Seattle City Council announces arena committee meetings

This morning, Seattle City Council member Debora Juarez announced the first of ten meetings of the Select Committee on Civic Arenas. That first meeting will take place on March 27, two weeks from today. The time is still to be determined, but will most likely take place either mid-morning or late afternoon.

The committee, of which Juarez is co-chair with Council President member Bruce Harrell, has been tasked with “monitoring and considering actions related to civic arenas,” according to their website. The committee also includes the other six councilmembers; Lisa Herbold, Kshama Sawant, Rob Johnson, Mike O’Brien, Sally Bagshaw, and Lorena González.

The first meeting, according to KING 5, will cover Seattle Center, including the Request for Proposals (RFP) on KeyArena, and transportation issues therein. The next meeting is scheduled for April 17 and will cover the responses to the RFP. Major arena developers AEG (who currently operates KeyArena for the city of Seattle) and Oak View Group are expected to respond. Those proposals are due April 12.

The meetings will cover twelve topics, including but not limited to “transportation, historic preservation, and land use,” per KING 5.

The committee will also examine Chris Hansen’s Sodo arena plan, which last month submitted a new request for vacation of a stretch of Occidental Avenue, throughout the summer.