The Amarillo Plan’s proposed arena/Photo by Inspire Amarillo
Businessman Alex Fairly has delivered on his promise to bring a proposal for a new Amarillo Civic Center bond election to the table, putting forward a $110 million plan for a new downtown arena and renovations to the existing Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum.
Fairly/Photo by Fairly Group
On Thursday, Fairly and former Amarillo Mayor Jerry Hodge unveiled the new plan, dubbed “The Amarillo Plan.” Accompanied by billboards calling for Amarillo voters to decide the plan, the new $110 million proposal would fund the construction of a 6,500 seat arena downtown, as well as renovations to the current Civic Center Coliseum.
In addition to the plan, Fairly and Hodge have secured a letter of commitment from the Elmore Sports Group to bring a AA-affiliate minor league hockey team to Amarillo as an anchor tenant for the arena. Elmore Sports Group owns the Amarillo Sod Poodles team, which plays at the downtown ballpark, Hodgetown.
In a statement, Fairly said his plan addresses the concerns of voters who voted both for and against Proposition A last month, while making moves to update Amarillo’s convention complex.
“The majority of voters who opposed Prop A agreed on the need to do something downtown”, Fairly said. “In addition to the 25,000 who voted for Prop A, most Amarilloans are in agreement, and we should keep working toward a solution”.
Under the plan, local taxpayers would face a roughly 16% tax increase on their municipal tax bills. Proposition A, a $275 million bond which was defeated by a large margin last month, would have carried a 39% tax increase with its passage.
Fairly and Hodge are hoping that voters will have the chance to decide on the plan in the May 2021 municipal election. The plan would need the approval of the Amarillo City Council to make it on the ballot, and some elected officials, such as Mayor Ginger Nelson, have expressed opposition to discussing a new bond for the May ballot. However, citizens are still asked to put pressure on their elected officials to make the May election a reality, by sending emails to their elected officials through the plan’s website.
For more information about The Amarillo Plan, visit inspireamarillo.com.