Reports: Arena announcement to come Thursday
Feb 15, 2012, 4:55 PM | Updated: 10:23 pm
A news conference set for Thursday at City Hill is expected to reveal a proposal for a new sports arena in Seattle, according to reports.
KING 5’s Chris Daniels told 710 ESPN Seattle that among those expected at the news conference are Seattle mayor Mike McGinn and Christopher Hansen, a wealthy hedge-fund manager who hopes to build an arena and bring NBA and NHL teams to the city. Hansen, who grew up in Seattle’s Rainier Valley, recently purchased land south of Safeco Field.
The Seattle Times, which spoke with Hansen on Wednesday, reports that he met with Seattle City Council members on Wednesday and was “very close to announcing an offer with the city.”
According to The Times, a source says Hansen won’t attend the 2 p.m. news conference, but will discuss details of his offer privately with McGinn beforehand.
It is still uncertain which teams would play at a new arena. Seattle’s hopes of landing the Sacramento Kings took a minor hit when a unanimous vote from the Sacramento City Council authorized detailed talks that would raise nearly half of the $387 million for a new sports and entertainment arena.
