NBA commissioner to lobby for Kings arena

[G_M]

http://www.sacbee.com/102/story/86053.html


NBA commissioner to lobby for Kings arena

By Terri Hardy - Bee Staff Writer

Last Updated 11:16 am PST Friday, December 1, 2006

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]NBA Commissioner David Stern will arrive in Sacramento on Monday for a series of talks with civic leaders hoping to craft a workable plan to build a new Kings basketball arena.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Stern has arranged several meetings, including sit-downs with city and Sacramento County officials, developer Angelo Tsakopoulos - even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said City Councilman Rob Fong.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"His meeting with the governor may be purely social. I understand they're friends," Fong said.[/FONT]
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[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]NBA Spokesman Tim Frank said Stern will be in Sacramento Monday and Tuesday. [/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"These are simply preliminary meetings," Franke said. [/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Next steps will become more clear once the commissioner has been able to sort through the issues surrounding a new arena, he said. [/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Voters throughout Sacramento County in November trounced two ballot measures that sought to build a sports complex in the downtown railyard with a quarter-cent sales tax increase.[/FONT]
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[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Mayor Heather Fargo said she would not support any future plan that involves a sales tax increase. And although the Maloofs, the owners of the Kings say it would be easier to build a new facilty in Natomas, the site of Arco Arena, several business and political leaders are adamant that if taxpayer dollars are used, a sports complex should be built downtown to help development momentum.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The relationship soured between arena proponents and Joe and Gavin Maloof, the co-owners of the Kings and Monarchs, after the brothers halted talks on the arena deal points. The Maloofs claimed the city and county failed to uphold various promises, including working to provide revenues for 8,000 parking spaces, claims government officials deny.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Things went further south when the Maloofs appeared in an ad for Carl's Jr. that depicted them as billionaires washing down burgers with an expensive bottle of wine. [/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]After the election, the Maloofs asked Stern to intervene. The commissioner stated that finding a workable public/private plan for a new arena in Sacramento was one of his top priorities.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]There have been several failed attempts to build a new arena. Fargo pushed for two unsuccessful efforts to use taxpayer dollars to help fund a downtown arena, first in the railyard and then at Downtown Plaza. [/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]In 2005, Tsakopoulos promoted a private plan to fund an arena by speeding up development of about 10,000 acres of land north of the city. The idea fell apart when some other landowners refused to participate.[/FONT]

 

[BMiller52]

I'm sick of seeing people pushing for the arena downtown. That's just not a good location period...

 

[LPKingsFan]

I'm sick of seeing people pushing for the arena downtown. That's just not a good location period...

Sure, it's one of the most difficult. But in the best interests of the city and region, I'd still say it's the ideal.

 

[Warhawk]

Sure, it's one of the most difficult. But in the best interests of the city and region, I'd still say it's the ideal.

Agreed. Mass transit-wise and development-wise it is a good location. Details just keep getting in the way.

 

[BMiller52]

There isn't any room for it downtown right?

 

[Warhawk]

There isn't any room for it downtown right?

Oh, there's room, there are just political and financial reasons it has turned into such a mess.

 

[kennadog]

There isn't any room for it downtown right?

Other than in the railyards, it proved to costly to acquire the land needed. Some landowner near the east end of the downtown plaza don't wan to sell and are asking exorbitant prices dfor their properry (actually one guy). Basically holds up development in that whole area of K Street.

I'd love for it to be in the railyards, but with the city having no clue how they are goping to provide infrastructure financing or when, I understand that the Maloofs can't wait years for the site to be buildable. If the city could promise that escrow would close and arena construction could start by the end of 2007, we might have something. I dn't believe that's going to happen.

So we can still have an arena at the railyards, but by the time it gets built (and if) the Kings will likely be long gone, out of financial necessity.

I'm encouraged that Stern is coming out for meetings so he can learn what the specific issues are here. It can only help, plus maybe he establishes some rapport with local private and public persons.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Some landowner near the east end of the downtown plaza don't wan to sell and are asking exorbitant prices dfor their properry (actually one guy). Basically holds up development in that whole area of K Street.

You heard that the city finally did settle with Joe Sun(that 'one guy' ), and construction of the 700 block on K Street starts Feb. 1? Construction will be completed by October of this next year...and that will be a HUGE shot in the arm for Downtown. Gonna be sweet having a Z Gallerie, Borders Books, Borders Café, Urban Outfitters and Anthropology, instead of gold teeth stores and quickie marts.

 

[kennadog]

Oops, Actually, I hadn't heard. That's good news. At least I hope so. It may have been the biggest roadblock to doing something with the part of K Street between the Downtown Plaza area and the Community Center area.