Sonics/NHL/New arena thread

[Sgt. Largent]

He would not continue this unless he had some information that was favorable somewhere, Port commissioners come and go, mayors come and go, city councilmen come and go,

Maybe, I just don't believe this latest land purchase means some expansion to Seattle is imminent. The stupid council couldn't even vacate a side street, let alone put the final approval on a new arena.

- Is Hansen still optimistic and will continue trying? Yes
- Does the NBA want to come back to Seattle? Yes
- Does the city, county and mayor care at this point in time? No

 

[IndyHawk]

Do we care?Some of us do not care if the NBA ever comes back.They will want a taxpayer paid state of the art arena,they will also want hundreds of millions for an expansion fee.I can't understand how anyone thinks all that will be good and right.My parents and others in here have parents who paid for the Supersonics expansion/Seattle center coliseum and all of us were fans till the end when that got taken away because of plain greed.The only way I'd be happy is if the new owner will pay for everything ..All the fees/Arena he can take the profits to recoup easily.

 

[Maulbert]

He would not continue this unless he had some information that was favorable somewhere, Port commissioners come and go, mayors come and go, city councilmen come and go,

Maybe, I just don't believe this latest land purchase means some expansion to Seattle is imminent. The stupid council couldn't even vacate a side street, let alone put the final approval on a new arena.

- Is Hansen still optimistic and will continue trying? Yes
- Does the NBA want to come back to Seattle? Yes
- Does the city, county and mayor care at this point in time? No

I think the Mayor does want them back. It's the city council's fault.

 

[JSeahawks]

The NBA is nearing completion of a new collective bargaining agreement. Supposedly within the agreement are factors that make expansion beneficial and a real possibility. Seattle and Louisville are supposedly the leading candidates for expansion. But of course, Seattle needs the arena first.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Do we care?Some of us do not care if the NBA ever comes back.They will want a taxpayer paid state of the art arena,they will also want hundreds of millions for an expansion fee.I can't understand how anyone thinks all that will be good and right.My parents and others in here have parents who paid for the Supersonics expansion/Seattle center coliseum and all of us were fans till the end when that got taken away because of plain greed.The only way I'd be happy is if the new owner will pay for everything ..All the fees/Arena he can take the profits to recoup easily.

Hansen is paying for half, and the other half is bonded to be paid back over time as a partnership with the city and county.

Hansen's proposal is far better than any other arena built in the past 25 years for the city and county, and taxpayers. There's also a clause in the proposal that says Hansen will pay for all cost overruns and revenue shortfalls that don't meet the projected profits for paying off the bonds.

I remember what the SODO district looked like when it was just the Kingdome. My dad used to make us run through it scared when we went to Mariner games, cause it was so sketchy and rundown. Now it's one of the most vibrant and profitable areas of the entire city generating thousands of jobs and tax revenue.

So even if you don't care about the NBA or NHL in Seattle, new arenas if done correctly are good for a city.......and IMO this one is about as good as it gets for Seattle.

 

[IndyHawk]

Do we care?Some of us do not care if the NBA ever comes back.They will want a taxpayer paid state of the art arena,they will also want hundreds of millions for an expansion fee.I can't understand how anyone thinks all that will be good and right.My parents and others in here have parents who paid for the Supersonics expansion/Seattle center coliseum and all of us were fans till the end when that got taken away because of plain greed.The only way I'd be happy is if the new owner will pay for everything ..All the fees/Arena he can take the profits to recoup easily.

Hansen is paying for half, and the other half is bonded to be paid back over time as a partnership with the city and county.

Hansen's proposal is far better than any other arena built in the past 25 years for the city and county, and taxpayers. There's also a clause in the proposal that says Hansen will pay for all cost overruns and revenue shortfalls that don't meet the projected profits for paying off the bonds.

I remember what the SODO district looked like when it was just the Kingdome. My dad used to make us run through it scared when we went to Mariner games, cause it was so sketchy and rundown. Now it's one of the most vibrant and profitable areas of the entire city generating thousands of jobs and tax revenue.

So even if you don't care about the NBA or NHL in Seattle, new arenas if done correctly are good for a city.......and IMO this one is about as good as it gets for Seattle.

Yeah I remember that area and that bemoth dome made it look more scary.Ok so Hansen is paying half of what?The arena and the taxpayers get the other half in one tax form or another..What about the expansion fee?Hansen covers that I assume..See the thing is that Okie took the Sonics out so that city could avoid expansion fees.Why don't he just cover that since he created the problem.

 

[Smelly McUgly]

The street vacation failure was yet another message from the SCC to the NBA: Team first, then you get your shiny new arena.

Silver gets this, and I think he would like to put this Seattle deal to bed, so Seattle will get promised expansion on the condition that the city agrees to enact the arena deal. The NBA can save face by arguing that the Seattle situation was unique, so they did something to correct it that they won't do for other cities.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

The street vacation failure was yet another message from the SCC to the NBA: Team first, then you get your shiny new arena.

Silver gets this, and I think he would like to put this Seattle deal to bed, so Seattle will get promised expansion on the condition that the city agrees to enact the arena deal. The NBA can save face by arguing that the Seattle situation was unique, so they did something to correct it that they won't do for other cities.

This is the real problem, with no real solution in sight.

The NBA wants the arena before helping Hansen get a team, and the city wants a team first before considering approving a new arena.

So right now it's a staring match trying to see who blinks first, and no one's blinking.

 

[Smelly McUgly]

I am fairly confident that it will get figured out through backchannels.

It doesn't help the SCC that they are proposing either new taxes or a reduction in city services to redo the Lander Street overpass when they could just have Hansen pay for it.

This is more proof that the arena deal is acceptable enough to them, but they are going to play some hardball with the NBA to prove a point. I think they will get over it and a vote will flip on the street vacation sooner rather than later.

 

[Seahawks Guy]

So even if you don't care about the NBA or NHL in Seattle, new arenas if done correctly are good for a city.......and IMO this one is about as good as it gets for Seattle.

The problem is that they don't do any good for a lot of people who wind up paying for it. A nice arena benefits the owners of the team, the league, and anyone who owns land or restaurants/motels/gift shops in the surrounding area. That's it.

 

[chris98251]

So even if you don't care about the NBA or NHL in Seattle, new arenas if done correctly are good for a city.......and IMO this one is about as good as it gets for Seattle.

The problem is that they don't do any good for a lot of people who wind up paying for it. A nice arena benefits the owners of the team, the league, and anyone who owns land or restaurants/motels/gift shops in the surrounding area. That's it.

The employees don't get checks, the fans don't have nice places to go and hang out, the area doesn't get upgraded and rejuvenated?

 

[Sgt. Largent]

So even if you don't care about the NBA or NHL in Seattle, new arenas if done correctly are good for a city.......and IMO this one is about as good as it gets for Seattle.

The problem is that they don't do any good for a lot of people who wind up paying for it. A nice arena benefits the owners of the team, the league, and anyone who owns land or restaurants/motels/gift shops in the surrounding area. That's it.

That's what all the progressive liberal writers at the Times peddle to their Queen Anne anti sports snobs.

Yes if the stadium or arena is a screwjob for the city with all the cost, cost overruns and annual maintenance the burden of the city and county? I agree with you, the job creation, tax revenue, etc doesn't out perform that gigantic cost and continued burden.

But like I said, Hansen's proposal is as good as it gets for any city and county, HE's burdening the cost overruns, and sharing in not only the building, but the maintenance and other costs that most other arena deals don't include.

 

[KitsapGuy]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/jonhumbert/status/790976670568112128[/tweet]

 

[Glasgow Seahawk]

So is the nordstroms the financial muscle now in place of ballmer? Or where they always there.

Bet you the council still say no

 

[twisted_steel2]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/jonhumbert/status/790976670568112128[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ChrisDaniels5/status/790975652136615936[/tweet]

Wow. Amazing!

 

[Hawk-Lock]

This is actually big news. If Hansen brings the NBA back, build the man a statue.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Here's Hansen's statement off the Arena website

Oct 25
Moving Forward
​​Following the Seattle City Council’s vote last May to deny the vacation of a portion of Occidental Avenue South we reiterated our commitment to bringing the NBA and NHL back to Seattle. We said we would take time to step back, evaluate our options, better understand the Council’s concerns and find a path forward.
For the past five months, we’ve been doing just that. We have carefully considered the various concerns expressed by Council members and identified steps we could take to address those concerns. In a letter to the Mayor and King County Executive — both of whom share our goal of bringing the Sonics and NHL back to Seattle — we described the steps we are willing to take to move the Arena project forward.
First, we will direct contributions to a package of additional SODO traffic improvements, which will improve freight mobility through the area.
Second, we agreed to commit future payment of compensation for the vacated street to the city’s financing package for the Lander Street Overpass, thereby helping to close the funding gap for that important project.
Finally, we have agreed to revising the street vacation petition to eliminate public financing of the Arena. Terminating the MOU would allow the city and county to recoup the $200 million in debt capacity and free-up Arena tax-generated revenue streams.
To make this all possible we have asked for approval of a revised conditional street vacation, a waiver of the city’s admissions tax, which has been granted for the other sports venues in Seattle, and an adjustment of the city’s B&O tax for revenue generated out of town.
We are hopeful these additional steps will address the concerns of the Council so the Arena project can move forward – which remains the critical first step to bringing the NBA and NHL back to Seattle.
Go Sonics!
— Chris Hansen, Erik Nordstrom, Pete Nordstrom, Wally Walker

Homey ain't playin' no more.

 

[chris98251]

Seattle had the chance to get it built and then own it afterwards, they tear up the MOU then it becomes private and Seattle is out of the revenue stream also If I am understanding this, they will have the ability to remodel Key Arena at least without worry.

The issue now with the City and council will be permits and easements, right of ways etc that they can slow things down with and or refuse without substantial dollars ponied up above and beyond typical expenses just to dig at Hansen, of course also the Port will be sucking up to the City and Council as well to demand and deny anything petitioned for. Lets not even talk about the Mariners who will run as much interference as they can also.

The saving grace is if the Nordstroms are really involved they have a lot of in's with the City and influence, they brought the Seahawks here with Slade Gortons help, who was also the one that got caught discussing the work around for blocking the move of the Sonics also in Emails that Bennett got subpoenaed.

 

[Laloosh]

Strange feeling... Excited at the idea but pissed off that this city counsel gets a pass.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Strange feeling... Excited at the idea but pissed off that this city counsel gets a pass.

Yep, and even now that Hansen has thrown down the gauntlet and said "fine, I'll pay for EVERYTHING myself, as well as greasing the palm of the port by giving money to fix all their fake issues with the arena hurting their routes"..........the city and county councils will still be a pain in the ass with more and more issues, problems and delaying.

That's what I got from the last go around. It'll never be enough. Too many hippie progressive liberals on the councils that hate sports and are not just ambivalent towards this whole project, they're downright hostile towards it.