Seattle arena investor Chris Hansen is nowhere near giving up

Chris Hansen joins 97.3 KIRO FM’s Dori Monson in the studio Friday, July 20, 2012. (MyNorthwest.com/Alyssa Kleven)

About 500 people showed up to a public hearing Thursday
night in front of
the Seattle City Council and King County Council, mostly
in support of a new arena in Seattle.

Even if the majority of attendees hated the idea, arena
investor Chris Hansen said it wouldn’t matter.

He has no intention of giving up on bringing the NBA back
to Seattle. Unless, of course, the councils tell him
there’s no way it’s going to happen.

“I’m a really, really patient person and when I say I
think it’s inevitable that we’re going to have a new
franchise here, I really mean that,” Hansen told the Dori
Monson Show on Friday.

But that doesn’t mean you should plant your camping chair
along a parade route anytime soon. Hansen, who wouldn’t
indulge Dori in any secrets, repeats what we already knew.
NBA commissioner David Stern will not let a team relocate
to Seattle until the shovels are ready to go in the
ground.

While he said he’s a patient guy who doesn’t negotiate by
drawing lines in the sand, Hansen said he does get
frustrated. It’s not over the philosophical differences about public money going into any art or private
enterprise.

“There’s nothing that I can do to argue that…I respect
that, honestly.”

What irks him is people with a major platform who are
getting the facts wrong.

“People have claimed things like we’re going to make a
profit on the land. That’s just somebody who didn’t read
the
MOU thoroughly enough,” said Hansen. “People keep making
unsubstantiated claims to support
their position like we’re up to something dastardly here.
Like there’s some trick plan to deceive everybody and make
a boat load of money on this.”

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but Hansen just
asks that you get the facts straight if you’re making
claims on a platform.

It might seem like there have been a dozen council
meetings we’re all tired of hearing about, but Hansen
seems
to be very understanding of the weight on the shoulders of
the councilmembers.

“They’re
elected officials. They represent all Seattle citizens.
They’re trying to sit back and weigh the information. This
is difficult for them to read through the MOU. They want
to try to make everybody happy, which is probably
impossible.”

Hansen keeps hearing about the traffic and the decision to
build an arena in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood, but he said
there are some simple answers to the issues. If you’re
worried about traffic, he suggested taking a drive down
there yourself before and after a Mariners game. As for
finding a better place for a team, Hansen claimed SoDo is
the best bet for its easy ferry access, two rail systems,
and plenty of free parking after hours.

He’s not interested in Bellevue at this point.

“This is their (Seattle’s) history and their legacy, and I
think it
belongs here. If it can’t work here, then I think other
communities should have a shot at it.”

For a guy who has been dreaming of owning a team since he
realized he couldn’t play on one, walking away in
frustration is not something Hansen has even thought
about.

Just ask the Ackerleys or Howard Schultz, who long ago
received letters from Hansen letting them know he’s coming
after their team.

By Stephanie Klein, MyNorthwest.com