WATCH: Townhall meeting on new Coachella Valley arena
Palm Desert hosted a special virtual town hall meeting with the latest updates on the new 10,000 seat Coachella Valley Arena. Residents and business owners were also on hand to share their thoughts on its proposed site.
The Coachella Valley arena is set to be built on roughly 43 acres of land off the I-10 freeway by Classic Club golf course near Palm Desert.
Originally planned to be built in downtown Palm Springs, officials said the new location is more centralized and accessible for everyone in the valley.
The arena will also be the home of an American Hockey League team that will be affiliated with the NHL's Seattle Kraken.
John Bolton, general manager of the arena, told News Channel 3 anchor John White they're planning to have about 160 events a year at the facility. This would be forty hockey games, forty concerts, and forty other mostly family style events.
Groundbreaking for the arena is planned for May. It's expected to be completed around the end of 2022, just in time for the '22-'23 hockey season.
Mayor Kathleen Kelly will be joined in this meeting by Riverside County 4th District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, as well as representatives from the arena project.
Kelly and Palm Desert City Manager told News Channel 3's Tom Tucker on Sunday that there are some concerns about traffic coming from the arena, as it is expected to attract one million visitors each year.
Kelly is worried about straining police and fire crews and the city budget.
"We need a very thorough assessment of what those impacts will be and how those costs are going to be covered," said Kelly.
If you wish to participate in this Zoom townhall, click here:
https://palmdesert.zoom.us/j/81800082478?pwd=Q2t0TmwzY3RScE05ZU15STJVbitGUT09
Meeting ID: 818 0008 2478
Passcode: 368392
One tap mobile
+12133388477,,81800082478# US (Los Angeles)
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates.
