Renovated arena would continue to energize city core

Downtown Phoenix is a remarkably different place than it was 25 years ago. More people are calling downtown home, new employers are attracted to our growing and diverse labor force, hotel investment and convention business are way up, and the amenity package of restaurants, bars, live music and the arts is robust.

Key in helping ignite this resurgence was the bold decision by Phoenix and the Suns to build America West Arena, now Talking Stick Resort Arena. The city and the Suns have consistently maintained and updated the building during its 26-year life. While the arena is owned by the city, the Suns have invested over $150 million in improvements and paid all the expenses to operate the building for over 26 years.

And although the economic impact of the arena is well-documented, we sometimes lose sight of the building’s importance to our civic life. One of the great benefits of our growing downtown is its enhanced status as a diverse gathering place that attracts thousands of students, employees, residents and outof-town visitors every day. Since the arena’s opening, more than 40 million people have gathered and celebrated there and, increasingly, in the many businesses that surround it.

We have taken our kids to ice shows, and danced in the aisles to Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Bruno Mars, Garth Brooks, U2, Lady Gaga, the Eagles, the Boss and countless others. We applauded deep playoff runs by the Suns and championships by the Arizona Rattlers and the Phoenix Mercury. Now, by using tourism revenue originally put in place to build the arena, and with financial support from the Suns, we have the opportunity to keep the building well-positioned for future generations.

When our city’s business and civic leaders came together 35 years ago to form Phoenix Community Alliance (now, along with the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, affiliated with Downtown Phoenix Inc.), we hoped we could revive our struggling downtown. The arena became the anchor tenant in 1992 and has served as a catalyst for downtown’s rowth ever since.

What was once a collection of buildings dominated by government offices, vacant lots, and adjacent historic neighborhoods, downtown has become a vibrant, urban community we can all take pride in — not to mention the $160 million in annual tax revenue downtown generates to benefit our state.

Significant to this resurgence is the energy generated by Talking Stick Resort Arena. Just count up the 125-ticketed events and 200 non-ticketed events each year, and the myriad of customers who attend and workers who serve them.

We must support a renovated arena that further fuels downtown’s revitalization, continues to bring our community together and serves as a point of pride for our city and state.