Seattle has two major league stadiums in its SoDo district: Safeco Field (where the Mariners of the major league baseball team play) and Century Link Field (where two major league teams play, the Sounders and the Seahawks). However, two stages may not be enough. Seattle may at some point add a third arena: a basketball / hockey arena, planned in large part by Seattle native and investor Chris Hansen.
The road to adding new sand to the fabric of Seattle’s already tight city has not been easy. While initial votes from King County and the Seattle City Council saw approval of the new arena, more recent votes from the city’s county opposed giving up portions of busy West Avenue for potential arena. In the past, potential lawsuits by the longshoremen’s union for potentially negatively impacting the Port of Seattle also interfered with the process.
Stadium investors argue that the stadium will generate revenue and newly discovered jobs for the city and businesses near the arena site, and provide another venue for high-profile concerts and sporting events. If a stadium is built in SoDo, it won’t be for a while yet, as the site must go through an environmental impact study and other hurdles in the coming months. Still, the NHL interest in Seattle is still there, so an NHL arena remains a possibility.
What kind of teams will play in the new stadium?
This new stadium will be designed for NBA and / or NHL teams. The arena would allow Seattle to attract the Sonics, its old major league basketball team. The Seattle SuperSonics were part of Seattle from 1967 to 2008, when negotiations to improve KeyArena or build a new basketball stadium fell through. The Sonics were flown to Oklahoma City. They are currently known as the Oklahoma City Thunder and their local arena is the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Doesn’t a new arena mean more taxes for residents?
No, this new arena would not mean new taxes for King County residents. Instead, the $ 490 million arena will be funded largely by private investors and income generated by the arena.
Where will this stadium be located?
The plan is for the stadium to be in the SoDo District, just south of Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field.
Will this arena be built safely?
This is one of the biggest controversies and obstacles to arena plans. With two large stadiums already located in this area and access to the Port of Seattle is also crucial, congestion issues are on the radar. Before the arena is built, there will be a comprehensive environmental study to examine the impact of another large structure on SoDo. Groups like the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and other dockworkers have concerns about access to the most congested ports in the area.
How big will the arena be?
Current plans are that the arena will have about 700,000 square feet and a capacity of 17,500 to 19,000 people.
What other stadiums are there in the Seattle area?
Seattle has three main teams: Mariners (baseball), Sounders (soccer), and Seahawks (soccer). He also has a WNBA team, Seattle Storm. The surrounding area also has several smaller teams or feeders, which also means that Seattle has several existing arenas.
Safeco Field is the home of the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball team. CenturyLink Field is the home of the Seattle Seahawks football team. KeyArena at Seattle Center was the former home of the Seattle Sonics and the current home of the WNBA Seattle Storm and Seattle University Redhawks.
South of Seattle are the Tacoma Dome and Cheney Stadium, both in Tacoma. Tacoma Dome has been home to major league teams in the past, including the 1994-95 SuperSonics. Cheney Stadium is home to the Tacoma Rainiers minor league baseball team.
Learn more about the new Seattle arena.
