Seattle NHL, NBA Arena Moves Closer To Reality With Land Purchase

Christopher Hansen, a former Seattle resident and head of San Francisco-based Valiant Capital Management LLC, is said to be the leader in a push to build a sports arena just south of Safeco Field that would be the home to a possible NHL and NBA team.

Via the Seattle Times, WSA LLC, an entity affiliated with Hansen and Valiant, paid $21.6 million for a warehouse on the proposed spot of the new arena. The sale occurred in early December.

The Times notes that, for an arena to be built there, Seattle would have to vacate a sizable stretch of land that bisects the needed land.

Among those reportedly involved in the Sodo plan is Wally Walker, a former Seattle Sonics player and executive.

While Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn is said to be mostly interested in bringing the NBA back to Seattle, this new arena would also include the opportunity for the city's first NHL team. Seattle last had a professional hockey team in 1924, when the Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association folded.