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City Council Will Not Vote on SoDo Arena Proposal Before Labor Day

The Seattle City Council will not be voting on Chris Hansen's proposed arena before the summer recess, a post on councilman Tim Burgess's blog says.

Since the Council's July 30, 2012 letter to Chris Hansen, our staff and lawyers have been involved in conversations with Mr. Hansen. These discussions are continuing in a fruitful manner. We will continue our deliberations of the legislative package as quickly as possible, but a matter of this significance requires very careful and thorough consideration.

As a result, the proposed arena is not on the agenda for this Wednesday's Government Performance and Finance Committee meeting. The Committee will consider the arena legislation again in September.

The King County Council voted 6-3 to move forward with Hansen's $490 million arena in the SoDo District earlier last month, but the proposal has run into stiff criticisms, namely from the Port of Seattle - one of the larger moneymakers in the city of Seattle. The port has opposed a SoDo-based arena due to traffic concerns and flow of port traffic. Many council members, including Burgess, have expressed doubt in Hansen's proposal, which is necessary if Seattle were to attract a new NBA team to the city.