Saving the Sonics: How not to do urban planning
When it comes to superheated potatoes, such as sports arenas and stadiums, our local politicians have learned to do their deals very quietly. And so, with a solution for the Sonics starting to come together, mum's the word as the dealmakers quietly work Olympia and the mayor's office puts Humpty Dumpty together. So, we scribes have to interpret hints and auguries. The appearance of developer Matt Griffin as a dealmaker, for instance, is a sign of seriousness. Griffin is a master of these complicated arrangements, combining private parties with government actors, as he did with Pacific Place and the downtown SAM-Wamu deal. Further, Griffin will give the Sonics-saviors better diplomatic relations with the Governor and the Legislature than Mayor Nickels would have.
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