The local longshoremen’s union said today that it will file a lawsuit challenging plans to build a sports arena in Seattle’s Sodo neighborhood. The group said the Sodo location jeopardizes jobs and freight mobility.
“Our union supports the return of the NBA to Seattle, and we are not opposed to an arena somewhere in the Puget Sound region. But we cannot stand idly by while Mr. (Chris) Hansen and his well-connected lobbyists, along with our elected officials, build an arena in a location that threatens the livelihood of our members and many other workers in the maritime industry and Sodo,” said Cameron Williams, President of Local 19 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
The group said it plans to file suit in King County Superior Court challenging the expected approval Monday of an agreement between Hansen and Seattle and King County to build a $490 million sports arena with $200 million in public bonds.
