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There’s a new duel in the Arizona desert — this time between the cities of Phoenix and Tempe.
Phoenix has gone to court to try to stop Tempe’s $2.1 billion development deal with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, according to the Arizona Republic.
The inter-city conflict revolves around Tempe’s proposed entertainment district, which would include a new hockey arena and nearly 2,000 apartments on city-owned land.
Phoenix filed a lawsuit this week claiming Tempe’s planned development violates a policy limiting how close apartments can be built next to Sky Harbor International Airport.
The city asked a Maricopa County Superior Court judge to “rescind Tempe’s recent zoning and land use changes and prohibit future residential uses in an area that the Federal Aviation Administration says is incompatible with residential development,” according to a statement.
But reps for the Coyotes’ development company countered that Phoenix’s lawsuit represents “new heights of hypocrisy.”
“The ultimate question for Tempe voters is this: Do you stand with Phoenix hypocrisy or an incredible environmental and economic opportunity for Tempe?” they said in a statement.
The Coyotes certainly need a new arena. After calling Glendale home for 18 seasons, the NHL franchise is now playing home games at Arizona State University’s Mullett Arena in Tempe.
Despite seating only 4,600 hockey fans, Mullett is expected to serve as the temporary home of the Coyotes through 2025.
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