Rain Man: Clay Bennett Reveals Drawings For New Sonics Arena

Sonics Owner Unveils Renderings Of Proposed Arena In Renton

Sonics Owner Clay Bennett yesterday released drawings of a proposed arena in Renton, and told a state House committee that a “public vote on the proposal is no longer a deal breaker,” according to Johns & McGann of the SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER. Bennett: “I’m open to whatever the right answer is, whatever leadership recommends and whatever’s right for this region.” Johns & McGann report the $500M arena designed by HOK Sport would feature “large glass exteriors and open walkways would greet visitors to a massive structure nearly double the size of KeyArena.” Jim Kneeland, a local PR liaison for the Sonics ownership group, said of unveiling the drawings, “We think it’s critical. It gives people a sense of the magnitude of the project. Compared to KeyArena, it’s a much larger and more flexible venue.” While only the exterior renderings were released, Kneeland said that “interior design is under way and views of those aspects could be expected within the next month” (SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 2/27). Supporters of the arena plan, including Basketball HOFer and Seattle resident Bill Russell, “vastly outnumbered opponents at the hearing” in Olympia. Bennett said that the team owners “won’t pay for any cost overruns,” and he also did not indicate how much owners would contribute, saying that many details “would have to be worked out in a lease with King County.” The following chart compares KeyArena to the proposed arena (SEATTLE TIMES, 2/27).

	KEYARENA	NEW ARENA
Square Footage	386,000	800,000
Seating Capacity	17,072	18,500
Luxury Suites	58	50
Parking Garage	No	Yes
Practice Court	No	Yes

INVESTORS CRITICIZED: In Tacoma, Sean Cockerham reports “liberal bloggers ... began blasting” Oklahoma City-based Sonics investors Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward for funding “a national group to fight gay marriage.” McClendon and Ward contributed over $1M in ’04-05 to Christian conservative group Americans United to Preserve Marriage, the “vast majority of the money the group received” (Tacoma NEWS-TRIBUNE, 2/27). The POST-INTELLIGENCER’s Chris McCann writes the revelations “are adding static to the already-strained conversations with Democratic leaders who have consistently backed gay rights issues.” Kneeland said, “One of the things that they agreed to when they bought the team is that they would leave their politics at the state line. They have done that” (SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 2/27).