city of phoenix pondering upgrades to nearly 40 year-old phoenix suns arena

Members of the Phoenix City Council may decide next week during a regularly scheduled meeting to upgrade the home of the Phoenix Suns basketball team.

The Talking Stick Resort Arena, located at 201 E. Jefferson Street in downtown Phoenix, has been used by the Suns since it opened in 1992.

The arena, covering some 11 acres, is also used for concerts, ice shows, and other sporting events.

But the team, playing in the Western Conference Division of the National Basketball Association, has long been dissatisfied with the condition of the facility, which has a seating capacity of just over 18,000 and was built at a cost of $89 million.

Officials with the Suns have said that they want Phoenix to commit to a series of facility upgrades, and have suggested that if those upgrades aren’t forthcoming, they will move elsewhere in 2022.

Those upgrades could cost as much as $150 million. The City of Phoenix is also thinking about spending around $2 million annually just to keep the stadium in good condition.

According to reports, the Suns would also kick in $80 million for the stadium’s upkeep.

Although an earlier $400 million proposal to build a brand new arena went nowhere with the council, it is thought that members may prove more amenable to the $150 million proposal.

The area, which is one of the oldest in the NBA, was formerly known as the US Airways Center. It saw more than $70 million in facility upgrading and expansion 12 years ago.

By Garry Boulard

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