In Seattle, Geoff Baker reported RLB Holdings Founder & Managing Partner Ray Bartoszek on Friday "submitted plans for a 19,500-seat 'Northwest Arena'" to Tukwila, Wash., officials "as part of a request for an environmental review." The five-page request for a State Environmental Policy Act review "states that the arena, for which the footprint would be 195,000 square feet, will hold between 17,500 and 18,500 for NHL and NBA games, respectively." The arena’s full capacity for other events "would be 19,500." An adjacent, structured parking garage "would be situated just to the east between two sets of railway tracks" (SEATTLE TIMES, 5/2).
ARENA ROCK: NBA Kings Managing Partner Vivek Ranadive recently addressed a crowd at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management regarding the team's new arena, saying, "The charter I gave the team was to create the WBA: the World’s Best Arena. I wanted it to be iconic. I wanted it to be on postcards of California. ... It’s going to be the world’s first indoor/outdoor arena. We’re pushing the envelope. It’s going to be the smartest building, the greenest; it’ll tell you how to park, how to get to your seat. ... It’ll be ticketless, cashless. I don’t even want you to have to pull out your phone. When you walk up, (the building’s technology) should recognize you and guide you to your seat. We’ve set a very high bar, but I have complete confidence the team will deliver on these promises" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 5/2).
KICK IT UP A NOTCH: In Wichita, Kellis Robinett notes Kansas State Univ. is "constructing a new soccer facility that will serve as the practice home for its new women’s soccer team and also host the majority of its games." The project "will cost" an estimated $2.1M and will "be funded entirely by revenue generated by the athletic department." Plans call for the new facility "to be built south of K-State’s baseball stadium, where the football team’s current grass practice fields reside." Football and soccer "will both utilize the space for practice" (WICHITA EAGLE, 5/5).
