The mastermind behind a failed plan to build a new NBA arena in the Seattle neighborhood of Sodo has tweaked the plan and come back to the negotiating table. A big question still waiting for an answer: Will the NBA will expand to return to the city?
Art Thiel reports: "Chris Hansen agreed [recently] to do what liberal Seattle has wanted him to do for five years: agree to fund privately his $500 million proposed basketball/hockey arena in Sodo, which he hopes will return the NBA, eight years gone, to his hometown." Hansen made that new official when he sent a letter to Mayor Ed Murray and King County Executive Dow Constantine asking for a re-hearing of the project, which originally came with a $200 million request for public money.
This time, however, Hansen, a San Francisco-based hedge fund manager, promised to drop that request and even potentially "kick in perhaps as much as $20 million to the proposed Lander Street Bridge project, long sought by the Port of Seattle, the arena’s principal opponent."
Plans for an NBA arena last crossed the national planning newswire in May 2015, when the Seattle City Council rejected a plan to give part of Occidental Avenue South, in the neighborhood of Sodo, to Hansen for the proposed arena. Samantha Bee even noticed the uncivil nature of the debate over the previous proposal.
The proposal now hinges largely on whether the city has expect to attract an expansion team to the city—relocation is unlikely with all NBA teams currently making money in their current homes.
FULL STORY: Seattle may get a new arena, no taxpayer money required
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
Fair Housing Cannot Take a Back Seat to ‘Build, Baby, Build’
If we overlook fair housing principles in the plan to build US housing back better, we risk ending up right back where we started.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
The newest plan for the 710 corridor claims it will not displace any residents.
Austin’s Proposed EV Charging Rules Regulate Station Locations, Size
City planners say the new rules would ensure an efficient distribution of charging infrastructure across the city and prevent an overconcentration in residential areas.
Making California State Parks More Climate-Resilient
A recently released report offers recommendations for keeping state parks healthy and robust, including acquiring additional land for conservation and recreation.
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
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.