Arena Delay: Belay That Anger

I shan't lie to you. I was really angry yesterday when Chris Daniels reported a delay in the arena review process that could push final approval to next summer. After the year we've had, I was looking forward to seeing the final EIS/SEPA reports in January and beginning a fresh email campaign to the councils.

I've had some time to process this, however. I threw things. I kicked my dog (not really). I banned a few SR members just for fun (not really). I yelled at Nesgoda for no good reason.

Guess what. I'm no longer angry. Irritated because I despise waiting? Yes. Angry? No.

It's just not as bad as I first thought.

Here are is a passage from the Daniels report at king5.com, which you can read by clicking here.

Bryan Stevens, spokesperson for DPD, said in a statement:

"Comments on the draft EIS are being reviewed so that they can be responded to within the final EIS document. Additional technical information may also be prepared as needed. With the final EIS expected sometime in March 2014, and Council processes thereafter, a decision on the proposal isn't likely before late summer 2014."

On The Bright Side

Since we lost out on both the Sacramento Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes, there is simply no rush to get final council approval by March, which is what I had been hoping for all this time. There is no reason not to take the time and do it right. This is a great opportunity to let the review process play out the way it was intended.

Another big positive is the litigation angle. Every minute spent reviewing the data and every negative comment considered in the process arms the city and county with evidence to counter every silly lawsuit inflicted by the Goldman brigade. The more thorough the review, the more holes in the lawsuits - not that they weren't already Swiss cheese.

One Note Of Caution

There have been reports from both Daniels and Mitch Levy that the NHL is not only paying close attention to our arena process but is being lobbied by its commissioner to offer expansion to Seattle in the near future, possibly as early as next season.

I have no idea what the decision timeline for something like that would be and I always figured that next season was kind of a rosy estimate, but the people in charge should take great caution in delaying this too long. You don't want to be remembered as the reason we didn't land a team.

One More Positive

I hear that delayed gratification is more satisfying than using the Easy Button. If that's the case, we are all destined to really need a cigarette some day.