Could Be Good News For Sonics Fans...
- Thread starter XxtraMannish
- Start date
Native son has plan to save Sonics, KeyArena
Developer Griffin offers to fund half of $300 million makeover
By GREG JOHNS
P-I REPORTER
Matt Griffin grew up in South Seattle and played youth football in the Rainier Valley. His dad is a Franklin High graduate. The younger Griffin attended Lakeside, class of '69, before heading off to Princeton.
He's as true a native son as you'll find in Seattle, a man so committed to the city that he and his wife live downtown on Fourth Avenue and don't own a car between them, choosing to walk, bike or ride the bus wherever they go.
So when the Seattle developer says he wants to help provide solutions for KeyArena and the Sonics, you know where his heart lies.
His message to the NBA, being delivered with the developing news of his investment group's interest in salvaging such a disrupted situation?
"You don't have to run away from Seattle," Griffin said. "We have a plan."
Whether there is time and political will in the region to put the plan in place figures to be the $300 million question.
NBA commissioner David Stern blew more rhetoric Seattle's way in a Monday night interview with a pair of Portland television reporters, leaving little doubt he's beyond looking for solutions other than paving the way to Oklahoma City for Clay Bennett's ownership group.
Stern again blamed city and state politicians for failing to come up with an arena solution in time to save the Sonics.
"I have no problem with that choice," Stern told KATU and KGW reporters. "But don't say the NBA is moving out. We understand the push theory and we've been pushed out."
But Stern apparently isn't listening to the latest push, which Griffin admits is aimed at letting NBA owners know Seattle does have serious interest in keeping the Sonics before the league's Board of Governors votes on Bennett's request to relocate the franchise in Oklahoma City at its April 17-18 meeting.
If the city wins its pending lawsuit against the Sonics and holds the team to its KeyArena lease through 2010, that would buy more time to convince NBA owners that Seattle has a viable arena in a much larger market than Oklahoma City.
Griffin's group of business partners has asked to remain anonymous to this point, with the exception of Costco CEO Jim Sinegal. But sources indicate some serious Seattle money is waiting in the wings to see if their offer of funding half of a $300 million KeyArena makeover will garner support from city and state politicians who'd be asked to split the remaining $150 million.
Griffin said the plan would be to keep the existing KeyArena roofline and seating structure largely intact, but expand the size of the building significantly.
The public portion of the funding would go toward infrastructure improvements such as a new underground parking lot to the south, improved sound systems for concerts, better loading docks and necessary seismic work. The private contributions, Griffin said, would be earmarked for specific benefits to the primary tenants, such as improved amenities for premium-seat fans in the lower bowl, restaurants and things that would provide better revenue streams.
As one of Seattle's leading developers, he sees this as a win-win for the city and its residents.
"If KeyArena loses its major tenant and the region is sitting here three years from now trying to figure out how to rejuvenate this place, the city is going to spend a lot of that money anyway," Griffin said. "It's a lot tougher to fix something after it's gone off the edge.
"The Center isn't as vivacious as we'd like it to be, but don't pull one of the legs out from under the stool just when you're trying to amp it up."
City Councilman Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the Parks and Seattle Center committees, said it would be a benefit to have private help with funding a KeyArena remodel as the city moves forward with a major Seattle Center renovation.
"We have a number of important elements to the Center plan," Rasmussen said. "One is KeyArena, but there's also Memorial Stadium and the Center House. I've seen estimates from $180 million-$200 million to renovate Center House. The stadium isn't inexpensive either. So $75 million for KeyArena, in comparison, would be one of the lower costs."
Mayor Greg Nickels is leading the late charge in Olympia, trying to drum up support for a measure that would provide a matching $75 million from the Legislature by extending the same hotel-motel and car rental taxes currently paying off Qwest and Safeco fields.
That effort isn't generating much momentum, given the late start in a session that ends next Thursday, but there are backroom discussions under way and Griffin remains hopeful.
Pearse Edwards, a spokesman for Gov. Chris Gregoire, said the governor is coordinating with Seattle and King County officials in an attempt to get movement on the Sonics' legislation, but nothing definitive has been worked out.
"It's a massive project to renovate KeyArena," Griffin said. "But only one small piece needs to be done in Olympia and that's the request for $75 million of funding through some future taxes. ... We've really been partners with the city on that. The city is leading the effort in Olympia and we're trying to be helpful."
Who exactly the "we" is remains a mystery that Griffin said will be undone if the idea generates sufficient interest.
"There'll be a time for that, it's just not yet," he said. "These are people with other jobs and lives to lead.
"Being a Sonics owner isn't their objective in life. But knowing we have to save the team and fix Seattle Center is important to them."
If Bennett chooses not to sell the team, a KeyArena remodel could serve to draw a future franchise to Seattle.
The New Orleans Hornets, struggling to survive in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, could be looking for a new home in two years if the team fails to meet an attendance standard that would allow owner George Shinn to break his lease.
Stern said in November that if the Sonics departed, Seattle would be "very unlikely" to get another team. He softened slightly Monday, but made clear his unhappiness over the pending court battle and the city's intention to hold Bennett's group to its lease through 2010.
"I never say never," Stern said of a potential replacement team. "I'm only focusing on the reality of the current situation. And we'll see what happens down the road.
"If the expressed desire to bleed current ownership for three more years is acted upon, then we'll take the bleeding with them and the chances of there ever being a franchise in Seattle again are not very good."
Developer Griffin offers to fund half of $300 million makeover
By GREG JOHNS
P-I REPORTER
Matt Griffin grew up in South Seattle and played youth football in the Rainier Valley. His dad is a Franklin High graduate. The younger Griffin attended Lakeside, class of '69, before heading off to Princeton.
He's as true a native son as you'll find in Seattle, a man so committed to the city that he and his wife live downtown on Fourth Avenue and don't own a car between them, choosing to walk, bike or ride the bus wherever they go.
So when the Seattle developer says he wants to help provide solutions for KeyArena and the Sonics, you know where his heart lies.
His message to the NBA, being delivered with the developing news of his investment group's interest in salvaging such a disrupted situation?
"You don't have to run away from Seattle," Griffin said. "We have a plan."
Whether there is time and political will in the region to put the plan in place figures to be the $300 million question.
NBA commissioner David Stern blew more rhetoric Seattle's way in a Monday night interview with a pair of Portland television reporters, leaving little doubt he's beyond looking for solutions other than paving the way to Oklahoma City for Clay Bennett's ownership group.
Stern again blamed city and state politicians for failing to come up with an arena solution in time to save the Sonics.
"I have no problem with that choice," Stern told KATU and KGW reporters. "But don't say the NBA is moving out. We understand the push theory and we've been pushed out."
But Stern apparently isn't listening to the latest push, which Griffin admits is aimed at letting NBA owners know Seattle does have serious interest in keeping the Sonics before the league's Board of Governors votes on Bennett's request to relocate the franchise in Oklahoma City at its April 17-18 meeting.
If the city wins its pending lawsuit against the Sonics and holds the team to its KeyArena lease through 2010, that would buy more time to convince NBA owners that Seattle has a viable arena in a much larger market than Oklahoma City.
Griffin's group of business partners has asked to remain anonymous to this point, with the exception of Costco CEO Jim Sinegal. But sources indicate some serious Seattle money is waiting in the wings to see if their offer of funding half of a $300 million KeyArena makeover will garner support from city and state politicians who'd be asked to split the remaining $150 million.
Griffin said the plan would be to keep the existing KeyArena roofline and seating structure largely intact, but expand the size of the building significantly.
The public portion of the funding would go toward infrastructure improvements such as a new underground parking lot to the south, improved sound systems for concerts, better loading docks and necessary seismic work. The private contributions, Griffin said, would be earmarked for specific benefits to the primary tenants, such as improved amenities for premium-seat fans in the lower bowl, restaurants and things that would provide better revenue streams.
As one of Seattle's leading developers, he sees this as a win-win for the city and its residents.
"If KeyArena loses its major tenant and the region is sitting here three years from now trying to figure out how to rejuvenate this place, the city is going to spend a lot of that money anyway," Griffin said. "It's a lot tougher to fix something after it's gone off the edge.
"The Center isn't as vivacious as we'd like it to be, but don't pull one of the legs out from under the stool just when you're trying to amp it up."
City Councilman Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the Parks and Seattle Center committees, said it would be a benefit to have private help with funding a KeyArena remodel as the city moves forward with a major Seattle Center renovation.
"We have a number of important elements to the Center plan," Rasmussen said. "One is KeyArena, but there's also Memorial Stadium and the Center House. I've seen estimates from $180 million-$200 million to renovate Center House. The stadium isn't inexpensive either. So $75 million for KeyArena, in comparison, would be one of the lower costs."
Mayor Greg Nickels is leading the late charge in Olympia, trying to drum up support for a measure that would provide a matching $75 million from the Legislature by extending the same hotel-motel and car rental taxes currently paying off Qwest and Safeco fields.
That effort isn't generating much momentum, given the late start in a session that ends next Thursday, but there are backroom discussions under way and Griffin remains hopeful.
Pearse Edwards, a spokesman for Gov. Chris Gregoire, said the governor is coordinating with Seattle and King County officials in an attempt to get movement on the Sonics' legislation, but nothing definitive has been worked out.
"It's a massive project to renovate KeyArena," Griffin said. "But only one small piece needs to be done in Olympia and that's the request for $75 million of funding through some future taxes. ... We've really been partners with the city on that. The city is leading the effort in Olympia and we're trying to be helpful."
Who exactly the "we" is remains a mystery that Griffin said will be undone if the idea generates sufficient interest.
"There'll be a time for that, it's just not yet," he said. "These are people with other jobs and lives to lead.
"Being a Sonics owner isn't their objective in life. But knowing we have to save the team and fix Seattle Center is important to them."
If Bennett chooses not to sell the team, a KeyArena remodel could serve to draw a future franchise to Seattle.
The New Orleans Hornets, struggling to survive in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, could be looking for a new home in two years if the team fails to meet an attendance standard that would allow owner George Shinn to break his lease.
Stern said in November that if the Sonics departed, Seattle would be "very unlikely" to get another team. He softened slightly Monday, but made clear his unhappiness over the pending court battle and the city's intention to hold Bennett's group to its lease through 2010.
"I never say never," Stern said of a potential replacement team. "I'm only focusing on the reality of the current situation. And we'll see what happens down the road.
"If the expressed desire to bleed current ownership for three more years is acted upon, then we'll take the bleeding with them and the chances of there ever being a franchise in Seattle again are not very good."
Yeah thats a start. I remember a few years ago it looked like the Blazers were gonna leave, but then Paul Allen finally sucked it up and bought the Rose Garden back and made shit happen to make the team profitable again. I dont get why owners always want a brand new god damn arena anyway. It seems like Key Arena isnt much older than the Rose Garden. As long as you can get about 20k fans in there and sell em a bunch of merchandise and greasy food, who gives a fuck how old the building is?
Exactly.
Nice ploy by Bennett & Co.
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-31-6/One-Thing-that-New-Sonics-Website-Doesn-t-Have.html
Nice ploy by Bennett & Co.
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-31-6/One-Thing-that-New-Sonics-Website-Doesn-t-Have.html
