In an exclusive interview with Seattle-based King-5 News in Seattle, Mayor Ed Murray explained that he’s set a date: the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the original development plan submitted by billionaire Chris Hansen’s group that would bring the NHL and the NBA (back) to Seattle will be complete by May 7th. Nearly three years have elapsed since the Seattle City Council and King County Council initially approved the proposal while the city awaits a third-party company’s final EIS presentation.
If you are unfamiliar with the proposed location, the future site of the arena would comprise a large chunk of the SoDo neighborhood just south of the existing CenturyLink and Safeco Fields. Traffic around the area has been and continues to be a nightmare while the Highway 99 viaduct is slowly deconstructed to make way for a tunnel that will open up access to the nearby waterfront. Well, Bertha the digging machine stalled for a really long time, postponing completion of the tunnel and thus prolonging mind-numbing traffic in the area. Murray, however, says that this has not been a factor in the EIS delay. Rather, Hansen has been “slow to provide needed documentation.”
In another revelation, Murray said that he is “willing to go to the Seattle City Council to modify the existing Memorandum of Understanding for an NHL team to prompt construction of a new facility.” What does that mean? Well, under the current MOU, public financing and construction are only allowed to begin after an NBA team is acquired. Now the arena could go ahead and be built for an NHL team with the hope of later adding and NBA team. Murray continued:
“Should folks in the NHL or potential owners come to us with a different financial plan that pencils out for the city and our partners at the county, I would be willing to go back to the council and ask them to open that process. I believe there could be an adjustment for an NHL team first if there is a financial plan that pencils out for the city.”
Is this push coincidental in light of the Bellevue and Tukwila development rumors? Of course it isn’t. Those proposals would initially bring an NHL team to Seattle with an NBA team to follow once that league gets some sense, too, and since they would be entirely funded without taxpayer dollars, it’s pretty obvious that he’s feeling the heat. Seattleites are notorious for approving what end up being public-use bureaucratic nightmares: monorails that never get built, a light rail that takes eons to develop. They never met a tax they didn’t like. But after putting up with countless languishing projects, my guess is Seattleites wouldn’t hesitate to abandon the original plan that once garnered celebrity-laden rallies in Pioneer Square. But Murray dismissed that these alternative proposals might thwart his new timeline due to the fact Bellevue and Tukwila would be subject to a similar lengthy process and permit acquisition (though in my opinion they probably wouldn’t take nearly as long as the current proposal has).
Murray recently met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman separately in New York City, and he said, “The NHL indicated a willingness to move here as soon as there is an arena.” Murray alluded to Victor Coleman as an attractive potential owner. The 52-year-old Vancouver native is the head of Hudson Pacific Properties and has engaged in extensive business dealings on the West Coast. The man clearly understands property transactions and is eager to bring a higher caliber of hockey back to the Pacific Northwest, though the NHL hasn’t publicly elaborated on these mutual good vibes between Coleman and Mayor Murray.
Beyond the EIS, there remains a design review and a Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) review of the street vacation that would take place in order to accommodate the arena. Murray said that could pass through SDOT no later than August of this year. The Mayor’s also been putting pressure on the State Capitol to help fund projects such as a pedestrian overpass requested by the Port of Seattle, whose freight runs through the heart of the stadiums, at odds with the Hansen proposal for obvious reasons.
Murray says his different approach to the topic is rooted in the financial and cultural importance to the city (just look at how the Seahawks have spurred Seattle’s economy). He also takes personal pride in being an openly gay mayor of a major city who makes professional sports a priority; saying that it helps shift a lot of stereotypes that still exist for people like him. If everything goes according to Murray’s plan, the Master Use Permit for the new arena could be issued by the beginning of 2016.
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