Seattle City Council votes no on street-vacation petition, throwing Sodo arena project into flux

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle's City Council has voted not to vacate a stretch of road where an investor hopes to eventually build an arena that could house an NBA and NHL team.

The council on Monday chose not to give up a small section of Occidental Avenue South in the city's Sodo District, throwing a wrench in Chris Hansen's arena project by a 5-4 vote.

Vacating the street was viewed as the last major step toward Hansen getting a master use permit and making the arena "shovel ready," which might help him acquire an NBA team before a memorandum of understanding for the project with the city and King County expires in late 2017.

The Port of Seattle and other groups opposed vacating the street, saying the arena project could infringe on nearby industrial activities.

A group led by Chris Hansen had proposed building the arena with the goal of drawing an NBA and possibly an NHL team to Seattle.

If the petition passed, Hansen's group would have paid the fair market value of the street, somewhere around $18 million-$20 million.

Hansen issued the following statement after the vote:

"Today’s City Council vote was disappointing but we don’t believe it is the end of the road in our quest to bring the NBA and NHL back to Seattle. We know all the fans who have stood solidly by us these past years share our disappointment but it is important that we all stay focused on our shared goal. We now need to take a little time to step back and evaluate our options, better understand the council’s concerns and find a path forward. We will keep you posted."