No Fair Weather Fans

The only way that our elected officials know how you feel is to reach out.  Take the time to put together your thoughts and send an email.  Head to sonicsarena.com for how you can show your support.

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Dear Mr. Larry Phillips & Seattle City Council,

I wanted to reach out to each of you as members of the Seattle City Council and also Mr. Larry Philips, my county council representative to voice my support of the arena proposal that has been put forth my Mr. Chris Hansen and his group supported by Mr. Steve Ballmer, Mr. Erik Nordstrom and Mr. Peter Nordstrom.

I will not hide my bias, I am a huge Seattle sports fan and also a supporter of bringing back the Sonics and the opportunity for the NHL to come to the Pacific Northwest.

However, I find that this is a bigger opportunity than just an arena & some professional sports teams.  This is an opportunity for unparalleled private investment into our beautiful city that will not only be a source of civic pride, but opportunities for small business to be created and thrive year round.

My main point of reference for this is Pizza Professional, a small, independently owned pizzeria in Pioneer Square.

It’s a place now that I have been going for the last two years, before Seattle Sounders soccer games and before Seattle Seahawks home games.  It started off as a small, unassuming storefront near Occidental Park, providing pizza slices and drinks to those making their way to sporting events at Century Link Field.  Not much to look at, it was a few tables, a big pizza oven and an owner that never forgets a face.

As the Sounders became an instant success, more home dates for a new team along with the Seahawks & Mariners started to create built-in business of patrons that have allowed him to modernize and expand his business, serve more people and become a staple in the community for those who make their way to sports events throughout the year.  Now brimming with customers, “Pizza Pro” continually has a line out of the door, and in empty storefronts across the street, construction has begun on other potential success stories.

Small businesses like this can create jobs for people of all skill levels & ages, and also give those willing to take the calculated risk of starting their own business a great platform & increased chance of success with a virtually year-round traffic flow.

While the arena would be the centerpiece of this deal, the ripples will be felt by all as an area of our city is rejuvenated with new purpose.

This also doesn’t mean that existing industry has to suffer at the expense of this plan.

I am not here to debate the merits of traffic in the SoDo area as it relates to the Port and this arena plan.  I leave the detailed analysis to professionals that have been contracted to study how this proposed arena district can coincide with another catalyst for jobs, the Port of Seattle.  This should not be an either/or proposition – if anything, this is another opportunity to inject dollars, either public or private to infrastructure improvements so that both can take advantage of what our city has to offer – world-class entertainment & quality of life along with a deep-water sea port to drive the import & export industry.

Seattle should continue to strive to expand key assets such as the Sounder train, light rail and KC Metro bus service to efficiently and safely move patrons from all areas of the county to events, and make these viable alternatives for all county residents to take to events.  Seattle should also strive to give the port what it needs to keep high paying jobs that support families throughout the region and keep Seattle as a viable location for container ships & other sea transport.

All options should be on the table for both the port and the arena district, and the promise of improved infrastructure for both industries which only will continue to make Seattle and the surrounding region a more desirable place to live.

This is a moment for King County & the City of Seattle to make an investment in itself for the future, backed by an unprecedented private investment.  As a resident of the city of Seattle and King County, I urge you all to work with Mr. Hansen to make this proposal a reality.

Regards,

Brad Dobbs

*address redacted*