Mariners' front office doubles down on opposition to Sodo arena

Future Mariners chairman John Stanton speaks during a press conference with current chairman and CEO Howard Lincoln on a change of ownership at Safeco Field on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. Future Mariners chairman John Stanton speaks during a press conference with current chairman and CEO Howard Lincoln on a change of ownership at Safeco Field on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Mariners' front office doubles down on opposition to Sodo arena 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Soon-to-be Mariners CEO and chairman John Stanton said Wednesday the franchise won't change its stance opposing entrepreneur Chris Hansen's bid to build an arena in Seattle's Sodo neighborhood.

"I love those sports and there's regret as we go into the playoffs for the NHL and the NBA that we don't have a team here playing in those," Stanton said at the press conference announcing Nintendo of America's plans to sell a majority stake in the franchise to First Avenue Entertainment. "But at the same time, my way of thinking about it is, if you own a house and somebody wants to build a big, ugly house right at the end of your driveway -- that frankly blocks your driveway -- you've got a right to express your opinion."

Stanton was a minority owner in the SuperSonics in 2006 when owner Howard Schultz sold the franchise to a group of Oklahoma City investors led by Clay Bennett. Stanton, born in Seattle and raised in Bellevue, voted against the sale.

A minority owner in the Mariners since 2000, the former McCaw Cellular executive is expected to replace retiring Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln in August when the sale is expected to be approved by Major League Baseball.

Nintendo of America, which had owned a 55 percent stake in the Mariners since 1992, will retain a 10 percent share, with Lincoln remaining on the board of directors to represent the gaming company's interests.

Stanton's group, First Avenue Entertainment, is comprised of him and 16 others who own a majority stake in cable broadcaster Root Sports Northwest. It will go from minority to majority owner of the Mariners -- valued at $1.4 billion -- when the estimated $640 million sale is finalized.

Wednesday marked the first time Lincoln addressed the media about Hansen's Sodo arena project. He reiterated that the Mariners support the NBA and NHL returning -- just not south of Safeco Field, where Hansen has purchased property.

"Our issue has to do with where this NBA arena will be situated and we don't think that putting it at the end of the Safeco Field parking garage is a good idea, and we've expressed that," Lincoln said. "We can say that our ownership group is united in that decision, but it's not just the Mariners who are concerned about the location of the arena. As you well know, the port, the maritime industry, the longshoremen and other unions have expressed the same concerns."

The Seattle City Council will vote May 2 on whether to vacate a part of Occidental Avenue between Safeco Field and the proposed arena site. If it rules in favor of Hansen, he'll be granted a permit that clears the way for as much as $200 million in bonding capacity to be given by the city and King County to build the arena. Hansen's "memorandum of understanding" with the city and county to build the arena expires in November 2017.

In his introductory press conference as the face of the Mariners, Stanton shot back against those who have criticized the club for opposing the arena.

"The notion that somehow, because we expressed that opinion, that that means we're against the NBA, is absurd," Stanton said. "It's absolutely absurd. Howard (Lincoln) speaks for the franchise and will through August, but all of us are behind him."

Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle Mariners news. Contact sports reporter Adam Lewis at adam lewis@seattlepi.com or @AdamLewisPI.



