel plan closer to reality

With new partnership in place, construction could begin in April

by Sonu Munshi - Sept. 19, 2012 06:34 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com

If Peoria city officials have anything to say about it, Glendale won't be the only West Valley city with a thriving entertainment district.

In fact, Peoria aims to create a vibrant entertainment district and boutique hotel unlike any in the West Valley by the time Super Bowl XLIX hits Glendale in three years.

The city has been working with developers for more than a year to expand 83rd Avenue's restaurant row, which includes the city's spring-training ballpark and a dinner theater. The city recently informally christened the area P83 and seeks to build buzz.


Peoria developer Mike Oliver envisions an eight-story hotel with a rooftop lounge, boutique shops, trendy restaurants and upscale apartments on what now is ballpark parking lots.

Oliver's plan to start construction last summer vaporized after losing an investment partner. Now, he has teamed with Scottsdale-based Chandler Hotel Group. They formed Peoria Sports Park LLC and hope to break ground by April.

Before that, developers and Peoria officials must hammer out a deal for the project on 17 acres of city-owned land.

To jump-start the $130 million project, the city would lease land to the developers and pay for a roughly $30 million parking garage to make up for the lost stadium parking. Details must be worked out as part of the talks.

Features

The developers want to distinguish their project from Glendale's Westgate City Center or Arrowhead Towne Center.

They're looking to the Grove in Los Angeles for inspiration.

The popular Grove is a celebrity-sighting spot with a trolley to take visitors around the complex.

There was no talk of Hollywood celebs or a tram in Peoria, but the idea is to create a pedestrian-friendly destination with live music and unique entertainment such as short 3-D shows flashed on the exterior of a building. Think sea life splashing out of the ocean and over visitors' heads. During spring training, the show could take on baseball themes.

"It's truly going to be a project that will be the talk of the town," Oliver said.

Much of the project would emphasize light and height.

"These two features create atmosphere, which in turn creates excitement," Oliver said.

He compared it to a Disney World-type experience at night, lit up with music and a family atmosphere.

A bowling alley also is being considered, along with eateries. Oliver said they are targeting a mix of known, upscale restaurants and local offerings, from sushi to breakfast.

Don't expect an Olive Garden, he said.

The hotel would be critical as it would draw foot traffic to the retail shops and create a 24/7 atmosphere.

"We're looking at up to 200,000 people a month out there just because of the hotel," Oliver said.

Zoning is in place for as much as a 10-story hotel, but Jared Chandler, whose group has properties across the country, expects to stick with eight stories for now.

The plan is to build a boutique hotel, a unique brand with the Hilton name attached to it. Chandler compared it to theWit in Chicago, which is associated with Doubletree of Hilton.

Chandler said the hotel group was interested in the project in part because of the potential to contract with the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners, the city's two spring-training teams, as it did in Scottsdale with its Hampton Inn property near Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.

Peoria economic-development Director Scott Whyte and Oliver touted the new partnership with Chandler for his hotel background, which would mean they don't have to look for an anchor hotel. The developers hope to break ground on the hotel and parking garage at the same time, followed by the apartments and retail shops.

Changes

The city's obligation would be to build the parking garage to replace the lost surface spaces. However, the city now thinks it can accomplish this with one structure instead of two. The parking garage could go up along Mariners Way. The city still is in talks with the Mariners and the Padres about the parking garage's placement and height, and how it would serve fans during spring training.

Peoria would use Municipal Development Authority bonds to raise about $30 million for construction and pay it off with the city's half-cent sales tax.

City officials say the project would require no significant improvements on 83rd Avenue for increased traffic.

Peoria leaders initially had hoped to place digital billboards along Loop 101 to help generate revenue for the garage. They nixed the idea because of uncertainty about how soon the signs could go up. The city continues to explore digital billboards as a future revenue generator.

Officials are in the midst of public meetings and a survey about the billboards.

Mayor Bob Barrett, after a recent update on the project, said he's excited and hopes things come together.

"If all the kinks work out, this would be a great addition to Peoria," Barrett said.



Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/business/ar...#ixzz26yrJ29y2
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  #466  
Old Posted Nov 27, 2012, 4:25 PM
Leo the Dog Leo the Dog is offline
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NHL Lockout

Has there been any news about the effect on the city of Gdale due to no hockey games at Westgate?
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  #467  
Old Posted Nov 27, 2012, 11:11 PM
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Has there been any news about the effect on the city of Gdale due to no hockey games at Westgate?
There was an article in the Republic a few weeks back about it. Its killing a lot of the retailers and restaurants.

In the long run it may be a small blessing because itll show the dummies in Glendale City leadership how important the Coyotes are for that Westgate area to stay afloat until that area densifies.
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Old Posted Nov 28, 2012, 2:37 AM
HX_Guy HX_Guy is offline
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The meeting to vote on if The Coyotes stay or go îs talking place right now, we'll know shortly what the outcome is.
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  #469  
Old Posted Nov 28, 2012, 5:34 AM
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http://www.azcentral.com/community/g...-approved.html

The Glendale City Council has voted 4-2 to approve a 20-year, $320 million arena management deal with Phoenix Coyotes suitor Greg Jamison.
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  #470  
Old Posted Mar 5, 2015, 6:45 PM
vwwolfe vwwolfe is offline
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West Valley Casino

The Controversial Glendale Casino is finally taking shape after numerous court battles.



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  #471  
Old Posted Mar 5, 2015, 8:14 PM
HX_Guy HX_Guy is offline
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I understood that what is going up now is just a temporary structure while they build the actual hotel/casino? Though this looks pretty permanent, any maybe it will be a permanent structure with a different use in the future.
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  #472  
Old Posted Mar 6, 2015, 7:18 PM
vwwolfe vwwolfe is offline
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Their Press Release is Kind of Vague. They say that the Temporary facility will be open by 4th quarter of 2015 but they're building a permanent structure. I'm not sure if this is the permanent structure and the temporary facility will be one of those white bubble tent things like Talking Stick was before the actual casino was built.
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  #473  
Old Posted Mar 6, 2015, 8:19 PM
HX_Guy HX_Guy is offline
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Glendale won't allow a temporary tent from what someone told me.
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  #474  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2015, 2:24 PM
vwwolfe vwwolfe is offline
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Here's a rendering of the Temporary Facility as well as some more construction photos.



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  #475  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2015, 6:49 PM
vwwolfe vwwolfe is offline
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They're broken ground on the Westgate Expansion that is going to include a 41,000 square foot Dave & Busters.
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  #476  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2015, 11:09 PM
HX_Guy HX_Guy is offline
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They're broken ground on the Westgate Expansion that is going to include a 41,000 square foot Dave & Busters.
Interesting...I didn't know there was an expansion in the plans? Anything else to know about it?
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  #477  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2015, 11:40 PM
exit2lef exit2lef is online now
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Interesting...I didn't know there was an expansion in the plans? Anything else to know about it?
No, and it seems surprising. Maybe Westgate is doing better than I thought.
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  #478  
Old Posted Mar 23, 2015, 2:20 PM
vwwolfe vwwolfe is offline
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http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/n...-glendale.html

Here's an article I found about it from biz Journal. They've broken ground just to the west of the Theater next to Chipotle.
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  #479  
Old Posted Apr 27, 2015, 7:00 PM
vwwolfe vwwolfe is offline
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I don't know what beside the Dave & Busters they're putting in the expansion, but they have the framing up and it's huge.
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  #480  
Old Posted Apr 29, 2015, 3:22 AM
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I hope they build the casino, Dave and buster and the office towers.
WV should start growing up
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