SEATTLE (AP) — With the King County Council potentially taking a vote next Monday on a proposed new arena in Seattle, sticking points and possible concessions on traffic and the city’s lease agreement with the Seattle Storm are building with the Seattle City Council.
Seattle City Councilman Mike O’Brien told The Associated Press on Friday that city officials continue to negotiate with investor Chris Hansen over changes to a proposed deal between the city and the private ownership group. Among those issues are dealing with traffic concerns in the city’s industrial SoDo neighborhood, and the possibility of having Hansen’s ownership group take over the city’s current annual subsidy of the Seattle Storm.
The city’s lease agreement with the Storm currently calls for a $300,000 payment each year from the city to the WNBA franchise as part of a revenue sharing agreement.
