With the prospects of an NBA team bolting for Seattle not looking great anytime in the near future, the Seattle City Council is debating a proposal that has been in the works since 2012.
Geoff Baker reports on the latest developments for a proposal to build a new NBA arena in Seattle's SoDo district. "A Seattle City Council transportation subcommittee [last week] decided 4-1 to forward the issue to a full-council vote May 2," reports Baker.
Baker reports more on the debate at the committee meeting, noting that the "at-times-spirited debate" of the hearing could indicate a close vote when the issue comes before the full council. The entire proposal hinges on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between developer Chris Hansen, the city, and King County, which "requires the acquisition of an NBA team to trigger up to $200 million in public bond funding for arena construction costs." Under the terms of a deal struck in 2012, if Hansen can't land a team by November 2017, the MOU expires. Seattle was one of the losers in a deal that allowed Milwaukee to jeep their NBA franchise.
In a separate article, Josh Feit reports on a related angle in the story—the opposition of the Port of Seattle, which is concerned about traffic impacts in the SoDo district. According to Feit, the port's "longstanding, adamant stance against transforming the industrial lands in SoDo into commercial space" didn't stop it from putting out a memo last summer considering the idea of "moving its two offices, one at Pier 69 and one in SeaTac that house nearly 800 employees," to a location in SoDo. Feit notes that the port has since dropped the idea, and takes the port to task for the contradictions of its approach to SoDo.
FULL STORY: Seattle City Council showdown ahead over vacating street for Sodo arena
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.