Levin really wants that Bellevue deal since he'd have control of the building and the additional revenue sources. Also rumors that Gretzky is part of Levin's investor group and when Gretzky was in town, he met with Bellevue city officials according to
reports in late July.
Quote:
Wayne Gretzky, who was seen at a Seattle Mariners game Wednesday, took a meeting with Bellevue officials to discuss the possibility of a NHL arena in the city, according to KJR radio's Dave "Softy" Mahler.
Bellevue spokesman Claude Iosso said he was unaware of the meeting.
A source close to the situation said talks between Bellevue and suitors for an NHL arena have been ongoing, but the source did not want to go into any particular individuals.
"There are people working on it," the source said.
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As for the SODO arena deal, this was a big win for Seattle taxpayers even though general Seattle property taxes will go up nominally ie.$60/year on a $350K house .
Although nothing is 100% fool proof and does potentially weaken the ability of the city to finance other potential projects, this deal isn't the usual corporate welfare scheme that usually comes with professional sports teams.