New Seattle Arena Could be Job Killer for Seattle Port

Talk of building a new sports arena to house Seattle NBA and NHL franchises has business and labor groups worried about jobs at the Port of Seattle. The arena, which would be located south of downtown Seattle, would likely significantly increase traffic in the area.

Arena investor Chris Hanson, King County and the City of Seattle are in talks for a new arena, which would be located near the Mariners and Seahawks stadiums.

The Associated Press reports that Port of Seattle Commissioner Tom Albro told the King County Council on Tuesday that a lot of money needs to go toward mitigating the impact of a new facility on traffic to the port if a third Seattle stadium becomes a reality. Albro said he's not against the NBA returning to Seattle but that other locations should also be considered.

There are 7,000 daily truck trips to Seattle terminals, rail yards and distribution centers, Tay Yoshitani, chief executive officer of the port, told the council's transportation panel. As the port grows, that could increase to more than 11,000 daily trips, Yoshitani said. Large regional companies such as Boeing and Weyerhaeuser rely on the Port of Seattle to move their products.

Hansen told the City Council no public money would be used until professional basketball team was secured. In order to pursue a team, however, approval for an arena is necessary.

The city and county councils will vote on plans for the proposed arena later this summer.