I remember when people refused to call it Arco.
I've been to some other arenas, too. Five years isn't the only difference. Arco cost $40 million to build. Palace of Auburn Hills opened the same year cost $80 million and has been renovated at least once. Honda Center cost $23 million and has also been remodeled in the last ten years. San Antonio, a similar-sized market has 60 luxury suites and more club seating.
The NBA isn't the only one unhappy with Arco. The NCAA won't accept it any more for tournament play. (Gee, they're playing at the Honda Center this year.) And the Bee reported that some events won't come to the arena any more. I know the circus almost quit coming here a couple of years ago. They do not like our arena.
A lot of what's wrong is behind the scenes and matters more to other events more than basketball. Only two loading docks, with one currently unsafe to use. Most areans have 4-5 loading docks. Only one kitchen. Terrible locker rooms and the visitor locker room has only cold water. Only one lower concourse, making ingress and egress more difficult. I'm surprised the fire marshall even let's the arena still be used. If there was a fire or earthquake in Arco, many would die in the crush trying to get out. I've been to the United Center and to Staples. They hold more people and yet you can leave without being crushed from all sides. Heck, I didn't even have to brush up against anybody. I could walk out freely.
The marshalling area at PBP is too small for the size of some major events. The ice rink is crosswise to the court, requiring removal of many seats for an ice show. Most arenas the rink and courst are aligned. The ice-making equipment is antiquated and it takes two days to covert from basketball to ice. Modern arenas can do it in about 2-3 hours. They can acutually accomodate a hockey game and a concert on the same day.
Also, the roof leaks. Why spend millions on a roof for a building that is consultants have termed nearly obsolete economically and engineers say the foundation can't support the kind of remodeling needed.
Its all in city reports. Why we keep having to cover this ground, I don't know. This is NOT just needed for basketball. PBP won't be economically viable for any events soon. This is not just about basketball, its about all the events that are or could be held there. The head of the convention and tourism burueau said bigger conventions would consider Sacramento, if they had a nice downtown arena to use. He;'s had inquiries on whether Sacramento is going to have a new downtown arena for use. They don't want to go to PBP.
As to stores and restaurants? That would be additional lease money to the arena, true, but it would be more jobs and there would be taxes paid to the city as well. The Maloofs have said they don't really want a basketball arena to bring in more that about 18,000. That's not much more than Arco currently holds. They still want that intimacy.
I want the Kings to stay, but this is not only about keeping pro-basketball here. Its about having a venue for all the types of events held at the arena. It does financially help to have an anchor tenant, though.