So far the groundbreaking for the $250 million 10,000 seat arena in downtown Palm Springs has been delayed four months by the Covid-19 pandemic, and it could be longer. The original date was February 18.
The arena, to be built on tribal land, is a project of the Oak View Group and their partners the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Band of Indians working in cooperation with the City of Palm Springs. They had been working on parking and security plans for the project when the out stopped their plans cold.
John Bolton, general manager of the arena, told News Channel 3 June 19: “Given the current unprecedented times, discussions around arena construction timelines continue and we will provide updates when available as we work closely with the City of Palm Springs and Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.”
The tribe had hoped to open in the fall of 2021 to be the minor league affiliate for Seattle’s NHL team. It was built to accommodate other sports, plus concerts, conventions, large meetings and award shows.
