Background

The Seattle Center is a city-owned area just north of downtown Seattle that has a variety of attractions for recreation, relaxation, amusement, culture, and eating. The Center was built is 1962 for the Seattle World’s Fair (Century 21 Exposition) and now, 45 years later, there are a number of suggestions for updating the Center.

For more, but brief, information about the Seattle Center, go to my Seattle Center page. For detailed information, go to the Seattle Center’s web site.

News

LOCAL GROUPS OFFER $150M TO HELP REMODEL KEY ARENA (Thursday, 6 March 2008) — A Seattle developer, Matt Griffin, along with some other civic-minded local millionaires and billionaires, is offering to contribute $150 million toward remodeling of Key Arena provided that the State will provide an equal amount in tax money. The group also wants to try to buy the Seattle Supersonics NBA basketball team from current owner Clay Bennett if the Key Arena remodeling deal can be worked out.

A major problem is that the Washington State Legislature is due to complete its 2008 session in only a few more days, with some other major issues in process, so it is very doubtful there will be time to deal with the Key Arena tax issue this year. Meanwhile, the NBA’s Board of Governors has a meeting scheduled for April 17th and 18th, and it is expected that during that meeting they will decide whether or not to permit Clay Bennett to relocate the Sonics to Oklahoma City.

FOUR SEATTLE CENTER MODERNIZATION PLANS PROPOSED (Monday, 11 June 2007) — The Century 21 Committee has released to the Seattle City Council four plans for upgrading the Seattle Center. I do not know the details yet but will put them on this site soon.