The Mariners could sign a 25-year extension to their Safeco Field lease that ends this yearGETTY IMAGES
A divided King County Council "questioned the Mariners" over a plan to give $180M in public funds toward fixes at Safeco Field, kicking off a "debate over whether the money could instead be used on housing," according to Mike Rosenberg of the SEATTLE TIMES. The Mariners and Public Facilities District, which oversees the ballpark, had "agreed in May on terms for a potential 25-year extension to the team's lease" at the ballpark, which "expires at the end of this year." But the deal is "contingent on the county council approving" King County Council Exec Dow Constantine's proposal to send $180M in hotel and motel tax revenue "toward capital projects at Safeco." The council "framed the issue largely as a choice between giving the money" toward the ballpark or "using it to build affordable housing." The most "heated part" of the council meeting came when councilman Dave Upthegrove, who is against the ballpark financing, got a "chance to question" Mariners Exec VP & General Counsel Fred Rivera. Upthegrove "noted the value of the Mariners," now estimated at $1.45B, has "grown" by $1B in the past seven years. Upthegrove said, "Given that, why couldn't (the Mariners) fund these upgrades rather than drain public resources?" Rivera "pushed back, noting that the Mariners were eyeing" over $800M in ballpark fixes and upgrades over the 25-year lease and that the team would be "paying for the vast majority of it." The team has said that if the county "rejects the funding, it would sign a short-term lease to stay at Safeco for up to five years, then go back to the drawing board to negotiate a long-term lease" (SEATTLE TIMES, 7/31).
