Warriors to break ground on new San Francisco arena this month
Kevin Durant will be at the ceremony on Jan. 17
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2 min read
The Golden State Warriors announced on Tuesday that they will begin construction on the Chase Center, their new arena in San Francisco, on Jan 17. After delays and legal challenges, the arena is scheduled to be ready for the 2019-20 season.
From the announcement:
"We have been looking forward to this day since we first had the vision of building a privately financed state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex in San Francisco and are excited for what this will bring to the city of San Francisco and the entire Bay Area community," said Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts. "Chase Center and the surrounding area will serve as a destination for the entire community and we will continue to work to make sure it is the best experience possible for everyone to enjoy NBA basketball, concerts, family shows, conventions and more."
Warriors Owner & CEO Joe Lacob, Co-Owner Peter Guber, President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts, Head Coach Steve Kerr and Forward Kevin Durant will join San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee for the historic ceremony and celebration.
"This new venue will not only ensure our beloved Warriors remain in the Bay Area, but it will fill a void in San Francisco's portfolio of arts and events facilities," said Mayor Lee. "It will provide enormous economic benefits, including thousands of new jobs and millions in new tax revenues for The City. And the Warriors are doing it the right way -- financing this arena entirely without public funding."
This has been a long time coming. You might remember the press conference at the waterfront in 2012, and the renderings the team released in 2013. Much has changed since then, including the opening date -- it was originally supposed to be ready for the 2017-18 season -- and the location. In October, Warriors owner Joe Lacob called this "probably the hardest thing I've ever done," via the San Jose Mercury News' Anthony Slater.
In November, a California court of appeals ruled in the Warriors' favor when the Mission Bay Alliance attempted to block construction by arguing that the city broke laws by approving the plan. The Mission Bay Alliance's specific concerns related to environmental issues and traffic. This ruling cleared the way for the upcoming ground-breaking.
Golden State has one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA at Oracle Arena, and the franchise has to hope that the spirit accompanies the team when it moves from Oakland to San Francisco. The Warriors have played in Oakland since 1971 -- before that, it was in San Francisco for nine seasons.
