No real surprise here but an environmental study done by URS Corp. says that building a basketball/hockey arena in SoDo will increase traffic in the area. The consultant looked at the the effect of a 20,000-seat sports arena at 1700 First Ave. S. and found out it would generate roughly 2,150 rush-hour car trips during weekdays. One interesting note to come up from the study is that if the arena is delayed beyond 2016, the chances of Seattle landing an NBA or NHL franchise decrease significantly.
The company also looked at the feasibility of an 18,000-seat arena in SoDo as well as what would happen if teams played at KeyArena and Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center. These reports will lead into a full environmental impact statement, which will eventually inform the city as to whether or not it should approve the arena plans.
· Delaying Sodo arena could lower odds of landing NBA team, study says [PSBJ]
· Arena in Sodo would generate a lot more traffic, study says [PSBJ]