Arena makes sense for Renton

Why do a couple of car guys care if a new arena is built in our city of Renton? It's not like happy fans are going to celebrate each SuperSonic victory by purchasing a new SUV.

We have been a part of this community for years, and believe the proposed King County Events Center is a great deal for Renton, King County and the state.

Renton's leaders have worked hard to bring energy and economic diversity to our community. We are proud to be home to Boeing and Paccar, and hope we never lose our manufacturing roots. Even those manufacturers would likely agree that it is good Renton adds more employment in retail, services, finance and other categories.

Boeing accounted for nearly 60 percent of Renton's employment base in 1990. Today, that figure is less than 30 percent, and small businesses are thriving. Mayor Kathy Keolker recently reported that in the last year, some 440 new businesses, employing more than 1,300 people, have made Renton home.

The signs of Renton's renaissance are everywhere. Downtown has been redeveloped with a regional transit center, performing-arts center, a park and hundreds of housing units. The Seahawks just broke ground on a new headquarters and practice facility. Providence Health Systems has established offices and soon will employ more than 1,000 people. The Federal Reserve Bank is building its Seattle-area headquarters in Renton. The Landing, including 900 housing units, 600,000 square feet of retail space and a movie theater, is taking shape on surplus Boeing property adjacent to the proposed arena's site.

Any coach will tell you to capitalize on momentum. The proposed King County Events Center will do just that, putting an exclamation mark on more than a decade of hard work. It will be another opportunity for a community that has dreamed big — and for King County to attract large-scale events that now go to other major cities across the country.

The facility is projected to host hundreds of events each year, with annual attendance of 1.4 to 2.4 million locals, convention-goers and tourists. Beyond basketball fans, people will attend major conventions and business events, enjoy top-tier entertainment, and participate in cultural and regional events. Attendees will be shopping in local stores, eating in local restaurants and staying in hotels throughout the region.

Beyond these obvious benefits, we're confident the mayor will continue to bring together neighborhood leaders and all affected parties to address impacts, pro and con.

The King County Events Center also can serve as a catalyst for additional private development. You only have to look up Interstate 5 to see this happening, as Safeco and Qwest fields stimulate development south of downtown Seattle.

It is easy to see why the arena makes sense for Renton. But it is equally clear that Renton makes sense for the arena. The confluence of major freeways makes Renton accessible for fans throughout King County and meeting attendees coming from all directions. It is also an opportunity to help make Renton a third economic engine, joining Bellevue and Seattle, in collecting taxes for education, transportation, health care and other priorities. Everyone benefits from greater geographic diversification of the county's employment base.

Importantly, the public investment needed to secure these benefits can be made without new taxes. And much of the expense will be paid by visitors.

There's another important way to look at the issue. What happens if the Legislature does not give King County the authority to build the events center? By failing to seize this opportunity today, our region loses the Sonics and Storm and all the economic and community benefits the teams generate, as well as new opportunities to attract other professional sports franchises, world-class entertainment, major conventions and significant cultural, community and corporate events.

So there you have it. Now you understand why a couple of cars guys care that the King County Events Center is built. And why you should care, too.

Brad Brotherton owns Renton's Brotherton Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, GMC. Bob Bridge owns Bob Bridge Toyota/Bob Bridge Scion.