Sacramento - New Arena Plan

[brandon12]

I don't know (I can honestly say I haven't researched it yet) but I am pretty sure if you searched newspaper articles in cities across the nation that eventually got new venues, you would see that at a very high portion of these situations, the outlook was dire at best in the days, weeks, months, even years before something finally happened. Just for the sake of it, try searching news from any city that has had a new arena built in the last five years. I think you will find that the mood was less than positive before something got built.

Now, that's not meant to deny that cities have missed opportunities to get something done (see Charlotte, Houston), but more often than not, something get's done just before it's too late. Unfortunately, it's the nature of the business.

[innov8]

I bet your right... people by nature procrastinate till
the last minute anyway, so watching our city council
and general population sit back like it's no big thing is
to be expected. The Giants had to pull out the “will move
to San Jose” card several times, there was even talk
of Tampa Bay before they got the Sting Rays.

[brandon12]

there we go. Let's all take a deep breath and relax!

[innov8]

9 out of ten things posted on this thread in the last couple months
have been negative this or negative that about the KINGS or an area deal.
I'd feel better if they just played with some heart out there.

[brandon12]

I know what you mean. Not to contradict what I've said earlier, but the Kings sure have picked the wrong year to "transition". By that I mean that it surely is a little more difficult to gain public support for public support of a new arena when you're team is struggling. In hindsight, it would have been relatively easy to get support for public subsidized arena the year they lost to the lakers in 7. Had the urgency of the arena situation then been what it is today, they could have got anything they wanted basically.

[snfenoc]

This sounds familiar...

Walker says franchise might explore options
Associated Press

SEATTLE -- If the city and the Legislature don't respond to requests to upgrade Key Arena by the end of the 2006 legislative session, the Seattle SuperSonics will begin entertaining offers from other cities, team chief executive Wally Walker says.

Walker made the comments Monday, after the Seattle City Council made clear it would not complete its information-gathering process with regard to potential renovation of the arena until February. That leaves the Sonics little time to put together a financing package to present in Olympia; the legislative session begins in January.

If lawmakers don't consider the issue next term, the next chance for resolution would be in 2007, Walker said -- too close to the team's 2010 lease expiration for comfort.

"If the city can't make up its mind whether they want us here past 2010, then we have to look at all our options," Walker told The News Tribune of Tacoma.

Last year, lawmakers rejected a request to finance a $200 million Key Arena expansion.

Other cities interested in landing an NBA franchise include Kansas City, Mo.; Oklahoma City; Anaheim, Calif.; and Las Vegas.

[Majin]

Lets just move all the NBA teams who need a new arena LA, that city has plenty of money.

LA Lakers, LA clippers, LA Kings, LA Supersonics.

[tuy]

Oklahoma City seems to be proving that it is worthy of an NBA franchise, and New Orleans is promising that the Dome will be ready again by the end of next year. One more venue looking for a short supply of teams.


A good source of talk about team movements and stadium construction news is www.ballparkwatch.com and it's sister pages arenadigest.com and footballstadiumdigest.com

[GrowinUp]

^^ Sheesh, I was hoping to be able to afford to go to some games (beings Arco pretty much priced me right out of the building and back to my 'free' couch a few years back) after we move to Washington. Looks, like I may not have any games to go to after all. I guess I could go to Portland, we would be just as close where we are moving to.

[sugit]

Originally Posted by GrowinUp

^^ Sheesh, I was hoping to be able to afford to go to some games (beings Arco pretty much priced me right out of the building and back to my 'free' couch a few years back) after we move to Washington. Looks, like I may not have any games to go to after all.

I never quite get it when people say this. Before this year, my wife and I always used to sit in the $10 seats. Yeah, you are not sitting 4th row center court, but you are still at the game.

I can't imagine there are less expensive seats in any other arena.

Add $10 for parking, or if you want to save the $10, park at Safeway or Raleys and take a 15-20 min walk. (Done this a couple time)

Eat before hand so you don't spend any money on food and two people can go for $20..$25 or so with service fees.

[brandon12]

Originally Posted by sugit

I never quite get it when people say this. Before this year, my wife and I always used to sit in the $10 seats. Yeah, you are not sitting 4th row center court, but you are still at the game.

I can't imagine there are less expensive seats in any other arena.

Add $10 for parking, or if you want to save the $10, park at Safeway or Raleys and take a 15-20 min walk. (Done this a couple time)

Eat before hand so you don't spend any money on food and two people can go for $20..$25 or so with service fees.

I agree with your point Sugit. It can be done.

It should be noted that Sac has the 3rd or 4th highest ticket prices in the NBA if I remember right. But it can still be done at a reasonable price...

[sugit]

Yeah, I saw that. The good seats are $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, but if you just want to go to the game and not care where you sit, you can def do it within reason.

[Grimnebulin]

Originally Posted by brandon12

I agree with your point Sugit. It can be done.

It should be noted that Sac has the 3rd or 4th highest ticket prices in the NBA if I remember right. But it can still be done at a reasonable price...

3rd highest according to this site...for what it's worth.
http://www.teammarketing.com/fci.cfm..._nba_04-05.cfm

[innov8]

It really comes down to how much do you really want to go see a game?

We all have our priorities in how we spend our entrainment
dollar, this winter I'm spending mine on the ski slope, but if you
would have asked me the same question three years ago I would
have said I plan on going to 5 or 6 games. I went to one this
year and had a great time but that will probably be it this year.

There are ways to do it on the cheap... like sugit said.

[tuy]

Here is another new wrinkle. This takes a little bit of pressure off of relocation talk.

http://www.king5.com/sports/sonics/s....158e428b.html

Sonics threatening to leave Seattle

06:54 AM PST on Friday, December 16, 2005
Associated Press

SEATTLE - The chief executive of the Seattle SuperSonics, Wally Walker, says that if the city and the Legislature don't respond soon to requests to upgrade Key Arena, the team will begin entertaining offers from other cities.

Walker says he'd like a response by the end of the legislative session that begins next month in Olympia.

The Sonics' current lease on Key Arena runs to 2010. The team says it needs major renovations.

But the Seattle City Council has made clear it won't complete its information-gathering process with regard to potential renovation of the arena until February. That leaves the Sonics little time to put together a financing package to present to the Legislature.

If lawmakers don't consider the issue this term, the next chance for resolution would be in 2007, and Walker says that would be too close to the team's 2010 lease expiration for comfort.

Last session, lawmakers rejected a request to finance a $200 million Key Arena expansion.

[innov8]

This was posted by snfenoc above... Key Arena was remodeled in the mid-Nineties too.

[tuy]

Sorry, it's the jetlag. Just home from a week in Germany. Also, it is a different article :-)

[enigma99a]

Here is an assignment for everyone....

Go to: http://www.keepthekings.com/

Sign the petition, and then tell a friend to sign it.

[sugit]

done

[urban_encounter]

Thank you for your recent correspondence urging a new arena for the Kings.
Although Arco Arena is certainly in far better shape than Candlestick/Monster
Park where the SF 49ers play, it may very well be true that the Kings will leave
town unless a new arena is built. If so, this would be a big mistake for both
the Kings and Sacramento. The Kings would never enjoy the support in Las Vegas
or Anaheim that they have here in Sacramento, and Sacramento would still have to
find a way to fund a new arena to land another NBA team, or keep Arco and raise
funds for a new outdoor stadium for the Oakland A's or another Major League
Baseball team.

Back in 2004, I opposed Mayor Fargo's and the Maloofs' proposal for a $600
million arena on K Street. The City was going to issue bonds for 100 percent of
the capital costs, to be paid back by a combination of new taxes, parking
revenues, naming rights, and rent. The Kings' share was only going to be 20
percent of the annual debt service. The Kings would have paid all of the
operating expenses, but kept all of the operating revenues from the Arena.
Leaving aside the fact Sacramento voters opposed new taxes by a 4 to 1 margin,
this was not a good business deal for the City.

I proposed instead a more reasonable 50/50 public/private partnership for a new
arena next to the old one at Arco. This proposal would have cost only half as
much as a Downtown arena, since parking and infrastructure are already there.
The Kings rejected my proposal out of hand. Unfortunately, since then, the
Kings have stuck with their 20 percent ceiling, claiming this is the typical NBA
deal. That may be true in some cities, but it ignores that other arenas have
been largely privately funded. The only proposals to surface in Sacramento
since then have been land speculation schemes to use a portion of rezoned
agricultural land to pay for the new arena. For a variety of reasons, these
proposals have not gone very far.

Given the post-Prop 13 public's antagonism towards raising taxes or using public
funds for new arenas, I believe the only viable plan for a new arena must be a
public/private partnership that does not raise taxes. Such a partnership is
still possible, but it will require the Maloofs to step up their share and for
the rest of the Sacramento region to come to the table with funding. After all,
the Kings benefit the entire region. It is not reasonable or prudent to expect
City taxpayers to pick up the whole tab for a new arena when City residents make
up less than a quarter of the Kings fan base. In addition to writing the City
Council asking for a new arena, I urge you to write to the Maloofs, as well as
to the other City Councils and County Boards of Supervisors in our region to
request that they do their part as well.

Thank you for your interest in this important issue. I look forward to working
cooperatively with the Maloofs, community leaders throughout our region, and
fans like you to craft a sound business deal to build a new arena.

Yours truly,
STEVE COHN
Councilmember, District 3