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Warriors plan to build new arena
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
The Golden State Warriors agreed to terms Tuesday with Salesforce.com to purchase land in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, where the team intends to build a new arena.
“We believe Mission Bay is a perfect fit,” Joe Lacob, co-executive chairman and CEO of the Warriors said in a statement. “It is a wonderful inland site in a dynamic part of the City that is convenient for fans from all over the Bay Area. We are buying private property, but the city will also get a new 5 1/2-acre waterfront park. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
The Warriors are targeting the 2018-19 season to open the arena. The team first arrived in San Francisco in 1962 and played there until moving to Oakland for the 1971-72 season.
The Warriors abandoned their plan to build an arena on Piers 30-32 just south of the Bay Bridge.
“We’ve said all along we wanted to create a spectacular cultural destination for the city and the entire region,” said co-executive chairman Peter Guber “This is about a shared cultural experience: going to a beautiful and inviting place to see a game, see a show, attend a convention. It will be easily accessible, state of the art, digitally fit, and second to none.”
Although specific details of the plan remain to be announced, the Warriors said previously discussed basic elements of the event center remain in effect: the arena will hold about 18,000 seats; it will showcase NBA basketball games as well as concerts, cultural events, family shows and convention activities; and it will be privately financed on private land.
The new Warriors event center will be built on 12 acres of private, inland property, bounded by 3rd, 16th and South Streets, and Terry Francois Blvd.
The transaction with Salesforce.com involves no public property and no public subsidy. There are no naming rights or sponsorship rights associated with the transaction.
Mission Bay, a former redevelopment area that became the home of the University of California, San Francisco’s second campus, has been emerging as a modern urban center for the past 15 years. The Warriors’ new home will be within walking distance of several public plazas, parks, restaurants and retail corridors. AT&T Park is only a few blocks to the north.
