Sonics in SODO?

[Al]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/357272_arena02.html

“They mentioned five potential sites, including the controversial notion of using the Pier 46 area on the water west of Qwest and Safeco fields, land they’d need to lease from the Port of Seattle.

Also mentioned were areas at the Seattle Center, as well as three undisclosed SoDo locations near the downtown sports stadiums.”

So what do you think of this? How would yet another stadium effect your commute (year round)? What about Metro? Do you think they would create a transit plan for this, or just put out more signs along first warning of us possible game delays?

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[JanS]

well, it seems that this would be done with private monies, and I suppose they could build anywhere they were allowed to. One would hope that the city would step up and help with the transit situation, but…if Mariner’s gamedays are any indication…don’t hold your breath. Your best bet with that would be to replace the people who control the city gov’t. starting with our beloved Hizzoner.

That’s just an opinion…I don’t deal with traffic at all as I work at home…but…nowhere along that part of the waterfront is there decent public transportation…

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[beachdrivegirl]

I dont think it would have that much of an effect. I work down by the stadium and the baseball/football games dont really have an effect on my commute. It takes at most 5 extra minutes to get out of the parking lot.

Kind of funny that you posted that there…I was at the baseball game last night with a few friends and we had committed that we thought the stadium plans were an April Fools joke….

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[Al]

I disagree that they aren’t looking at public monies. Sure, it’s proposed to be financed privately, but what about the upkeep, the infrastructure (i.e. roadways, electrical, plumbing, public transit) that will be needed and other associated costs? Public money.

And I’m a daily transit user. And you bet those games delay buses a great deal. On game days, it can delay my trip home from 30 min at best, to 1 hour at worst. To go 8 miles! Metro has never re-routed buses or looked at other options during a game day. I’m not holding my breath.

It’s funny that this whole thing is proposed w/out a team to call it home…that would be a boondoggle for sure. I am hoping this whole thing passes.

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[beachdrivegirl]

That is interesting that the buses dont reroute…i carpool and honestly work in SODO near the stadiums and just reroute my trip a bit on game days…the worse part is getting out of the parking lot. I think that if we can find a way to keep the Sonics in Seattle we need to b/c yes although the roadways/electircal/plumbing etc does take public money we also get a lot of money from visitors to Seattle that come to watch their team.

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[Erik]

I concur that buses and all traffic in downtown gets quite snarled before some games (and even worse after the afternoon games let out). If the water taxi is running I’ll jog on down to it rather than wait the half hour or more for a bus that might never come. Rerouting wouldn’t work downtown as there would be no place to send the buses, they’re still stuck in traffic.

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[walfredo]

So my question is two-fold:

Question #1- why would a basketball/hockey arena need to have a retractable roof? What would the application be?

Question #2- why would such a far-fetched plan (1.2 billion of private money, with no public assistance is approximately 10x more money then Ballmer and co. offered with the tax payers matching his contribution, and its about 15x more then Clay asked while demanding 450 million in public support)- just to give you some examples. Most saying the $550 million palace proposed by Clay was completely overkill, and far beyond anything every built for that purpose. So why not double it, and put up 100% of the money, and not say who you are, or where the money comes from…. And to top it off why not have your press conference on APRIL FOOL’S DAY!

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[Ken]

The sketchy plan is compound stupid. No. Make that quantum stupid and therefore I would have to assume it is an April Fools joke.

But then again, this is Seattle and I have not noticed any sonics fans that stand out as great thinkers.

Let them go. Or let them build whatever they want in Renton. But no public money should be involved.

No Matter What.

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[Author]

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