A Seattle Longshoremen union intends to file a lawsuit aimed at derailing a proposed basketball and hockey arena slated to be built in the city’s Sodo neighborhood.
Leaders with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 19 said in a statement Friday that the union will be filing a lawsuit shortly challenging Seattle and King County’s approvals of the proposed sports arena.
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Opponents of the arena contend it could stifle traffic to and from Port of Seattle facilities nearby. According to the union statement, they also plan to claim the project as currently conceived lacks appropriate environmental oversight.
“Our union supports the return of the NBA to Seattle and we are not opposed to an arena somewhere in the Puget Sound region,” ILWU local 19 President Cameron Williams said in a statement. “But we cannot stand idly by while (arena backer Chris) Hansen and his well-connected lobbyists, along with our elected officials, build an arena in a location that threatens the livelihood of our members.”
The lawsuit will argue that a memorandum of understanding between the government and Hansen must be reviewed under the state Environmental Policy Act. It is expected to be filed Monday in King County Superior Court.
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Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.