A new sonics arena in Auburn would be 78 million dollars less than in Renton, but still cost 452 M.  It’s hard for me to see this being any more feasible than reworking the Key Arena, given the fan base is centered in Seattle.  As a reminder, the legislature balked at even considering 300M last session. Unless the Muckleshoot indian tribe (which owns the land) has hundreds of millions of dollars to spend, I don’t see this happening.

Sonics new arena cost on tribe’s land: $452M

A new study commissioned by the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe says it would cost $452 million to build an 18,500-seat arena pro basketball arena on an Auburn site owned by the tribe.

That’s about $78 million less than the estimated cost of a multipurpose arena that the owners of the Seattle SuperSonics want to build on a 21.2-acre site on Lake Washington in Renton called The Landing. That property is owned by The Boeing Co.

Sonics spokesman Tom Savage could not be reached for comment.

The 26.4-acre Auburn site, which is owned by the tribe, is located about 25 miles south of downtown Seattle. It is adjacent to Emerald Downs racetrack and is bounded on the north by 29th Street Northwest, on the west by State Route 167 and on the east by Emerald Downs Drive.

The study, commissioned in July, analyzed the feasibility of the site based on regional drive times, market demographics, corporate support and cost. The study was done by Brailsford & Dunlavey, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm.

The analysis revealed conditional support from the corporate community for an Auburn arena. Most businesses prefer a location in downtown Seattle, Renton or Bellevue, but said they would support an Auburn arena if it’s the only way to keep the Sonics in the Puget Sound region.

The study also found that demand for luxury suites and premium club seating areas is at the saturation point in the Seattle area. Any new arena should not have any more suites than what are currently available at KeyArena.

The proposed site can support an 18,500-seat arena, a 1,500-space parking garage and 1,821 surface spaces. Overflow parking for 3,400 cars can be accommodated by adjacent parking lots at Emerald Downs racetrack, the study found.