But wary Bellevue officials, while lured by the concept, see little progress in the realm of acquiring the land or financing the construction. Tuckman may have hit booming Bellevue at just the right time with just the right vision.

Tuckman's vision includes a 6,500-seat sports arena to house minor league teams in basketball, hockey, indoor tennis, arena football and soccer, with an adjacent 2,000-seat theater for the performing arts. He says he has a 3-year option for a Continental Basketball Association team and a done deal for a hockey team, and he hints that the announcement of a team in a third sport will be forthcoming soon.

The major problem is not land acquisition, or $150-million in construction financing, but traffic. The area in question is already congested. Bringing in another 8,500 people for more than 100 events annually poses a crucial problem for which no one, not even Tuckman, has a solution.