Arena deal puts ball in Hansen’s court

King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn have signed legislation on the funding plan for construction of an arena that could be used to lure the NBA back to Seattle.

The executives signed the deal on Tuesday after a negotiated memorandum of understanding between the city, county and investor Chris Hansen was approved by the city and county councils a day earlier.

“Maybe most importantly, the passage of this legislation allows Chris Hansen to undertake the really important work of acquiring an NBA team and bringing our Sonics home,” said Constantine.

Hansen said he’s thrilled to get working on securing NBA and NHL teams, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

“I think a lot of people told me when I started this process about the “Seattle Way” and how difficult it was. Thank God I didn’t listen to them,” he chimed in during the signing.

The arena plan calls for a $490 million arena built in the area where Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field are located, with $200 million coming in public financing. The arena plan is still subject to environmental reviews.

“Building an arena is going to be a very significant investment in our city, up to $800 million in private investment. Bringing back the Sonics will create good family wage jobs,” said McGinn.

After the signing, McGinn took off his jacket and played about five minutes of spirited one-on-one basketball with A.J. Brooks, who is the assistant athletic director at the Rainier Visit Boys and Girls Club.

The Associated Press contributed to the story.