Seattle investor has plans to build downtown arena

[hwy19man]

Originally Posted by browna

The arena was no better then the old American Airlines (I think) arena in Phoeni, where the Suns and Coyotes played, but new arenas were on the way, plus Phoenix had ownership tight with the NBA office.

The old building is the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum where the Suns first played. Next came the America West Arena which is now called the US Airways Centre where the Coyotes played and the Suns still play in that building. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona...orial_Coliseum

[seattleflamer]

Originally Posted by browna

To a point its the same. However, Seattle more or less publiclly finananced the new baseball stadium in the early 2000's, and new football stadium a couple years after. The downtown arena a few years after that was bad timing.
The arena was no better then the old American Airlines (I think) arena in Phoeni, where the Suns and Coyotes played, but new arenas were on the way, plus Phoenix had ownership tight with the NBA office.
Suprised Sacramento lasted as long as they have. I was in that arena in the mid 1990's and its far too small (similar to the AA Arena in PHX) for an NBA team and no room for renos, and on top of that the city itself doesn't have the market to draw from.

I think this guy will be going after NBA team hard, with an NHL team as a consolation prize...but lets see his arena plan first and if its one like Katz....the "I'll put up 1/2 the funds for the arena, buy the NBA franchise with local investors, but the rest needs to come from somewhere else and then we'll have an NBA team, for a fraction it would've cost the taxpayers to have kept the Sonics back when" sell job.

My understanding is Hansen is all about the NBA with another group (Bellevue?) that is interested in the NHL franchise. Their combining forces for a new arena.

I do think Phoenix is going to Quebec which is more ready at this point. As for the NBA, it could be a couple/three teams moving back.

[seattleflamer]

Originally Posted by valo403

I'm not sure if you get that 'cement not falling from the roof' is not the measure of whether or not something is good enough to be considered NBA/NHL quality. The measure is exactly what you appear to dismiss, the ability to maximize revenue. This is a multi-billion dollar business, and it's run as such. I don't get the confusion.

The WNBA reference is total nonsense. Once again, the measure isn't the ability for the roof to stay up, it's the ability to maximize revenue. You don't need much to do that in a league that attracts a couple thousand people to it's games at most. The same analysis applies to your equally nonsense example of Wazzu and Gonzaga. Those games may be sold out, but they are one off games and therefore operate in a complete different realm. .

My measurement was what conditions must exist for an NBA (less so NHL) franchise to be viable in Seattle per the OP? IMHO, stadium, check! If it's good enough for the other pro basketball team and that other multibillion sports industry called college sports with 1 college playing all their home games there (Seattle U) then it probably won't be too bad for the Sonics.

It is fairly obvious that unless you're the Yankees or Redsox, some small to mid size professional sports team need public funds to exist in the current cost structure. If that is the case in Seattle's situation, they're won't be a new team(s) here.

And again, there was a team here for 41 years. So there is a good bet it was making money for the owners one way or the other (public dole or otherwise)

Originally Posted by valo403

Btw, did you really reference owners making money year after year and Nassau in the same sentence? The Isles are hemorrhaging money, largely due to their arena situation.

That's an interesting business model then since the Isles having been in the red even before Wang bought them playing in NCC.

He must not be much of a businessman losing money year after year. I guess he must do it for the love of the game and the love of Nassau County.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by seattleflamer

My measurement was what conditions must exist for an NBA (less so NHL) franchise to be viable in Seattle per the OP? IMHO, stadium, check! If it's good enough for the other pro basketball team and that other multibillion sports industry called college sports with 1 college playing all their home games there (Seattle U) then it probably won't be too bad for the Sonics.

It is fairly obvious that unless you're the Yankees or Redsox, some small to mid size professional sports team need public funds to exist in the current cost structure. If that is the case in Seattle's situation, they're won't be a new team(s) here.

And again, there was a team here for 41 years. So there is a good bet it was making money for the owners one way or the other (public dole or otherwise)




That's an interesting business model then since the Isles having been in the red even before Wang bought them playing in NCC.

He must not be much of a businessman losing money year after year. I guess he must do it for the love of the game and the love of Nassau County.

Umm, actually he did it as a means to leverage his way into building the multi-billion dollar Lighthouse complex. You need to understand that owning a professional sports team is about more than the professional sports team.

[c.t.ner]

Didn't see anyone post this, but this is from the news conference going on right now. (These are tweets are from a National Post Sports Columnist watching the live feed)

bruce_arthur 5:13pm via web Seattle mayor: Hansen is willing to invest $500M towards a team and an arena, with the city maxed out at $200M, with protections. Strong.


5:16pm via web Hansen would be willing to pour $300M into an arena that the city would eventually own, and cover shortfalls in city investment. Wow.


Here's the live feed of the news conference.


http://www.king5.com/live-stream/pop...116248999.html

[c.t.ner]

Full recap of what was announced.

http://www.nwsportsbeat.com/coffee-s...e-recap-16212/

“Project does NOT rely on NEW taxes, it would be self-funding, IN any given year shortfalls would be covered by the teams. NO Public subsidies. The Proposal is built with understanding of having both NBA and NHL teams in the facility.”

The Proposal is to construct an arena in the SODO area that would accomadate NHL, NBA & Concert events, Existing taxes to be used toward the facility will only use revenue streams created by the building itself.

Intresting turn of events. Sounds like the majority of the project will be self funded. No new taxes for the Seattle/King County area. The context of the statement sounds like it's ready to go.

Seattle Coyotes for the 2012-13 season?

[Vulcan]

Hansen is not willing to put any money in until he secures a team (NBA I guess) and the other guy (NHL suitor?) says he's not going to put any money in until Hansen does. Anyways it sounds like they have concrete plans and the money to make it happen.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by c.t.ner

Full recap of what was announced.

http://www.nwsportsbeat.com/coffee-s...e-recap-16212/





Intresting turn of events. Sounds like the majority of the project will be self funded. No new taxes for the Seattle/King County area. The context of the statement sounds like it's ready to go.

Seattle Coyotes for the 2012-13 season?

Very surprised by this. I really thought Hannsen was going to come in with some nice blue prints, small amount of money and then try to get the city to pay for it. He means bussiness. As a resident of Victoria that goes to Seattle often, i hope this happens.

[schooner]

Ive only been down to Seattle a couple times, to watch the Mariners and the Seahawks, so that and the I5 is the extent of my knowledge of the area. Just curious where the SODO area is? Arena location can be very important as far as access within a metropolis is concerned. A prime example is the Coyotes who would prob be better served in downtown Phoenix.

[c.t.ner]

Originally Posted by schooner

Ive only been down to Seattle a couple times, to watch the Mariners and the Seahawks, so that and the I5 is the extent of my knowledge of the area. Just curious where the SODO area is? Arena location can be very important as far as access within a metropolis is concerned. A prime example is the Coyotes who would prob be better served in downtown Phoenix.

From the sounds of it, the land they are talking about is just south of Safeco. The area is just south of the main downtown regions.

They’re asking it because we know for certain that Chris Hansen’s Valiant Partners of San Francisco purchased a three acre piece of property south of Safeco Field, for $21 Million

From the article a couple of posts up.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by schooner

Ive only been down to Seattle a couple times, to watch the Mariners and the Seahawks, so that and the I5 is the extent of my knowledge of the area. Just curious where the SODO area is? Arena location can be very important as far as access within a metropolis is concerned. A prime example is the Coyotes who would prob be better served in downtown Phoenix.

If i remember right it's the industrial area next to Safeco field. It would be nothing like glendale.

[fundmark19]

I hope this happens! Any excuse to go to seattle during potential playoffs hockey - baseball -basketball sport trips is fine by me!

[Joborule]

Damn, seems like this NBA and NHL in Seatle momentum is ramping up fast. They ain't holding anything back.

Hope it comes through. Would love to have another NHL team in the Northwest US.

[tomo]

Originally Posted by schooner

Ive only been down to Seattle a couple times, to watch the Mariners and the Seahawks, so that and the I5 is the extent of my knowledge of the area. Just curious where the SODO area is? Arena location can be very important as far as access within a metropolis is concerned. A prime example is the Coyotes who would prob be better served in downtown Phoenix.

SoDo = South of Downtown

[slcrocket]

Listened to the presser live...really excited about the possibilities. There are still some things that will need cleaning up even IF the arena gets built. Trying to figure out how to get people in and out of that area of town when it's already a nightmare will be quite the job...Seattle's public transportation is a long ways behind many major markets in the US (not to mention that the viaduct construction project, IF it runs on time, won't be done until 2016).

That being said, I hope they rename the Coyotes to the Metropolitans.

[vennegoor of hesselink]

My question for the people on here from the Seattle area is can Seattle support 5 major league teams as in that market the Sounders have to be considered major league with what they are drawing (37,000 i believe) and maybe not major league prices to go to games but its not a cheap ticket by any means. Plus there is UW Football and Basketball to contend with.

When i was there in Sept 2010 it seemed like it was in terms of popularity

1. Seahawks
2. Sounders
3. Mariners

[seattleflamer]

Originally Posted by slcrocket

Listened to the presser live...really excited about the possibilities. There are still some things that will need cleaning up even IF the arena gets built. Trying to figure out how to get people in and out of that area of town when it's already a nightmare will be quite the job...Seattle's public transportation is a long ways behind many major markets in the US (not to mention that the viaduct construction project, IF it runs on time, won't be done until 2016).

That being said, I hope they rename the Coyotes to the Metropolitans.

+1 to Metropolitans.

Lots of questions especially on the public financing but cautiously optimistic at this very early stage. The cynic in me rolls my eyes with the slick PR firm portraying Hansen as a local boy making good.

He is a billionaire whose primary focus is ROI and bringing back the Sonics secondary which is fine but that is not how he is being depicted.

[hwy19man]

Originally Posted by schooner

Ive only been down to Seattle a couple times, to watch the Mariners and the Seahawks, so that and the I5 is the extent of my knowledge of the area. Just curious where the SODO area is? Arena location can be very important as far as access within a metropolis is concerned. A prime example is the Coyotes who would prob be better served in downtown Phoenix.

Originally Posted by c.t.ner

From the sounds of it, the land they are talking about is just south of Safeco. The area is just south of the main downtown regions.

Originally Posted by tomo

SoDo = South of Downtown

That is correct. Cities use this acronym for proximities to the city core and are usually comprised of mixed use developments.

In the United States, other cities use similar acronyms:

Denver, Colorado has an area similarly called LoDo (Lower Downtown).
Omaha, Nebraska has NoDo (North Downtown).

[c.t.ner]

It's interesting and I think alot of people have already brought up some of the pit falls already. One of the biggest ones is that according to this press conference, a NHL team would be a tennant in the stadium and wouldn't recieve concessions and as a gate driven league this might not be an optimal solution for an NHL team. Albeit, this is just speculation at the moment.

That being said, the overall picture skeptic in me sees the NHL already pushing to sell the Coyotes franchise to a potential owner in Seattle. I know everyone is talking about Quebec as the main destination, but something in me just can't see Bettman losing two American market teams to Canada in two years. A sale to a Seattle group dying to have a major tenant seams far to logical. Plus unlike, say a Florida (although I don't think they are in desperate need for relocation, just an example) or a New York Islanders, the NHL has full control over the sale.

That being said, I'll wait for SCH to come in and crush my speculation in a matter of seconds.

[getbak]

I think because the League owns the Coyotes, they'll want to maximize the value they get from the sale, so a bidding war between Seattle and Quebec City (and Kansas City and/or Houston, or anyone else) would be in the League's best interest. It would also allow them to find out if there is enough interest in a possible expansion.


The biggest hurdle for Seattle right now will be where to play for what would likely be at least 3 seasons before the new building is opened. The Key Arena has a capacity of about 10,000 for hockey and a number of those seats have obscured views of the ice. The arena in Everett where the Silvertips play has a capacity of about 8,500, but it's designed for hockey, so they would all be good seats. The problem is that Everett is 30 miles from where the new arena would be, where Key Arena is only on the north side of downtown Seattle.