On Monday, the Seattle City Council held a meeting to hear an update on planning for the $600 million Seattle Center arena project. It was the first meeting by the Select Committee on Civic Arenas since the city council approved Oak View Group’s (OVG) memorandum of understanding (MOU) to redevelop the KeyArena back in December.

The council heard from Robert Nellams, Director of Seattle Center, as well as Marshall Foster, Director of the Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects. Both Nellams and Foster provided updates on the emerging agreements between OVG and the city regarding the development, operations, and community impact of the Seattle Center renovation.

The Morning Wire: Keeping you informed on politics, policies, and personalities of Washington State.

Nellams began his presentation with an update on how construction and development of the arena will impact the communities and businesses around Seattle Center. Specifically, he focused on the individuals and groups that will need to relocate once construction begins.

Nellams told the council that they are currently in the process of planning for the relocation of tenants in nearby apartment buildings and finding new work assignments for current KeyArena employees. He said they are working on finding a new skatepark location to replace SeaSk8 which is set to be demolished as part of the renovation. He also said they are continuing to address how noise, dust, lane closures, and congestion from development will impact Seattle Center.

When asked about parking innovation for the arena, Nellams told the council they plan on using technology to make parking as easy as possible. He mentioned using an app to direct drivers and allow them to prepay for parking. He also said that they plan to explore the use of satellite parking facilities and upgrading the monorail and public transportation options.

Marshall Foster’s comments focused on the work being done to establish a provision of the MOU called the “Community Benefits Agreement.” The agreement is designed to provide benefits to the communities impacted by the arena. The provision calls for OVG to work with community organizations to support equity and social justice and enhance the youth, art, culture, and music of the area.

The full presentation from the meeting can be found here.

Monday’s meeting on the arena is the first of five scheduled for 2018. The goal is to continue the meetings throughout the spring and summer and have a final financial briefing with a scheduled vote by September 14.

The KeyArena is set to host its last event on October 6, 2018 before completely shutting down for the renovation on October 14.

Your support matters.

Public service journalism is important today as ever. If you get something from our coverage, please consider making a donation to support our work. Thanks for reading our stuff.