BIG News Coming Out Of Seattle Yesterday That Could Finally Right A Huge Wrong
(Seattle Times) – The Seattle City Council took the final step Monday toward allowing a redevelopment of KeyArena that could mean the National Hockey League playing in Seattle by 2020.
In a unanimous vote, the council approved lease and development agreements that will allow the Oak View Group to demolish the existing KeyArena and replace it with a new facility.
“We’re starting a new day here in the city and a new partnership,” said Councilmember Debora Juarez, who chaired the council’s Select Committee on Civic Arenas.
The agreement passed 8-0. Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda was absent.
The vote caps a yearslong civic process that included a fierce fight over a competing arena proposal for the Sodo neighborhood. Under the deal approved Monday, The Seattle Arena Company, or ArenaCo, which includes the Oak View Group, plans to spend $700 million building a new facility in Seattle Center. The new, expanded facility will preserve the arena’s current roof and seat between 17,000 and 19,000 people, depending on the event.
ArenaCo plans to host an NHL team and possibly eventually a National Basketball Association team, too. The 39-year lease includes two possible eight-year extensions.
Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke told the council Monday the deal would “create a world-class arena and ultimately add another huge point of destination in [Seattle Center].”
LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
This is huge news, huuuuuuuge news out of the Pacific Northwest. If you remember, when that dickwad Clay Bennett took the team from SEA to OKC, one of the main reasons was a failed attempt at getting $220M in public funding to update KeyArena. That forced Howard Schultz to sell the team to Bennett, who couldn’t secure government funds of $500M for a new complex, and in return removed the Sonics from Seattle. The whole thing was really shady as any Sonics fan will tell you, where the original owner signed a document saying he would never sue Bennett, and ultimately he dropped the case and that was that, the Sonics were gone forever.
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But now, with a new arena being built, it’s only a matter of time before Seattle gets an NBA team again right? RIGHT?!?!?! Seeing as how the Storm just won the WNBA title, between them, this hockey team, and an NBA team they for sure can get more than enough use out of this new building. It’s a shame that everyone agreed to cough up the money about 10 years too late, but at least this is a real sign of progress and hope for Sonics fans everywhere. Now while I don’t think they can expect OKC to return, at this point I think they’d take any current team in the league. It could be the Hawks current roster an I guarantee that place sells out immediately.
It also poses an interesting question about league expansion. I think we all know with the success of the Summer League in Vegas, and with the NHL already having success there and the NFL on the way, it only makes sense that the NBA is going to want to dip it’s toes in that market. That would mean to have an even 32 teams, they need to find another city. Enter Seattle. If Adam Silver wants to lock up the GOAT Commissioner title, he needs to make this happen. He needs to right this wrong and bring a team back to the great people of Seattle.
I’m not saying get your hopes up if you’re a Sonics fan, but this is also the best chance you’ve ever had so I won’t blame you for getting a little excited. Hopefully, stuff like this is back in our lives sooner rather than later.