The NBA Kings are "stepping up efforts to design and market a downtown arena," having "emailed an online survey to some 60,000 residents and businesses asking for opinions -- and testing the waters for potential upscale ticket buyers," according to Tony Bizjak of the SACRAMENTO BEE. Team President Chris Granger said that the team and city officials "have not yet decided on basic arena elements, such as how many seats it will have." Granger said, "I want to hear what other people think about the venue." Initial estimates had put arena seating "at 18,500, which is 1,200 more than at the current Sleep Train Arena." Granger recently said that that number "may be too high." Granger: "I think smaller is better. A tighter seating bowl adds to the enjoyment of everything that is happening." The team's survey "attempts to assess how many people might attend various non-Kings events at a downtown arena, and asks people to rate the importance of amenities such as enhanced Wi-Fi, added bars, restaurants, a children's play area and plush seats." It includes questions "assessing community and business interest in buying luxury suites, loge boxes, and club seats." Kings officials "plan to choose an architectural firm" next week to "lead the effort to come up with a design by October for an arena to be located in Downtown Plaza" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 8/6).
