Arizona Coyotes

Rendering of the proposed Tempe Entertainment District that would house the new Arizona Coyotes arena.

The plan to build a new hockey arena for the Arizona Coyotes in Tempe will now go to city voters. The the NHL franchise collected enough signatures to send the proposal to referendum, Tempe officials confirmed Friday.

The plan calls for an entertainment district anchored by a new stadium for the Coyotes, who moved to Arizona State University's Mullett Arena this year after losing their lease in Glendale. When the Tempe City Council unanimously approved key items of the plan in November, the parties involved needed to obtain enough signatures to force a city-wide vote.

The fate of the 46-acre project — on the banks of Tempe Town Lake, near Rio Salado Parkway and Priest Drive — will now be decided by voters in a May referendum.

The entertainment district would also include hotels, multi-family residential units and a music venue.