Longshore Union files suit over new Seattle arena plan
SEATTLE -- The Longshore Union has filed a legal challenge to the proposed new sports arena in the industrial area south of downtown Seattle.
The suit, filed Thursday in King County Superior Court, alleges Seattle and King County violated the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) by signing the memorandum of understanding with investor Chris Hansen for the $490 million arena.
The union alleges the memo is itself a proposal that fixes the arena site and should have been submitted to the environmental review process, including a careful study of alternative sites.
"These provisions will create irreversible political momentum in favor of siting the proposed new arena on the Sodo site in the SEPA review process, making the SEPA alternatives and impacts review process a sham," said Cameron Williams, president of ILWU #19, in a statement.
The suit asks the court to invalidate the memorandum and order the city and the county to come up with a revision "that does not make the arena site in Sodo a foregone conclusion," the union said.
The union had said it would file the suit if Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine signed a memorandum of understanding with investor Chris Hansen for the $490 million arena. The document was signed on Tuesday.
Union leaders denied allegations that the lawsuit was just a delaying tactic to stall the arena plan.
"ILWU is not against a new arena or bringing back the NBA to the Seattle area but we are not going to sit idly by while this arena and entertainment district, along with the traffic already generated by Safeco Field and Century Link Field, destroy the great working class jobs provided by our port and industrial area," said Williams.
Building another sports venue in the Sodo area will erode maritime, manufacturing and warehousing businesses and threaten the livelihood of union and other workers, the union said.
But King County Council member Joe McDermott said the county and city fully intend to look at alternative sites using proper procedures spelled out under environmental law.
"The county and the city together have done careful diligence and a thorough review of the proposal, and it includes a full environmental statement, including a comprehensive traffic impact analysis and study of alternative sites, and we've added an economic impact analysis as well," he said. "I believe we have solid information coming back to the council to make good decisions, and we're poised for our vote on Monday."
Seattle City Attorney Peter S. Holmes said approval of the memorandum of understanding would launch a thorough vetting process of multiple factors, not preordain that any complex will be built in the Sodo area.
He said the memo mandates the completion of "a full SEPA review, including consideration of one or more alternative sites, a comprehensive traffic impact analysis, impacts to freight mobility, port terminal operations and identification of possible mitigating actions, such as improvements to freight mobility, and improved pedestrian connections between the arena and the International District light rail station, the Stadium light rail station, the Sodo light rail station and Pioneer Square."
Also required as part of the SEPA review, Holmes stressed, is consideration of "a 'no action' alternative and an alternative site at Seattle Center."
The suit, filed Thursday in King County Superior Court, alleges Seattle and King County violated the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) by signing the memorandum of understanding with investor Chris Hansen for the $490 million arena.
The union alleges the memo is itself a proposal that fixes the arena site and should have been submitted to the environmental review process, including a careful study of alternative sites.
"These provisions will create irreversible political momentum in favor of siting the proposed new arena on the Sodo site in the SEPA review process, making the SEPA alternatives and impacts review process a sham," said Cameron Williams, president of ILWU #19, in a statement.
The suit asks the court to invalidate the memorandum and order the city and the county to come up with a revision "that does not make the arena site in Sodo a foregone conclusion," the union said.
The union had said it would file the suit if Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine signed a memorandum of understanding with investor Chris Hansen for the $490 million arena. The document was signed on Tuesday.
Union leaders denied allegations that the lawsuit was just a delaying tactic to stall the arena plan.
"ILWU is not against a new arena or bringing back the NBA to the Seattle area but we are not going to sit idly by while this arena and entertainment district, along with the traffic already generated by Safeco Field and Century Link Field, destroy the great working class jobs provided by our port and industrial area," said Williams.
Building another sports venue in the Sodo area will erode maritime, manufacturing and warehousing businesses and threaten the livelihood of union and other workers, the union said.
But King County Council member Joe McDermott said the county and city fully intend to look at alternative sites using proper procedures spelled out under environmental law.
"The county and the city together have done careful diligence and a thorough review of the proposal, and it includes a full environmental statement, including a comprehensive traffic impact analysis and study of alternative sites, and we've added an economic impact analysis as well," he said. "I believe we have solid information coming back to the council to make good decisions, and we're poised for our vote on Monday."
Seattle City Attorney Peter S. Holmes said approval of the memorandum of understanding would launch a thorough vetting process of multiple factors, not preordain that any complex will be built in the Sodo area.
He said the memo mandates the completion of "a full SEPA review, including consideration of one or more alternative sites, a comprehensive traffic impact analysis, impacts to freight mobility, port terminal operations and identification of possible mitigating actions, such as improvements to freight mobility, and improved pedestrian connections between the arena and the International District light rail station, the Stadium light rail station, the Sodo light rail station and Pioneer Square."
Also required as part of the SEPA review, Holmes stressed, is consideration of "a 'no action' alternative and an alternative site at Seattle Center."
Obama voters (Union thugs) not wanting anyone else to get a piece of the financial action. What happened to SPREAD THE WEALTH!!??
 @Truth Percolates Sounds like something a socialist would say. Are you a socialist?Â
 @Truth Percolates dude... you are so stoved up with rhetoric you are about to explode
Good luck with that lawsuit as you'll need it. There are no grounds for filing a lawsuit. Â If zoning allows the land use and the proper environmental review is done per state and federal law, it is a done deal regardless of what the port and union may think. There's political support of the proposal too.
The mob mentality at work....
"Building another sports venue in the Sodo area will erode maritime, manufacturing and warehousing businesses and threaten the livelihood of union and other workers, the union said."
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How? I don't understand how a sports arena and additional traffic will "erode maritime, manufacturing and warehousing businesses and threaten the livelihood of union and other workers". I wish they would elaborate.
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The reality of everything isn't even being looked at. The likelihood of all 3 venues being used at once is very remote due to the differing seasons for all of the sports. Right now would be the biggest chance because of NBA Preseason games, NFL Season, MLS post-season and (if M's made the playoffs) MLB Season. In addition to sports, Century Link Field and Safeco Field are rarely used for concerts or other special events (like Wrestlemania) and when they are it's during the better parts of the year; (Of course this excludes the Century Link Convention Center). Also in the new arena, if they do hold other events, and they will, they won't be daily and sports events aren't all day, plus they aren't held in the existing two each and every day either; each team has away games to go to also. I think in most instances we'd see a chance of two out of the three venues being used on the same day and seeing how we already have planned for (2) venues, there should be little concern for additional traffic impacts.
I think the Longshore Union is not happy because they are being overlooked as if they don't exist when they are typically the bully in all negotiations. Compare it to a child having a tantrum and the parent ignoring the behavior.
These are the same mor0ns who stormed the port in Longview, held several gaurds captive, vandalized and damaged buildings, and dumped grain from passing train cars because the strike negotiations weren't going their way. They are little more than thugs with membership dues and now look what they're doing to the city. They're filing a suit that's going to waste tax dollars. There's plenty of access. If two existing stadiums haven't shut down the traffic flow, the addition of a third certainly won't. Quit whining.
Traffic is screwed M-F and usually S&S from Everett to Puyallup, an arena is not going to make it any worse than it already is. It's terrible, we all know it, we all deal with it and it's not going to change. The POS is just angry it did not get their road construction deal they were supposed to get years ago, and rightfully so, but this is not the right way to go about it.
Hope the court throws this out as frivolous. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union have been screwing over business and the public for far too long.
Lets not forget that Seattle was promised many traffic construction upgrades with Safeco and Quest that it NEVER got. Putting arena in an area that already cannot handle its CURRENT traffic load is a terrible idea. Any money that the "MOU" claims is to help traffic problems is too little and isn't even guaranteed. If you believe that money will go to traffic after it didn't already TWICE then I have a bridge to sell you...
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Put the arena somewhere else.
Strange can't even keep a library open normal hours roads are fulll of potholes. Country owes debts in the trillions which are numbers so high we could be talking space travel miles instead of dollars. Oh yeah and I'm a union tradesman should be jumping for joy for the project. Not...
Another case of a self-serving union acting out selfishly.Â
 @The WA Mama That's the whole point of the union. By definition, they are self interested.Â
Let's not forget that Union people will likely build the new stadium. Are you willing to throw your fellow union members under the bus to save your neck. If the roads were so important then the Port should probably kick in to help support the maintenance on them. Seattle is not just a Port but a community. You haven't been the only game in town for a long time.
 @mstipton That arena will put a lot of ironworkers and other trade workers to work. With regards to the complaints by the port and unions, I see a lot of smoke but no fire.
No wonder the Port of Tacome is working better. Less whinners there.
Whiners! I thought longshoremen were tough guys. Objecting to more pro sports in Seattle isn't very manly.
'Building another sports venue in the Sodo area will erode maritime, manufacturing and warehousing businesses and threaten the livelihood of union and other workers, the union said. '
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Surprised they did not mention it will destabilize Jupiter's orbit, bringing total calamity.
For it surely will.
Okay Longshore Union. You got your attention now. So now you can crawl back under your rocks! Let the rest of us live in reality if you don't want to live in it!
This is the biggest load of BS ever. You aren't rocket scientists, you are laborers. Why do we have all the annoying unions around here? Between Boeing, Waste Management and these no-brains, we will never move forward.....
I am generally pro union but you guys sure know how to urinate off your few remaining supporters. I suggest you knuckleheads lay low for a while and get active in some local charities.
We should just close the port and re-purpose the land for mixed use. Put a park in, low income housing, high end housing, etc. I wonder if a voter initiative could do it. I would sign it in a heart beat.
dear well everyone,Â
This means to much to me and the great city of seattle for you to stop. one way or another this will get built and it would save everyone time and money if you shut your mouth and support the building of the greatess thing to happen to seattle since the seahawks came. These two teams could bring in some much more money into seattle if you would just shut up and let the process continue.Â
@Nick Tochko Why is it that you thinks a sports team and arena is the greatest thing to happen to the city? I'm sorry, but if that is your mindset you have no perception of reality and how this impacts the region and the lives and livlihood of the city and the state.
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This project WILL slow down freight transit time. Time is Money.  Because Puget Sound ports already suffer with a bottleneck of rail capacity into and out of the region (and thats the primary land based transportation for those MILLIONS of containers you see coming & going on those huge ships) It could cause shippers to ship via Vancouver BC, Portland, California and even trrans-canal to the gulf coast or east coast. If this were to happen it would have devistating impacts on our economy, cascading down to the railroads & their employees, the supplier, truckers, to restaurants & retail.Â
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The miniscule number of part time minimum wage jobs an arena would produce, along with  the 10 or so outlandishly overpaid ovehyped jocks salary wont begin to make up for the job losses in good, working class blue collar positions.
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I am glad Mr Hanson is willing to invest his money in the city the way he says he would, but I, and most reasonable thinking citizens not blinded by Clay Bennett angersee the bigger picture. Bring back the NBA, Great... Just not in SODO.
@EMDF9A Safeco field was built. The union was silent. Seahawk's stadium was built. The union was silent. NOW, all of a sudden, transportation in the SODO district is NOW and issue when the community wants to build an NBA/NHL stadium? Wasn't the $50M that Hansen is putting up not enough? Want to extort more to keep the union quiet? What is the REAL reason the suit was filed?
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I'm absolutely sick up to my eyeballs with unions crying like litte babies. Between the Boeing and WMS unions cry babies, do your high wage work and leave the rest of us alone.
Shipping and traffic patters have changed since them. The Panama Canal can now handle larger ships, so that becomes an option to shippers if the in-transit time in the port of entry is even slowed down by 6-8 hours. Puget sound ports have always had an advantage because they were one day sailing closer to Asian ports, but that advantage is quickly lost to the shipper if we slow down in-transit time in the port of entry. And THAT leads to the loss of thousands of good paying, family wage, blue collar jobs that cannot be made up by any number of minimum wage service jobs in the arena or even the construction jobs (which would be temporary).
Nice try! Don't buy it!
@EMDF9A So.. how is it that an NBA/NHL Arena going to impact port traffic any more than the current NFL/MLB stadiums do?? Most games are late afternoon/evening games after most of the business is done for the day. Not to mention its not like the Arena is going to be hosting capacity crowdes everyday during the normal working hours.
 @EMDF9A So... since when did trains have to wait for traffic?
it doesnt close for the railroad loadings and departures or arrivals and it doesnt close for maintenence. AND ther are multiple manufactureing plants in that are, (Bakery, Steel, Wire, Building Materials, Recycling, Transfer etc that operate 24/7 and supply traffic to teh port & the transportation infrastructure. Look beyond tthe basketball key and at the larger picture of what happens in SODO 24/7
 @EMDF9A  @SilverGryphon The port may be open 24/7, but it closes around 5 or 6 for truck traffic. So no, an arena will not have much impact on the comings and goings of freight.Â
@SilverGryphon The port, the railroads and the manufacturing jobsare not 9-5 jobs. They are 24/7 jobs. When the ship arrives you unload it until its empty and you re-load it. When the ship is unloaded you load the train. When the trains are filled you dispatch them. You dont shut down a steel mill at 5PM, the furnace keeps running. The trucks & trains need fuel and maintenence. SODO doesnt close up @ 5PM The reality is that when the inevitible delays in shipping are caused by both construction and operation of the arena, the ships will no longer call on our ports. The jobs will move to other areas and they will be permantly gone from Puget Sound.
The Longshoreman's Union = the new 1% elite. Â Â Sheesh, its just a basketball stadium!
I guess the payoff envelopes are still too light.
@Mumblix Grumph  LOL! Heck, the city just bent Chris Hansen over to fork another $40 million into fixing the traffic messes that should have been fixed 10 years ago. I guess it's time for the P.O.S. to get their fair share....
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<Sarcasam OFF>
I really don't understand the argument that the new Stadium will "along with the traffic already generated by Safeco Field and Century Link Field, destroy the great working class jobs provided by our port and industrial area," said Williams. ?????????????????  I guess their argument is that there will be a professional NHL or NBA game during the day......... every day, all day long, and destroy all of these "Great working class jobs provided by our port and industrial area??????????????????????? You Union Goons never cease to amaze.
@theworldsamess Because they can't buy those properties for expansion...although they've been sitting empty for how long now? This union has an overinflated ego, I hope the new stadium bans any advertising from the port over this.
LOL Good luck with that. I hope you spend a boat load of money and still lose.
I'll take a new sports arena over a "Union" anytime. Seems to me, that "Unions" do nothing but DIVIDE lately.