New Arena at Agua Caliente


New Arena at Agua Caliente is the tentative name of a planned multi-purpose 10,000-seat indoor arena to be built in Palm Springs, California. It would be constructed on part of the Spa Resort Casino's parking lots and be owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians with Oak View Group as the arena operator. Its primary use would be as the home of the Palm Springs AHL team of the American Hockey League. It would also hold other events via a contract with Live Nation and have an adjoining facility that will serve as a year-round community gathering space as well as the training center for the AHL team. Groundbreaking and construction on the arena was expected to begin in February 2020, with completion by the fall of 2021, but is now on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting ban on large gatherings including concerts and sporting events.

History

On June 26, 2019, it was reported that the ownership of the upcoming Seattle Kraken had chosen Palm Springs as the site for Seattle's AHL affiliate and that the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and Oak View Group had teamed up to build an arena on band-owned land as a home for their proposed expansion team. The 10,000 seat arena is estimated to cost $250 million. OVG CEO Tim Leiweke used a study done by the SoCal Coyotes on the future of sports events and tourism in the Coachella Valley as proof of the viability of a multi-purpose venue in Palm Springs.

Design

The arena will be largely built underground in an effort to not block the area's view of the San Bernardino Mountains. Plans show a modern two-story structure with wood and large windows sitting on a large plaza. Plans for the arena include a pathway that connects the arena to the Palm Springs Convention Center and to downtown designed in an effort to encourage walking to the arena and frequenting the area's bars and restaurants before and after games.