Arizona Coyotes have honed in on 6 Phoenix-area locations. Here are the most and least likely

Arizona Coyotes President Xavier Gutierrez reaffirmed the team's commitment to find a location for a new arena in the East Valley before Wednesday’s first round of the NHL draft, and according to ESPN, the franchise has narrowed it down to about six spots.

It remains unclear what specific locations the team has in mind, however. Coyotes officials have kept the details of their search close to their vests since the team's $2.1 billion proposal to build a new arena and entertainment district in Tempe was overwhelmingly shot down by voters.

But Gutierrez has made some details public. The team isn't looking to return to the less populated West Valley. It wants a property that sits along a widely accessible freeway such as the Loop 101 corridor, and it is looking for an option that won't require another referendum attempt.

That set of criteria seriously limits the team's list of potential options, but there are some that do exist, according to real estate expert Daniel Lupien, who's become an authority on development in the East Valley and tribal land.

"I'm just looking at viable options for development areas that could accommodate this scale of development (and) has the freeway frontage in the East Valley. There are just a handful of spots. There's not that many," said Lupien, who works as the managing principal of Palmer Development Group, a Valley-based real estate firm.

The industry veteran named three possible locations east of Phoenix: the Fiesta Mall site in Mesa; a property in Chandler near the Lone Butte Casino; and a site near the Talking Stick Resort in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The Coyotes' CEO also named Scottsdale and Gilbert as options.

The Arizona Republic reached out to each of those communities to find out whether they have been in contact with the Coyotes, if they have any properties that could suit the team's needs and if they would be amenable to having the NHL franchise set up shop there. Here's what the Coyotes' prospects look like across the East Valley.

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community

Lupien believes the Coyotes' best shot is striking a deal with the Salt River community. He admits he might be biased because of how much development business he does there but said its central location near Loop 101 and proximity to Scottsdale — where the bulk of the NHL team's season ticket holders resides — makes the location ideal.

The specific property he pointed to sits on a 3-mile-long corridor between Indian Bend Road and 90th Street. It's across the 101 from north Scottsdale, the wealthiest section of the affluent city, and would be almost as close to Paradise Valley, Arizona's wealthiest town.

"I think the Talking Stick Resort and the Talking Stick District Entertainment Corridor would give them the best chances of success (because it's) closest to the demographics that have had the most expendable income," Lupien told The Republic. "Guys that can buy a $500,000 box. Guys who can spend $50,000 a year on season tickets. Those are the people that drive the revenue for hockey."

The issue is that the Coyotes wouldn't be able to build ancillary residential units there because of tribal laws. The team's proposed apartments were one of its sticking points during the Tempe deal, and Coyotes attorney Nick Wood said that housing component was needed to make the deal pencil out.

It's unclear if that would still be the case on Salt River land, however. Lupien said the Coyotes' business model would have to be different, focusing more on high-priced ticket sales to the nearby wealthy individuals whom he described as "recession-proof," meaning the team might be able to better weather a future economic downturn in that location.

There's also a question of gambling issues between the Coyotes' sportsbook and the tribe's. Both would seek to make money off of their own gambling operations, so they may ultimately end up competing with each other for a slice of that pie given that the team would be right next door to the community's casino.

Lupien believes that wouldn't be a big issue given the other financial gains for both sides from both the arena and any ancillary development that's included, however.

"I'm sure there's a way for them to work through that issue. If that was an issue, I think the perks outweigh any challenges with respect to the sport," he predicted.

Tribal representatives did not respond to The Republic's request for comment for this article. But in May, shortly after the Tempe vote took place, they said the community would be open to the idea, although they hadn't been in talks with the team.

“We are always open to new ideas that can expand development that will enhance the quality of life for our members, community, and the state, but at this time, there are no conversations about sports facility development within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community," a spokesperson wrote in an email.

Mesa

Mesa confirmed there have been “no recent conversations with the Coyotes regarding an arena,” in an email to The Republic. There are two viable options on the northern and southern sides of west Mesa that have been floated.

Developers are getting ready to demolish the 1.2-million-square-foot former Fiesta Mall building this summer and submitted preliminary plans to make way for multifamily housing, commercial and office space. At this point, the “Coyotes have not been part of any of the conversations with planning staff,” a city spokesperson told The Republic. The city has issued the permits to begin demolition, but no date has yet been set.

Meanwhile, city leaders, including Mesa Mayor John Giles and Councilmember Francisco Heredia, who represents that area of the city, both see it as an option for the team.

The mall site covers 80 acres and is just north of U.S. 60 and 2 miles east of Loop 101.

Heredia said that in northwest Mesa a gravel pit along the Loop 202 Alma School Road exit could be “prime real estate” for the Coyotes. He said the owners have been slowly filling the pit for a “potential sale” in the future, although it still was a long way to go. The site is larger than the Fiesta Mall location at about 134 acres, based on available data from the county recorder’s website.

A small portion of the gravel site is in city limits, but the large majority is within the county’s jurisdiction. If the site were to be redeveloped, it would have to be annexed into the city to receive water and sewer service, according to a city spokesperson.

The location could fulfill the Coyotes' desire to be closer to Loop 202 as it's about 3 miles from the Loop 101 interchange. It’s also close to established commercial development, such as the Mesa Riverview and Tempe Marketplace west of the location.

Chandler

Chandler doesn't seem to be a very likely location for a new Coyotes arena, given the city's lack of usable land. It's 93% built-out and most of the unused land has been set aside for "employment uses," according to Chandler spokesperson Matthew Burdick. That might conflict with the Coyotes' entertainment development plans.

On top of that, the city hasn't heard from anyone in the Coyotes organization or any private companies that have expressed interest in pursuing the project. It's likely that some contact between city staffers and developers at some point due to permit or zoning issues would have to be taken care of well before construction.

Chandler also has a booming local economy that hinges on the presence of semiconductor manufacturers in the city, something that officials there are currently working to expand.

Those companies often offer very high-paying jobs that the Coyotes likely wouldn't be able to match, raising questions about whether Chandler could get behind a move that would see a portion of its already dwindling land supply dedicated to an NHL arena.

"The City of Chandler has not been contacted by the Arizona Coyotes or any private developers interested in considering such a venue in Chandler," Burdick wrote in an email to The Republic. "Our focus continues to be on attracting and retaining high quality development and employment uses that generate high paying jobs among target industries, including technology, business and healthcare sectors."

Lupien, the developer, also said choosing Chandler would be a "mistake" for the Coyotes. He contends that it's too far away from the team's target demographic in Scottsdale, Tempe and Phoenix.

The least likely options: Scottsdale and Gilbert

With the Coyotes' commitment to stay closer to Loop 101, it’s unlikely Gilbert could have viable privately owned land, as the most northwest town limit is 10 miles away from the freeway.

And as far as town-owned land goes, a town spokesperson said in an emailed statement that it doesn't have any suitable properties for the Coyotes and has not had contact with the team.

“The Town does not own land that would be able to accommodate an arena-type facility. There may be private property opportunities in Gilbert, which would not be in the Town's purview,” the town spokesperson wrote.

As for Scottsdale, even though its residents represent most of the Coyotes' season ticket holders, it's not likely they would want a big and loud arena in their backyards.

The city has historically been averse to big developments and protective of its open space. On the City Council, most officials rarely greenlight significant construction projects and also maintain strict water usage policies that might conflict with the Coyotes' needs.

When questioned about the possibility of becoming a new home for the Coyotes in May, a majority of Scottsdale City Council members were flatly against the idea. Some others didn't say "no" outright, but leaned strongly against it, and only one seemed somewhat positive about the notion.

"Scottsdale draws the most sports-friendly fans and major (league) athletes, without the hassles of a major sports arena here," said Scottsdale's Mayor David Ortega, one of the strongest "no" officials. "I am absolutely opposed to subsidies, and have seen the 'hockey drama' movie before ... I like (the Coyotes' CEO) and wish them luck."

A Scottsdale spokesperson also confirmed that the Coyotes still have not spoken with officials about any plans to relocate there. The city would not elaborate on whether there could be a viable property within its borders.

"The city has not been approached about this ― from the city manager’s perspective, it would be premature to answer any other questions beyond that," Scottsdale spokesperson Kelly Corsette wrote in an email to The Republic.

Sam Kmack covers Tempe, Scottsdale and Chandler. Reach him at sam.kmack@arizonarepublic.com.

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa and Gilbert and can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on Twitter @maritzacdom.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Coyotes stadium: Where in metro Phoenix could NHL team move