October 31, 2025Mayor Tim BurgessSeattle City Council600 4th Avenue Seattle, WA 98104
RE: KeyArena Redevelopment and SoDo Arena
Dear Mayor Burgess and City Councilmembers,Music is a crucial part of Seattle’s identity. When people around the world are asked about
Seattle, the rst words out of their mouths are usually technology, coee, and music.
As members of Seattle’s music community, we are writing to voice our strong support for
the eorts of the local investment team of Chris Hansen, Wally Walker, Erik Nordstrom, Pete Nordstrom, and Russell Wilson to build a privately-funded arena in Seattle’s Stadium District.
We also enthusiastically support their new proposal to privately fund the redevelopment of
KeyArena as a world-class, mid-size concert venue.
Their proposal to redevelop KeyArena as a music and arts space is especially important to our community. Seattle currently has a good portfolio of venues with capacities of 2,500
and below, but few options in the 3,000-6,000 range, a size that has become increasingly
important for artists as the music industry’s primary revenue stream has shifted from recorded music to live performance.
The renovated KeyArena would include a 6,200-seat indoor concert space, a 3,000-seat covered amphitheater, and a 500-seat theater for more intimate performances. These new mid-size venues would ll a crucial gap for the local music community and touring artists, while creating a world-class outdoor viewing experience that is currently missing in Seattle. They would also perfectly complement the 16,000-21,000-seat capacity of the proposed SoDo Arena for large-scale concerts. These new facilities would enhance local events such as Bumbershoot and the Northwest
Folklife Festival and attract other music and entertainment events to Seattle Center, increasing
the vibrancy of the local music scene. Plus, this plan would truly support the mission and long-term vision for Seattle Center without the negative impacts a larger-scale development would
have on surrounding neighborhoods. “Music, plays a central role in the creation of identity and
the formation of real communities.” - Richard Florida, The Rise of the Creative ClassBy creating a civic space that can be utilized by multiple promoters and organizations, the facility would be a resource for the entire Pacic Northwest music and arts community. This
plan protects the legacy of KeyArena by investing in it for the future, supporting a vibrant
Seattle Center, and creating a dynamic public area that brings together existing organizations like SIFF, The Vera Project, KEXP, MoPOP, Seattle Opera, and Pacic Northwest Ballet.