Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen yesterday went before a King County (Wash.) Council committee "to answer questions about his arena proposal," according to Nick Eaton of SEATTLEPI.com. Hansen said that the project's site "was selected because his analyses showed it made the most financial sense." He said that the current KeyArena site at the Seattle Center, "would not work" because it "would be too expensive to tear down." He added that there is "not enough parking and he needs KeyArena as an interim venue if he acquires an NBA franchise soon." Council member Julia Patterson asked Hansen "to explain why he thinks basketball and potentially hockey could succeed in a city where people's entertainment dollars are already split between many other attractions." Hansen said that his arena group, "before even buying the Sodo property, conducted a study on which cities would be viable for new sports franchises" and Seattle was right near the top." Hansen: "You put a good product out there, people will come." However, some local business owners have "advocated for a different arena site." Port Commissioner Tom Albro said that a new arena in Sodo, "drawing thousands of cars every few nights into a part of town dominated by the maritime industry, would be a 'massive killer for us.'" Int'l Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 19 President Cameron Williams said, "We are not opposed to an arena itself, we are opposed to an arena in Sodo. You can build an arena anywhere, but you can't build a world-class, deep-water port anywhere." Eaton noted, "The problem is, for a new arena, Sodo is the spot." Hansen has "offered millions of his own money to help build an arena there." King County Councilmember Joe McDermott said, "We only have one proposal in front of us. We can't go around and look at other sites for a private investor to use. We have only one site, and we can accept it or reject it." Eaton wrote, "The issue is quickly developing into 'arena versus port'" (SEATTLEPI.com, 6/19).
CALL FOR PUBLIC VOTE: King County Council member Pete von Reichbauer called for a public vote on the $490M arena, and suggested that voters "should approve the deal because of the risk taxpayers would be exposed to." But Hansen said that, "People did vote -- on Initiative 91 in 2006, which said the city must make a return on any investment in a new sports facility." In Seattle, Lynn Thompson notes Hansen "appeared relaxed, in an open-collar shirt and suit jacket" during questioning yesterday. But "he also answered many questions forcefully" (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/). The AP's Tim Booth noted Hansen "sees the groundswell of support that seems to be developing in the community" behind his push for an arena. However, he "hopes those supporters don't become disillusioned if it ends up taking five to seven years for pro basketball to return" if the proposal is approved. Hansen: "I'm sure there could be some disillusionment if this takes a long time. That's one of the things that worries me." He added, "With the different opportunities that are out there, our job is to stand up and make the best case for Seattle. It's not to be predatory and go out there and wrestle a franchise loose from some town where the ownership group wants to keep it there. It's when the decision is made that they would like to relocate, we would like to be the option for that relocation" (AP, 6/19).
ANOTHER VIEW: In Sacramento, Marcos Breton writes watching Seattle politicians debate building a new arena during yesterday's hearing "was all simply hilarious." If anything, Seattle "is less supportive of an arena than Sacramento was." Hansen was "poised and spoke of spending tons of his own money to realize his vision." Breton: "Does that sound like the Maloof brothers? No. Hansen's leadership proves he wants to be in Seattle. The Maloofs' empty words of loving Sacramento are far less significant than their actions" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 6/20).
PUBLIC SUPPORT? GRANTLAND.com's Jay Caspian Kang wrote under the header, "The Plan To Bring Basketball Back To Seattle," and noted he recently attended a rally in support of the NBA's return. Caspian Kang: "Nearly everyone I talked to at the rally had their own theory about which team was coming to Seattle. The consensus pointed toward the Kings. When asked about the irony of taking a team away from another city -- especially one that has no other professional sports options -- an overwhelming majority of fans admitted that in an ideal world, the Seattle SuperSonics would be an expansion team" (GRANTLAND.com, 6/19).
