As the Golden State Warriors continue to battle the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA finals, the team is facing another fight off the court. A group of UCSF donors and biotech executives are contesting the proposal for a new Warriors arena in San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood, saying the 18,000 seat facility would cause traffic and dangerous delays around the new UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. But on Friday, city officials released a draft environmental impact report that found any traffic caused by the arena would be manageable. We debate the proposed project.
Show Highlights
What the Warriors are Proposing
"In 2018 we'd like to open a new 18,000 seat multipurpose arena that would house the Warriors NBA games, but also have a number of concerts, cultural events, family events, and convention activities. Along with that would go about 50,000 to 90,000 square feet of retail, mostly restaurants and cafes, and kind of places that serve food, and serve not just the arena but also the neighborhood ... It will also have three, almost three and a half acres of plazas and public spaces, which will be an attraction for people and frankly a needed gathering place in what is now a fairly dormant part of Mission Bay." - PJ Johnston
What the City Views as Benefits of the Project
"First, obviously, the ability to welcome home the Warriors to a world-class venue. It's worth noting that San Francisco alone, among major cities in this country, does not have any kind of a venue like this. All cities, I think the top 25 in population in the country, do have these things and it's sort of unusual that we don?t. We expect it to bring $14 million per year in net new tax revenue, and we also, I think, significantly expect it to complete Mission Bay as a neighborhood. Mission Bay currently is really sort of focused on offices, it can be a little bit quiet at night. We think this really helps make Mission Bay into a full, new San Francisco neighborhood." - Ken Rich