Executives want to ‘provide accessibility in and around’ Acrisure Arena amid plans to expand
If you’ve attended an event at, or even driven past Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert recently, you’ve likely noticed the area surrounding the venue is still under construction.
“The parking lot still has wayfinding signage that needs to go in. There are solar canopies that will be installed,” said John Page, Senior Vice President of Oak View Group.
It’s been nearly a month since the firm held the arena’s opening night on December 15, which featured comedians Dave Chapelle and Chris Rock.
Parking and traffic control was problematic for some attendees, but since then, representatives who operate the arena said they have made adjustments to improve the arena experience for attendees.
“Opening night was, I think, a learning experience for everybody, but since then, with the events that we’ve had we’ve seen a positive improvement in the overall parking process,” said John Page, Senior Vice President of Oak View Group.
We asked Page what changes were made that helped refine some of the parking issues from opening night.
“A lot of it has been communication. Via social media, our marketing and PR efforts have been tremendous and it's getting people to understand how to get here, what time to get here and how to use the system that’s in place – the pre-paid parking,” according to Page.
Acrisure Arena is just one of several proposed projects included in the NorthStar Specific Plan, which could feature a hotel, condominiums, golf clubhouse facilities, and a retail village.
While the arena has an indoor capacity of roughly 11,000 seats, it only has parking space for around 3,000 vehicles.
“Having the availability of 1,000 acres potentially to develop in and around the arena is something that we’re looking at,” said John Page, Senior Vice President of Oak View Group. He added, "a parking structure could be in the works. I think with the available spaces it's really a cost dynamic to make sure what makes the most sense."
Discussions have also been had with Sunline Transit regarding a possible partnership to offer public transportation to the arena.
“Certainly we want to be all things to all people, and provide accessibility in and around the venue as we continue to look at our development and grow this area,” said Page.
No set timeline for the expansion of parking at the venue has been provided, but the arena will continue to partner with Xavier Prep High School to provide overflow parking to arena attendees.
