For most of the past year, investor groups interested in alternatives to the proposed arena in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle by hedge fund manager Chris Hansen "have quietly held discussions with landowners of two prime sites" in Tukwila and Bellevue, Wash., according to a front-page piece by Geoff Baker of the SEATTLE TIMES. The Tukwila site, just south of Boeing Field, "is owned by" former Sonics Minority Owner David Sabey. The owners of the Bellevue land "agreed more than two years ago to sell it to a developer that still hopes to attract investors to build an arena there for an NHL or NBA team." Both locations "have been considered as arena sites in the past, boasting immediate highway access" and "proximity to light rail." But discussions surrounding the sites have "stepped up in recent months given delays in Hansen’s project, which is now unlikely to gain approval" before '16. Sources said that there are "at least two investor groups led by prominent figures with ties to professional sports teams." Sources added that both locales "are gaining traction as Sodo alternatives." None of the talks "are said to involve" Hansen or L.A. real-estate developer Victor Coleman, who has said that he "wants to bring an NHL expansion franchise to Sodo." NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman yesterday on Vancouver-based CKST-AM "confirmed for the first time he has talked to groups that have explored sites other than Sodo" (SEATTLE TIMES, 2/5).
