Mariners continue opposition to new Seattle arena

Howard Lincoln, CEO of the Seattle Mariners, and Bart Waldman, the club's legal counsel, continue to voice opposition to the proposal to build a new sports arena that could field professional hockey and basketball teams in Seattle, according to a report in the online newspaper Crosscut.com.

The proposal to build a new arena in the SoDo district next to the Mariners' Safeco Field, which has been backed by billionaire Chris Hansen, would cause too much traffic congestion and harm local businesses, according to Lincoln and Waldman:

"Our only issue is the ability of our fans to get to Safeco Field because of the worsening congestion in this area.

We're not concerned about competition. The Sonics were here before we were. When they were here, we never even thought about competition. Our view is there is room in this market for the NBA, and the NHL as well.

This ownership group is the steward for major league baseball here. We felt an obligation to speak out and alert political leaders of our concern. It's strictly about fans getting here. If they can't get here, then baseball doesn't work."

Lincoln and Waldman believe the conflicting schedules between NBA, NHL and MLB teams would be too much congestion for the area to handle. Add in other events, such as concerts, and the Mariners could have scheduling conflicts with the new arena on multiple occasions every season.

Seattle's city council is set to vote on the proposal Monday.

For the full interview with Lincoln and Waldman, head over to Crosscut.com.