News Jan 12, 2017 at 10:47 am

Major Sports-Arena Corporation Considering Constructing a World-Class Facility At KeyArena Site

Charles Mudede
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Comments

1
Philip Anschutz, the owner of Anschutz Entertainment Group (aka AEG), is an anti-gay, right wing extremist. Why is the city of Seattle in business with him at all?
DOUG. on January 12, 2017 at 11:10 AM Report this
2
@1: The short answer is, because he has the money, and to often when money is at stake ethics take a back seat, think Fanta soda...
Merchant Seaman on January 12, 2017 at 11:28 AM Report this
3
Yes, let's build it in this place that won't have good transit connectivity for at least 20 years, instead of a place with the best connectivity in the region and numerous one-seat rides to the arena.
j-lon on January 12, 2017 at 11:33 AM Report this
4
So my sons go to public high school here in Seattle, along with 56,000 other children. Next year SPS is going to have to cut staff city wide in order to make budget. Both my son's schools have yearly fundraisers to buy copy paper and other school supplies and this is not uncommon throughout SPS. One fundraiser was to provide salary for a teaching position that was otherwise going to be cut. Neither of my son's school's are able to do any badly needed capital improvements (leaking roofs are only the start) and I'm told that almost no other SPS school can either. In 2012 the Washington Supremes ordered the state to comply with the Constitution and fulfill the state's obligations to fund education - the order has been repeated at least twice and the state even held in contempt and still nothing.

But! Seattle needs another arena for millionaires so we're going to have to cough up the dough for that.

Fuckin A.
MikeyC on January 12, 2017 at 11:54 AM Report this
5
@4 For what it's worth... "The city says all construction would have to be privately funded. The developer would enter into a lease arrangement in which the city would maintain ownership of the arena."

Try it out for free on January 12, 2017 at 12:25 PM Report this
6
The other difference is that the SoDo arena is privately funded, a KeyArena rebuild will be a "public/private" partnership. How much "public" is involved will not be known until the proposals come back by the end of April.
MrBaker on January 12, 2017 at 12:33 PM Report this
7
@4 and 5, on the raw video Bob Newman calls it a "public/private partnership" like the others they have done.
https://twitter.com/chrisdaniels5/status…
MrBaker on January 12, 2017 at 12:36 PM Report this
8
"Public/private". It's that first word that's got my knickers in a twist. I'm olde enough to remember when the SeaChickens wanted us to buy them a new stadium right next door to the one we just built and it was voted down. Then a billionaire bought a new election and how could we refuse such a rich gnome? So we coughed up something like half a billion dollars. Woo-hoo! Yeah! Go SeaChickens. Now we get to fund another stadium of, for and by rich people. Woo-hoo! Go Whatever Sports Team Plays There! Fuck the public schools.
MikeyC on January 12, 2017 at 12:48 PM Report this
9
Edwards of AEG has said that he didn't think it was necessary to expand the footprint of the Key Arena to redevelop it? NHL and NBA won't consider coming if the footprint is not expanded, which would allow for a bigger arena, more amenities and more seating.

A Traffic mitigation plan is required from a potential developer and he doesn't have the foggiest notion of what to do about the transportation issues with the present Mercer quagmire with more companies, employees and cars to come to SLU, e.g., Google and Expedia.

SODO Arena beats a Key Arena Plan by the length of an entire country, but some politicians in City Hall are far too deep in the pockets of the Port of Seattle and other old Seattle power interests to pursue smart public and land use policy and support SODO Arena.
neo-realist on January 12, 2017 at 12:48 PM Report this
10
AEG funds anti-gay and climate change denying groups. MSG Group forces their Rockettes to perform at Trumps inauguration. The Mayor's hypocrisy choosing to deal with these groups over the local guy who wants to pay for everything and funds local charities is amazing. We need McGinn back. Get the Trump sucking Murray out of office.

And don't be fooled, Murray is trying to screw over Hansen by pursuing the Key. And Murray plans to "lease" the space to AEG or MSG for like $1 per year. Which is theft.

Phil Anschutz and Irving Azoff? C'mon. By giving public assets to these guys, this Mayor is losing his moral authority. Why the hell isn't The Stranger digging into this story and these guy's backgrounds? Charles??
burnitdown on January 12, 2017 at 1:03 PM Report this
11
The Seattle Center station for ST3 is perfectly located; the problem is the 2035 completion date. If the city could cut that to 2025 (8 years) that would limit the duration of the traffic impact. The city could also add dedicated transit lanes on Mercer.
Cascadian on January 12, 2017 at 1:57 PM Report this
12
If AEG gets to be in charge of the Key Arena remodel, they'll keep out all the union labor that currently services the arena as part of the deal they negotiate, I guarantee you. Fuck AEG. I'd rather have an old facility and maintain my job there than a new facility and no job.
Hacksaw on January 12, 2017 at 1:59 PM Report this
13
we should definitely choose the option that spurs the most development closest to sea level. http://www.seattle.gov/UTIL/EnvironmentC…
🚲🚇🚠$ on January 12, 2017 at 2:22 PM Report this
14
@11 Realistically it won't be completed by 2035 much less 8 years early.

ST3 was a scam from the start. Calculated to con voters and secure a handful of high paying jobs for decades.
Seattle Transplnt on January 13, 2017 at 7:57 AM Report this
15
@10: It wasn't the Mayor who denied Hansen the street vacation he needed to build the SoDo arena on his own dime. It was the City Council, specifically, Bagshaw, Sawant, Herbold, Juarez and González. Once they killed that deal, the Mayor was open to others.
kk in seattle on January 17, 2017 at 6:36 PM Report this

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