After some worry that the attitude toward renovating the Phoenix Mercury’s Talking Stick Resort Arena could be lukewarm at best by the Phoenix City Council, it has decided to go forth with the plan.
Recently, the Phoenix City Council approved $230 million in renovations towards the venue. Those renovations are scheduled to take place between 2019 and 2021.
The renovations to Talking Stick Resort Arena are not scheduled to affect the Mercury’s ability to play at the venue in the 2019 season, but it will almost certainly leave the team in search of a new venue for the following two seasons.
The schedule for the 2019 WNBA has already been released with Talking Stick Resort Arena once again serving as the Mercury’s primary home court.
Possibilities could include Gila River Arena in Glendale – the home of the much-beleaguered Arizona Coyotes of the NHL. Another possibility is Wells Fargo Arena which is on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe.
Robert Sarver’s Phoenix Suns are slated to contribute $80 million towards the renovation as well as any cost overruns with the City of Phoenix shelling out $150 million.
AZCentral.com is reporting that a group called “Common Sense Phoenix” wants the issue to be put up for a referendum. It would reportedly have 30 days to garner 13,700 signatures of registered voters in Phoenix to qualify it for a referendum.
Drew Chavez told AZCentral that he is confident the signatures will be secured – and that he would haul in 27,000 of them.
