According to a SPORTSPRESSNW report by Art Thiel, the Seattle City Council has sent a letter to Mayor Ed Murray expressing two things. First, the council will hire an independent consultant to vet the Oak View Group’s proposed KeyArena renovation. Second, the council is asking the mayor to complete negotiations for a Memorandum of Understanding by September 12.
Thiel had called on the council to take this step in a column earlier this month.
Here are some key passages.
“We hope this MOU will establish a framework to resolve the questions and concerns raised during the (request for proposals) process in the final development and lease agreements,” the letter said. “To help us review your proposed legislation and MOU, the Council intends to retain an independent consultant with expertise in developing world-class municipal arenas, especially as it relates to risks associated with the financial terms and conditions, municipal financial protections, and the Oak View Group’s expertise and wherewithal to successfully complete the project.
Murray, whose term of office will expire Dec. 31 unless he changes his mind about an earlier decision not to seek re-election, has said he wants the council’s response after the Dec. 3 expiration of the MOU between the city and Chris Hansen, who has spent five years seeking to build a sports-first arena in Sodo.
The letter said that meeting the Sept. 12 deadline will allow the council to have at least one public meeting on the subject.
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Comments
I hope the consultant
doesn’t have any connections to the Port, the Seattle Times, the Mariners, or the Sounders.
If the consultant considers it a bad deal, does the city…………….drop the arena project rather than deal with SODO Arena?
By NWEastcoaster on 06.26.17 6:49pm
Surely
If the consultant says it’s a bad deal all focus shifts to vacating the street
By Jaxsyn on 06.26.17 6:50pm
With a semi-normal city government
I would expect that as a given. But with this outfit, they would give a thousand and one reasons for prevaricating a yes vote on vacating the street, e.g., He doesn’t have a team in hand, the NBA says it’s not coming in the foreseeable future, the Mariners and Seahawks have potential traffic issues, tax giveaways to sports billionaires, the POS plays bocce ball on occidental; any damned excuse for the bare majority to not vote yes.
By NWEastcoaster on 06.26.17 8:27pm
Super.
By Stevie Peet on 06.27.17 7:24pm
Sounds good on the surface. And, I certainly think this is the right thing to do. It also raises more questions.
Who do they hire ? Who are they connected to? Is it just a cover ? Most anything can be mitigated – - so unless there’s something outrageous in their findings. . . .I think SCC will find a way to make this work. They’ll sit in a room with OVG and find a way to negotiate/massage the numbers to make it work. Even if they have to resort to the shell game.
To be honest and fair in this process ..they also need an independent analysis that compares Sodo and OVG side by side. Hopefully, they will see the value in asking for that comparison, too.
By kinsesu on 06.26.17 8:48pm
Let's waste
More taxpayer money. This city council had a great deal the region was excited for. They pissed their pants to appease a crooked organization that stole millions from taxpayers. To my knowledge no one to date has been arrested for this grand theft.
Then to make matters worse our bumbling mayor who has created a homeless emergency with his idiotic policies of "just throwing money at it" decides Key Arena is too much of a "taxpayer liability" to repurpose. Never mind that this wasn’t an issue previously. Never mind that there is not ONE proposal in hand to prove that fact. Never mind the fact you could shave $70M off the top of the renovation for historical tax credits.
I wouldn’t trust this city council and mayor to place a lunch order much less pick a consultant. Likely this will mean more revenue for the city and less for a potential NBA team. This is the problem with the city’s involvement. If you want someone else to take all the risk take your rent and shut up. Yes OVG should pay for band air traffic mitigations because they’re profiting.
This city is going to focus on stupid shit like preventing parking garages. Never mind the fact that unlike other major cities we’re 30 years behind on mass transportation.
I guess what I’m trying to say is the city and specifically they mayor are absolute idiots. The looked a gift horse in the mouth and now we’re stuck with OVG. We’ll get hockey but from Leiweke’s comments basketball will not be part of their plans.
By DJDawg77 on 06.26.17 8:58pm
Two Question?
How is exactly he suppose to get a NBA team when the league isn’t going to relocate or expand at the current moment? Other questions is how do we know that he isn’t going to bother trying to get a team when the league has to relocate a team or designs to expand?
By gstommylee on 06.26.17 9:14pm
Decides to expand?
By gstommylee on 06.26.17 9:19pm
Actions
Speaking louder than words. First off they do not have an NBA partner. Bonderman is 74. He’s going to be 80 by the time the NBA expands. He’s not the guy. So first off we have the problem of cutting in another partner.
Second of all listen to what they’re saying. "We’re not going to promise you an NBA team" It is not, "We’re going to do whatever it takes to get the NBA". They’re doing that to avoid a KC type situation. "Well we never promised you an NBA team". Then the whole Live Nation partnership. Live Nation cares about music not the NBA.
So in a nutshell I am not in the camp of being scared that we end up with nothing. An arena that is hockey and music without the NBA is nothing. If it doesn’t get done the political players change and maybe we’ll have someone who cares about getting the Sonics back. Not someone only concerned with a legacy. That legacy is putting a bullet in the head of the Sonics and helping OVG and Live Nation create a monopoly on events in Seattle
By DJDawg77 on 06.27.17 11:47am
Well it doesn't us that the league isn't going to expand in the near future
I think Lieweke has bigger things that are more important like trying to get the arena done than trying to get the league to do something that they don’t wan to at least for the time being. Same thing can also be said about Hansen, he needs to focus more on getting sodo arena approve for the street vacation and getting that NHL group so he can get said team to built the arena.
Getting too focused about the NBA can end up distracting people from doing want is actually important. Ultimately we need an arena and have it actually be built, before we are taken to consideration if by chance the NBA does expand. Having someone be passionate about wanting to get the NBA back is great but it does not do us any good if said person can’t even get the arena done and built. Priorities. Hansen should been more prepared with an NHL group with $$ already secured for the NHL team.
There is the number 1 issue that the NBA has with Seattle, they do not trust them that they will actually get anything done arena wise. Neither does the NHL. Until Seattle gets serious about the arena issue, then the leagues aren’t going to bother.
If people want nothing then the leagues will move on and expand/relocate elsewhere to the point where its flat out impossible to get a team in Seattle. We need to get something done and we need to get something done now(in present time) not 5-10 years later of finally getting an arena finalized too late by then.
By gstommylee on 06.27.17 12:20pm
"How is exactly he suppose to get a NBA team when the league isn’t going to relocate or expand at the current moment?"
The NHL has said the same thing. Are they not going to expand?? While the NBA might be awhile. It might not.
By BigSmooth13 on 06.27.17 2:00pm
Everyone knows NHL is coming first
Hence why we have a NHL group. NHL is waiting on us to get that arena done.
By gstommylee on 06.27.17 2:26pm
Wrong
NHL said as much IMMEDIATELY after the fancy dog and pony show you bought into.
By Seattle_Fan1980 on 06.27.17 2:34pm
And NHL said they aren't going expand many times
and look at what happened in 2015? They expanded and only went just with Vegas not Quebec cause they wanted Seattle.
The moment our arena issue will get resolved and it happens, the NHL will expand.
By gstommylee on 06.27.17 2:37pm
They want to be at 32 teams to balance the alignment
They are waiting on Seattle to finally get it done. The reason why they are saying there is no expansion coming well nothing has changed in terms the market they want to be in.
By gstommylee on 06.27.17 2:42pm
They have not promised anything
you are guessing what they may do. You even said yourself that they have been secretive and unpredicatable about Vegas. And you think now you have them figured out to be expanding to Seattle? Come on man.
By Seattle_Fan1980 on 06.27.17 2:45pm
I followed the NHL especially the last expansion for many months prior to it happening
I know what commissioner speak is and they won’t say anything publicly that will end up back firing them.
They don’t expand until they do. And as soon as Seattle finally gets things figured out in terms of an arena then the league will do another round of expansion and Seattle gets a team. In the mean time while they want, it would be the same old there won’t be any expansion.
By gstommylee on 06.27.17 2:57pm
In the mean time while they wait, it would be the same old there aren't any plans for expansion
with that corrected I’m done arguing.
By gstommylee on 06.27.17 3:01pm
So you know what their thinking on Seattle expansion?
Yet didnt pick up on Vegas? Interesting.
By Seattle_Fan1980 on 06.27.17 3:06pm
All the rumors prior to the opening of the last expansion prcoess was Seattle and Vegas.
NHL gotten 16 applications 3 from Seattle area only 2 turned in the application Quebec and Vegas. NHL was clearly not happy about that. They ended up going with Vegas and deferring Quebec due to alignment issues.
I can’t think any other western conference market that would be willing to pay that 500m expansion fee. We have a NHL group now that will. Its now a matter of waiting until the OVG arena plan get approved. if it does then goes through the SEPA process and shovel meets ground then the NHL will go with another round of expansion.
By gstommylee on 06.27.17 3:14pm
All speculation
You cant say its not.
By Seattle_Fan1980 on 06.27.17 3:33pm
Until it is said...
Nothing is said! The rest is speculation!
By Reichly on 06.27.17 4:07pm
Exactly!
So how can you say the NBA isn’t going to do the same thing! You have clearly, without a doubt contradicted yourself!
By BigSmooth13 on 06.28.17 10:55am
We also have an NBA group
You know, the guys in SODO…
By BigSmooth13 on 06.28.17 10:56am
The NHL
Will wait and NBA expansion is not imminent. So why are we rushing into an agreement with someone without an NBA partner and says things like "Well he can build his basketball stadium in SODO but I have Live Nation so he won’t get other events" The intent is clear and it is not the Sonics. The Sonics are the only reason we’re having this conversation. Nothing against hockey fans but I’d rather have a clear path to the Sonics that a fuzzy arena situation with the NHL
By DJDawg77 on 06.27.17 6:30pm