The City of Seattle, Washington is seeking proposals from parties interested in redeveloping and operating KeyArena at Seattle Center as a world-class civic arena presenting music, entertainment, and sports events, including the potential for NBA and NHL events.
Opened in 1962, KeyArena is located north of downtown in the 74-acre entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World’s Fair. It has a seating capacity of about 17,000.
The city is open to tearing down KeyArena and allowing a private developer to build a new NBA- and NHL-capable arena in its place.
That’s the major takeaway from the City of Seattle’s new request for proposals (RFP), likely reigniting a decade-old debate about where the city should allow a new sports arena to be constructed.
The 25-page RFP outlines in significant detail what the city is asking of potential developers — while it still, technically, has a legal agreement with Chris Hansen’s investment group to build another arena project in SoDo.
The RFP makes clear that the city is interested in “redeveloping and operating KeyArena at Seattle Center as a world-class civic arena presenting music entertainment, and sports events, including the potential for NBA and NHL events.”
The RFP continues, “The area available for development including the existing KeyArena, as well as the 1st Ave N Parking garage and adjacent parking lot and support areas located on City-owned property on the Seattle Center campus.”
Responses are due to the Office of Economic Development by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, 2017.
For more information, email OED at OED@seattle.gov.
Photo by Cliff of Arlington, Virginia via Wikipedia.