Mariners funding: Why a King County council member changed her mind

She was initially in favor of providing the Mariners around $185 million to fund capital projects at Safeco Field. Now King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles is calling foul.

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“I initially was a sponsor of the legislation,” she told Seattle’s Morning News.

She says she was, “excited about all the funding” from the hotel-motel tax that would be fed into homeless and housing services, arts and culture, and tourism.

“But my point now, after looking into this more deeply, is we are facing a major housing crisis in our region,” Kohl-Welles added. “I do want to support the Mariners in their request, but I just can’t get to the whole amount.”

She says this isn’t a sudden change of heart.

“It’s [the housing and homeless crises have] grown much more acute,” Kohl-Welles said. “It’s much worse than it has been over the past few years. It’s a crisis declared as an emergency and I don’t think we’re doing enough.”

In July, it was reported that the Seattle Mariners don’t plan to renew their Safeco Field lease unless the organization receives millions for improvement projects. The demand follows an assessment earlier this year that it will cost about $385 million over 25 years to maintain the ballpark.

King County Executive Dow Constantine released a plan to spend about $180 million to help the Mariners pay for that maintenance.

The Mariners organization stated it will not sign the recently-approved lease unless that money is approved. The team’s current lease expires at the end of 2018.

Kohl-Welles wants to support the Mariners and keep them at Safeco. However, their ask is too high.

Understanding Seattle’s homeless issues

According to the organization, they are footing much of the total bill; which the $185 million is a small portion. Since Safeco opened, the Mariners have spent more than $300 million in capital improvements and maintenance.

Fred Rivera, executive vice president and general counsel for the ball club, told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson the $185 million would only be used for necessary maintenance — HVAC systems, plumbing, etc. One of the largest ticket items is maintenance to the retractable roof.

The Mariners plan on spending about $620 million more on other upgrades to make the stadium more modern over the next several decades.

“We look at this as one of the best public-private partnerships in professional sports,” he said, adding that the Mariners want to continue the “great relationship.”

Those opposed to transferring the money to the Mariners say it should be used for homeless services and to help address the need for affordable housing.

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