Allentown Arena Delay - Pollstar News

A $234 million, 8,500-capacity hockey arena in Allentown, Pa., that was slated to open in time for the 2013 season appears to be running a little behind schedule.

Prospective buyers of bonds for the development, which will include an arena, office building and hotel, are being presented with papers that list the completion date as “no later than August 1, 2014,” according to bond documents obtained by the local Morning Call.

“The arena is scheduled to open for the 2014 hockey season,” the documents state.

This isn’t the first setback for the building. A developer and a number of municipalities filed separate suits earlier this year challenging the use of a special arena tax zone and suburban income taxes to pay for the project. A change to state law in June removed the use of suburban taxes for the development and the suits were dropped.

Even so, state representative Jennifer Mann told the paper the 2013 season deadline was a “stretch” from the beginning.

“Then when you throw in the litigation and the delay there, that was an additional stress. The reality is we need to make sure we are doing this properly,” Mann said.

Hundreds of fans have already placed deposits on tickets for the minor league Phantoms’ 2013 season, the Morning Call said. However, officials said buyers won’t be charged until the new building opens.

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