Sports $300 Million… Plus Another $170 Million For Land & Parking Lots
posted by on January 18 at 18:30 PM
That’s what the Sonics want…
The Seattle Sonics want the state to authorize $300 million in taxes for a new multipurpose events center, according to a letter from team owner Clay Bennett to Gov. Chris Gregoire and Legislative leaders. The arena the team wants built would cost between $340 million and $360 million, according to the letter. That does not include $150 million to $170 million needed for the land or the parking.The money could be raised by extending existing restaurant and rental car taxes, which were imposed to pay for Safeco Field and Quest Field.
Didn’t we just vote on this? Wasn’t the answer “fuck no”? I mean, wasn’t that Seattle’s answer? If Bellevue wants the Sonics, let Bellevue pay the freaking taxes.
Wasn't the vote only in King County? Not the state?
The vote was Seattle only. And the result was, as Mr. Savage so eloquently puts it, "fuck no." I almost want to see the guy who bought the Sonics go completely broke personally, just so teach him a lesson about business. And I want to see a state-wide vote on welfare for sports.
I have to wonder if they're purposely giving inflated figures in order to get No for an answer, thus allowing them to go to OK City like everyone thought when this guy bought the time. I mean we know that construction costs are way, way up but $150 million just for the land? Are they going to build it lakeside in Medina?
Whoops, make that $170 million for land and parking lots. Still sounds way too high.
Actually, the last thing anyone should want is a Statewide vote on taxes that will only be levied in King County (see Stadium, Seahawks).
Now a countywide vote, OTOH, would probably be a good thing, provided electeds honor it (see Stadium, Mariners)
What with impending billion-dollar doom over two critical roadways, I surely think that the supporters of all the different Viaduct plans, for instance, can come together and agree that the best use of the money is...another half-billion-dollar sports palace.
Fuck off, Sonics. Just go away. You're not even trying to play nice; why should we?
Meet the new tax-fighting, respect-the-vote, Eymanish, man of the people: Dan Savage.
$530M is a freaking third of the cost of the monorail.
You've nailed it! The mistake has been to market mass transit around here as anything other than a fan delivery system for the stadiums. Lack of such a critical piece of infrastructure would surely be viewed as a state emergency by the WA Supreme Court. It would be built in no time.
State Senator Prentice seems to be pretty interested in using state money to put it in Renton. Given she's the head of the Ways & Means Committee, she might get her way.
My guess is they'll try to come up with some sort of complicated deal that doesn't look like a give-away (but in the end is) so the WA Legislature can vote for it while claiming they didn't understand what it really meant.
I'd gladly pay 1/2 Billion to get the Sonics out of Seattle. Send em to Renton! (If we gave them a billion would they go to Idaho?)
Let Tim Sheldon put his NASCAR track inside it, relocate it to Belfair, then convert State Highway 3 to a dirt road.
Alternatively, offer the 300 million in taxes on the condition that the Sonics pay completely for the extensive roadwork that will be needed on I-405 to handle the additional traffic for games. That might balance it out.
Can't we just impose a user tax on Stupid Republican Big Spenders who want to use state tax dollars to subsidize sports teams.
I'm thinking of a number between $300 million and $400 million ...
This is why I-91 was a joke.
Somehow, sports teams became associated with the dick size of the citizens of the town whose name the team carries.
Given this association, any attempt to limit the teams access to money (blood) reduces the potential dick size of every guy in the place.
So, wanna bet they get what they want?
I don't think an initative that got more than 75 percent of the vote is a joke, Doug.
I missed the memo - what's wrong with the Key Arena anyway??? I've been to many events there & it's perfectly fine (and didn't we spend megabucks just a dozen years ago rebuilding it?)
Last time I checked, the Sonics were still cooling their heels in the basement. What do they need a new arena for?
No, Dan, in Seattle the power whores ask the question again and again until the wind and the barometric pressure is right and they get the answer they want.
No, Dan, in Seattle the power whores ask the question again and again until the wind and the barometric pressure are right and they get the answer they want.
Because they're not making "enough" money. To which I say, if they want to make more profit, they can find investors and finance the thing themselves. Fuck corporate welfare queens.
No we didn't vote on this - that was a narrowly written proposal to make sure the city made a profit on any new facility, which the Sonics could get around anyway if they wanted to stay in Seattle. The current idea, extending the hospitality tax to include the Supes like it includes the M's and Hawks is almost painless, since the tax is paid for the most part by visitors and stadium users. The legislature could approve an exetension or put it to a regional or statewide vote. It's easy to hate the asshole rich guys who own and play for these teams, but if a majority of users/out of towners want to support the deal, that's ok with me.
I hope to HELL Bellevue DOESN'T want them because that is the one thing that could make Eastside traffic WORSE.
Dan, don't go throwing out irresponsible comments like that. Or maybe I'll be forced to send your son a drum kit.
@20 -- and they should raise their ticket prices accordingly. maybe try to sell some bobbleheads, too.
I still like the idea of turning Seattle Center into a public sports center & park. Use the Key for any number of sports, put field turf on Mercer Arena, put in a skate park, bmx track. The possibilities are right there for a great civic coup.
Let the Sonics go to to Bellevue/Renton, and Coffman's 100% right about handshaking on the dough to increase the size of the I-405's pee-hole.
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