The plan is being proposed by Brown and local public-relations executive Dave Bean. Working together as B2 Inc., the two say they are in the process of seeking financing for the development. They have five potential sites identified, including the Seattle Center, home to KeyArena, where the Sonics currently play; Pier 46, currently a container terminal; and three properties near Safeco and Qwest field, which house the city's MLB and NFL teams, respectively.
Given the years it will take to site, finance and develop a new major league sports arena, B2 Inc.'s does not have the goal of holding onto the NBA's Seattle Sonics, which team owner Clay Bennett is hoping to relocate to his hometown of Oklahoma City as soon as he can get out of the team's lease at Key Arena, which runs into 2010. NBA owners are expected to vote on whether the Sonics can move to Oklahoma City at the NBA Board of Governors meeting later this month.
Expecting that the Sonics will move, Brown and company say the goal is to eventually attract an expansion team and bring back NBA basketball to Seattle within a few years of it going away and also to attract a NHL team. Brown and Bean did not detail the financial side of the plan, but they did express confidence in being able to raise the necessary private equity for the venture.
"It's obvious that the days of taxpayer-financed sports facilities are over in Seattle," Brown said. "While most facilities are used on a limited basis, our business model creates a [year-round] revenue stream for the complex, which is very attractive for private investors. We believe the ECC will become a model for other cities to use as they explore facility challenges."
Since his basketball career, Brown has worked for himself and as an executive for Seafirst and Bank of America. Bean is owner of the Seattle-based public relations and advertising firm WongDoody. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels issued a statement acknowledging Brown for his commitment to the community but stopped short of backing the proposal, in part because the preferred site is said to be Pier 46.
"We welcome everyone who wants to try and help solve our problem and welcome all good ideas," Nickels said. "Today's proposal is a very long-range vision, however, for the foreseeable future Pier 46 will remain one of our most active container facilities (and) KeyArena is our region's sports and entertainment facility. We remain focused on improving KeyArena so that it will remain the region's sports and entertainment facility for years to come."
Port of Seattle spokeswoman Charla Skaggs tells GlobeSt.com that the pier is leased through 2015 to Hanjin, a South Korean container-shipping company, and that Hanjin has the right to extend that lease for an additional 10 years. Moreover, she says the Port "believes that the best use of Terminal 46 is as a container terminal, which creates jobs and promotes economic growth for our state. We do not plan to use the land for a sports venue."
Brown says that while Pier 46 would be a wonderful waterfront site, it is not the necessarily the optimal site. To determine that, he says B2 will pay for a site feasibility study. "We will conduct an exhaustive location study to ensure that the community's best interests are served," Brown said. "We will not compromise the integrity of the project by recommending a location influenced by outside interests."
As for the design, Brown says the proposed arena would meet the facility standards of both the NBA and NHL. In addition to professional sports, the ECC would feature exposition pavilions to showcase Washington state commerce, technology, agriculture and natural resources. The ECC also would serve as a cultural center for Pacific Northwest Native Americans and other local ethnic groups.
As part of the overall effort, B2 says it will submit expansion team applications for both the NBA and NHL franchises. "In reality, the Sonics are gone, and quite frankly we do not want to be part of an effort to relocate an existing team to Seattle," Brown said. "We are using the NFL Cleveland Browns model of how to reestablish a team and a facility in a proven pro-sports market."
The original Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens. Cleveland was then granted an NFL expansion team and launched the new Cleveland Browns with a new football stadium.
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