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A proposal to build a hockey arena at Merle Hay Mall is moving forward after years of setbacks.

Construction on the new 3,500-seat multipurpose arena is expected to begin by March.

Five years after a proposal to build a hockey arena at Merle Hay Mall, the project is ready to move forward.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority on Friday, Nov. 21, approved a revised agreement that will allow the mall to receive $26.5 million in state sales and hotel tax rebates for the project. The city of Urbandale plans to use the money to finance bonds backing the construction.

The agreement resets long-passed deadlines for certain project benchmarks. The first of them requires mall owner Abbell Associates of Chicago to show it has secured the financing for the $41.7 million pro

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