Port: New Seattle sports arena a 'job killer'
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For weeks, the political support for the new SoDo sports looked like a rubber stamp.
Now it may be more of a roadblock.
During hours of meetings Tuesday, the King County Council and the Port of Seattle parsed the $290 million arena proposal put forward by developer Chris Hansen. The public is essentially fronting a bulk of the money to Hansen's investors. It will be paid back over time through rent and arena revenue.
"Inevitably, the taxpayers directly or indirectly are going to pay for this," said councilman Pete von Reichbauer. He strongly supported the changes needed to keep the Seattle Seahawks in town, but is being more deliberative about the SoDo plans. He said politicians have failed on promises for road renovations.
"We're going to add another public facility in that area and what's going to happen? More traffic problems," he said.
In a morning session of the transportation committee, Port of Seattle were pointed. "We would all agree that siting at arena there is a job killer for us," Port Commissioner Tom Albro said.
Port estimates show that as exports and imports grow in the Sound over the next few years, up to 20 percent of truck loads would have to happen at night, even on event days.
Tay Yoshitani, chief executive officer of the port, told the council's transportation panel that large regional companies like Boeing and Weyerhaeuser depend on the Port of Seattle to get their products to market. Yoshitani said there are already 7,000 daily truck trips to Seattle terminals, rail yards and distribution centers. That could jump to more than 11,000 daily trips as the port expands, he said.
"Our ask is that you please consider all these issues carefully, because we believe a lot is at stake," Yoshitani said.
County Councilman Larry Gossett pushed back against the Port's claim that a new SoDo arena could hurt employment.
"I don't know how you can already be able to make that prediction, when in fact traffic mitigation has already been looked at by the city ... nothing remotely suggests that the building of a stadium in SoDo would be massively bad for our community," Gossett said.
During the public comment section, former Seattle city councilmember Pete Steinbrueck alleged that the SoDo arena site near 1st Avenue and Holgate would violate the stadium district boundaries. It isn't just about the space. Steinbrueck says it is about the location. Ordinance supporters never expected a third venue. "All the room is taken up there," he said.
Hansen said "we've done our homework" on the zoning and laughed the question away. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn's office said in a statement: "Siting a new arena in the District is legal and appropriate." The Mayor's office also questioned Steinbrueck's comments by saying the former councilman supports an arena location in Bellevue, not Seattle.
Traffic also doesn't worry Hansen. He says the Port's battles with elected leaders over long-delayed repairs are not his problem. He only wants to deal with the arena, its roads and its financing.
"Is that really our responsibility as an arena to solve all the problems that existed before we got there and that don't occur on event days?"
Hansen said under the agreement no public money would be tapped until his group obtained a professional basketball team. But he said city-county approval for a new arena was needed before they could pursue a team.
"The NBA would not consider putting a team here until an arena deal is in place," Hansen said.
Hansen has proposed building a nearly $500 million, 18,000-seat arena just south of Safeco and CenturyLink fields. The plan calls for nearly $300 million in private investment from Hansen's group, which includes Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. The amount of public support would be $200 million if an NBA and NHL franchise moved here. New owners moved the Seattle SuperSonics, now known as the Thunder, to Oklahoma City in 2008.
The city and county councils are expected to vote on the proposed arena deal later this summer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Now it may be more of a roadblock.
During hours of meetings Tuesday, the King County Council and the Port of Seattle parsed the $290 million arena proposal put forward by developer Chris Hansen. The public is essentially fronting a bulk of the money to Hansen's investors. It will be paid back over time through rent and arena revenue.
"Inevitably, the taxpayers directly or indirectly are going to pay for this," said councilman Pete von Reichbauer. He strongly supported the changes needed to keep the Seattle Seahawks in town, but is being more deliberative about the SoDo plans. He said politicians have failed on promises for road renovations.
"We're going to add another public facility in that area and what's going to happen? More traffic problems," he said.
In a morning session of the transportation committee, Port of Seattle were pointed. "We would all agree that siting at arena there is a job killer for us," Port Commissioner Tom Albro said.
Port estimates show that as exports and imports grow in the Sound over the next few years, up to 20 percent of truck loads would have to happen at night, even on event days.
Tay Yoshitani, chief executive officer of the port, told the council's transportation panel that large regional companies like Boeing and Weyerhaeuser depend on the Port of Seattle to get their products to market. Yoshitani said there are already 7,000 daily truck trips to Seattle terminals, rail yards and distribution centers. That could jump to more than 11,000 daily trips as the port expands, he said.
"Our ask is that you please consider all these issues carefully, because we believe a lot is at stake," Yoshitani said.
County Councilman Larry Gossett pushed back against the Port's claim that a new SoDo arena could hurt employment.
"I don't know how you can already be able to make that prediction, when in fact traffic mitigation has already been looked at by the city ... nothing remotely suggests that the building of a stadium in SoDo would be massively bad for our community," Gossett said.
During the public comment section, former Seattle city councilmember Pete Steinbrueck alleged that the SoDo arena site near 1st Avenue and Holgate would violate the stadium district boundaries. It isn't just about the space. Steinbrueck says it is about the location. Ordinance supporters never expected a third venue. "All the room is taken up there," he said.
Hansen said "we've done our homework" on the zoning and laughed the question away. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn's office said in a statement: "Siting a new arena in the District is legal and appropriate." The Mayor's office also questioned Steinbrueck's comments by saying the former councilman supports an arena location in Bellevue, not Seattle.
Traffic also doesn't worry Hansen. He says the Port's battles with elected leaders over long-delayed repairs are not his problem. He only wants to deal with the arena, its roads and its financing.
"Is that really our responsibility as an arena to solve all the problems that existed before we got there and that don't occur on event days?"
Hansen said under the agreement no public money would be tapped until his group obtained a professional basketball team. But he said city-county approval for a new arena was needed before they could pursue a team.
"The NBA would not consider putting a team here until an arena deal is in place," Hansen said.
Hansen has proposed building a nearly $500 million, 18,000-seat arena just south of Safeco and CenturyLink fields. The plan calls for nearly $300 million in private investment from Hansen's group, which includes Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. The amount of public support would be $200 million if an NBA and NHL franchise moved here. New owners moved the Seattle SuperSonics, now known as the Thunder, to Oklahoma City in 2008.
The city and county councils are expected to vote on the proposed arena deal later this summer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
