Arena panel meets with King County Council

A 10-member panel, dedicated to investigating a proposal
made by an investor to bring the NBA back to Seattle, has
met with the King County Council.

The group’s primary focus is assessing risk to taxpayers
and the feasibility of Chris Hansen’s proposal, which
includes $290 million in private investment. The city and
county would contribute $200 million, which would be
repaid through taxes and rent generated by the arena.

NBA Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens told the council he remains impressed by Hansen’s plan to build a new arena with the intent of hosting the NBA and NHL.

“I have not seen an owner make the kind of proposal he has made. In fact, I was a little surprised myself that
they’re willing to set up a fund to protect the city and
county,” Wilkens said at the presentation Monday.

On April 5, just a day after the panel presented its
finding to the City of Seattle, Hansen announced he
would pay for a traffic study. The Mariners and Port of
Seattle have expressed concerns over another arena in the
SoDo neighborhood, saying that it would create a traffic
nightmare.

Maud Daudon, panel member and Interim President and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, said a new arena may actually prompt action in the neighborhood.

“There are some unfinished transportation projects in the
SoDo area that perhaps this will be an opportunity to
tackle; there could be a benefit to the stadiums there already,” Daudon said.

Traffic challenges were apparently some of the major
roadblocks to taking over the KeyArena site, which the
city offered to Hansen.

“The transportation issues were the stumbling block, as
far as he was concerned. There are some significant
challenges to a modern day arena being situated on that
site,” Daudon said.

While Daudon seemed encouraged about possible traffic
solutions in SoDo, she said there are still unknowns about who will cover specific costs associated with the project.

“We recognize as a panel that there’s a variety of
processes ahead. The devil is in the details and there
are many to be still hashed out,” Daudon said.

Meanwhile, Seattle NBA fans are wondering which team would actually move to the city if Hansen secures an arena. A tentative deal for a new arena in Sacramento fell apart last week, leaving open the possibility the team’s owners could again try to move from California’s capital.

“Is the deal dead? As we know it, absolutely,” Sacramento
Mayor Kevin Johnson said Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.