Arena investor Chris Hansen knows he has a lot of hoops to jump through before his vision of a new multipurpose sports venue is built in Seattle’s Sodo neighborhood, but that’s not stopping him from being determined. As he has said before, he wants a new arena and an NBA team back in Seattle in about five years.

“My style is to under-promise and over-deliver,” Hansen said Tuesday during a live-chat with readers on the Seattle Times website. “And one of the biggest worries I have is that people’s current enthusiasm will fade before we have a realistic opportunity of making this a reality. So I’m going to say 2017.”

Hansen, a San Francisco hedge-fund manager who grew up a Sonics fan in Seattle, has already purchased property south of the Safeco Field parking garage and has nailed down — through contracts and agreements — the rest of the land he needs there. His overall vision is to give Seattle something along the lines of L.A. Live, an entertainment complex around Staples Center in Los Angeles that includes restaurants, bars, theaters and the like.

But that’s a long-term goal. Right now, Hansen said, he is focused on building the arena, parking and improved transportation access in Seattle’s stadium district. “We definitely don’t have broader plans beyond that for hotels or condos or anything like that,” he wrote Tuesday.

“We haven’t made final decisions on the myriad of contractors, architects and vendors that will be necessary to build a new arena,” Hansen wrote, answering a reader’s question about the potential arena design, “but I would say I share your desire to have something very unique in terms of design and experience for the Seattle market. Hopefully something that’s never been done before.”

That said, on Tuesday it became even more apparent that the arena project will not move as quickly as some people would like. Having already voiced concern over a new arena’s effect on traffic near the Port of Seattle, the Port Commission released a new, sharply worded letter Tuesday warning that fast-tracking the project could threaten the working waterfront and the thousands of jobs it supports.

As seattlepi.com’s Joel Connelly reported, the port commissioners are displeased that local leaders like Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine have acted as cheerleaders for the arena proposal ever since Hansen’s plan went public in February.

“To date, the developer has presented no compelling policy or business justification for urgent action on a proposal that has not been fully studied and that could weaken port/industrial businesses that support 33,000 jobs, provide one-third of Seattle’s retail tax revenue and generate $3 billion a year in revenue to the region,” the letter argues.

Meanwhile, the results of a transportation study — funded by Hansen but conducted by a third party under supervision of the Seattle Department of Transportation — are slated to be released Wednesday afternoon.

But the port is not the only organization skeptical of building a 18,500-seat arena in an area that already has trouble handling traffic for Mariners, Seahawks and Sounders games. The Mariners have also raised concerns about a new arena in the neighborhood.

McGinn, Constantine, Hansen and other local leaders have said the proposed arena’s impact would be much smaller than Safeco Field or CenturyLink Field, due to its smaller capacity. They also have pointed toward public transportation as a traffic reducer, noted that Sodo has already been identified as a good location for stadiums, and said that most events at a new arena would take place in the evenings or on the weekends.

“I’ve had some discussion with both (the port and Mariners) and remain open to doing so whenever they would like,” Hansen said Tuesday. “I recognize that they have businesses to operate and they do have justified concerns about an arena and also broader issues in the Sodo area.

“I really view my responsibility to reduce the issues and concerns that these constituencies have brought up less than they were before the arena existed. If you will, to make my carbon footprint smaller in the Sodo area. But asking me to solve all of the issues that exist in the area, many of which exist today, should not be my responsibility.”

Hansen, the city and the county reached a formal agreement last week for funding construction of a new arena, including up to $200 million in public loans paid back by taxes on the arena itself, and $800 million in private investment for construction and acquiring NBA and NHL teams. That agreement, or “memorandum of understanding,” is now in the hands of the city and county councils, which are expected to make a decision on the proposal by the end of June.

Hansen is tasked with snagging an NBA franchise before shovels will break ground on a new venue, but the process must continue in the meantime if Seattle is to be ready for a new team whenever the opportunity comes. Hansen is gathering investment partners, and wants another main owner who wants to bring an NHL team to Seattle.

“Putting a partnership group together of the type that Sonics fans and the community would want is not an easy process,” Hansen said Tuesday. “There are a lot of considerations other than money. And I think you should all trust that I’m doing the best I can to put together a great ownership group that shares my vision.”

His pet project had another setback Tuesday with the release of a new Elway Poll that showed a majority Seattle and King County residents do not want public money at risk. Here’s an excerpt from another report by Connelly:

Fifty-seven percent of King County respondents and 48 percent of those surveyed in the Emerald City said they would favor bringing the National Basketball Assn. back to Seattle and having a National Hockey League team playing (and fighting) here. When asked if public money should be risked building the arena where these teams would play, however, support levels fell to 30 percent (Seattle) and 33 percent (King County).

Nevertheless, an unscientific Seattle Times poll Tuesday of nearly 1,000 people — far more than participated in the Elway Poll — were supportive of Hansen’s plan, by a spread of about 74 percent to 26 percent.

Hansen said public support of a new arena is one of his biggest concerns. He is aware that the seemingly vast majority of Seattle sports fans are in favor of a new venue, but wants non-sports fans to also get on board. A new arena, Hansen has said, would host not just basketball and hockey games, but also concerts, conventions and community events.

“As I think you all know, KeyArena has real limitations as a concert venue. The load in and load out is very difficult for large concerts, parking is a problem, the arena’s (audio-video) systems are antiquated and in need of a major upgrade. And it’s honestly just a bit dated,” he said. “So there shouldn’t be any question that building a new arena that solves these problems would result in Seattle being a huge draw for most of the major concert tours.

“We have definitely done our homework on this. I would also say that as part of this plan, there is a good possibility that after we are done with building the new arena, that KeyArena will also be repurposed into something far superior than it is today, and that the end result would be not one but two great concert venues.”

Hansen indicated that he plans to launch a promotional campaign for the arena in the next few weeks, including a presence on Facebook and Twitter. You can read Hansen’s entire Q&A on the Seattle Times website.









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Photo: Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Image 2 of 12 Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn announces a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in Seattle along with arena investor Chris Hansen, center, during a press conference on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at King County's Chinook Building. less Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn announces a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in Seattle along with arena investor Chris Hansen, center, during a press conference on Wednesday, May ... more Photo: Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com Image 3 of 12 From left, Joseph Chong, David Brown and Kris "Sonics Guy" Brannon sit in the front row during a press conference announcing a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in Seattle. The memorandum is between the owners of the new arena and local government. The event was held on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at King County's Chinook Building. less From left, Joseph Chong, David Brown and Kris "Sonics Guy" Brannon sit in the front row during a press conference announcing a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in Seattle. ... more Photo: Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com Image 4 of 12 Arena investor Chris Hansen listens during a press conference announcing a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in Seattle. The memorandum is between the owners of the new arena and local government. The event was held on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at King County's Chinook Building. less Arena investor Chris Hansen listens during a press conference announcing a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in Seattle. The memorandum is between the owners of the new arena ... more Photo: Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com Image 5 of 12 Image 6 of 12 Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn speaks with other local leaders during a press conference announcing a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in Seattle. The memorandum is between the owners of the new arena and local government. The event was held on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at King County's Chinook Building. less Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn speaks with other local leaders during a press conference announcing a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in Seattle. The memorandum is between the ... more Photo: Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com Image 7 of 12 Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn speaks as arena investor Chris Hansen, center, listens to the Mayor during a press conference announcing a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in Seattle. The memorandum is between the owners of the new arena and local government. The event was held on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at King County's Chinook Building. less Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn speaks as arena investor Chris Hansen, center, listens to the Mayor during a press conference announcing a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in ... more Photo: Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com Image 8 of 12 Arena investor Chris Hansen is flanked by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, left, and King County Executive Dow Constantine, right, during a press conference announcing a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in Seattle. The memorandum is between the owners of the new arena and local government. The event was held on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at King County's Chinook Building. less Arena investor Chris Hansen is flanked by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, left, and King County Executive Dow Constantine, right, during a press conference announcing a memorandum of understanding on financing of a ... more Photo: Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com Image 9 of 12 King County Executive Dow Constantine speaks as arena investor Chris Hansen listens during a press conference announcing a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in Seattle. The memorandum is between the owners of the new arena and local government. The event was held on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at King County's Chinook Building. less King County Executive Dow Constantine speaks as arena investor Chris Hansen listens during a press conference announcing a memorandum of understanding on financing of a new NBA and NHL arena in Seattle. The ... more Photo: Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com Image 10 of 12 Image 11 of 12 Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, center, speaks to media as arena investor Chris Hansen, second from left, and King County Executive Dow Constantine, fourth from right, look on Wednesday, May 16, 2012, in downtown Seattle during a news conference on a formal agreement for construction of a new multipurpose sports arena in the Sodo neighborhood. less Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, center, speaks to media as arena investor Chris Hansen, second from left, and King County Executive Dow Constantine, fourth from right, look on Wednesday, May 16, 2012, in downtown ... more Photo: Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com Image 12 of 12 Chris Hansen wants a unique Seattle arena built by 2017 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

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