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The demolition job is the first step in the construction of a
$477 million indoor arena that was approved by the city last
year as part of a deal to thwart efforts to move the Sacramento
Kings basketball team to the Pacific Northwest.
“Pretty exciting,” yelled David Diaz, a 26-year-old Bank of
America teller who stood with a crowd across from the wreckage
of the mostly defunct Downtown Plaza, taking photos and shouting
over the din of heavy equipment shredding steel and concrete.
“It’s going to be great for the city," he added, echoing the
thoughts of several onlookers as the mall crumbled, "but it’s
like watching history come down.”
Hoping to hold onto a hometown attraction and revitalize a
shabby corner of Sacramento, the city agreed to kick in a little
more than half of the financing for the venue. Team owners, led
by tech executive Vivek Ranadive, have vowed to have the arena
open by October 2016.
The project was crucial in ending a months-long tug of war
between Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, himself a former NBA
star, and hedge fund manager Chris Hansen, who had sought to
bring the team to Seattle.
Critics have sued, and two lawsuits are making their way through
the courts. But Johnson and civic boosters have so far beaten
back their claims that the project will violate the California
Environmental Quality Act and generate too much noise and
traffic.
Last week, Johnson held an official “demolition ceremony” to
launch the project. But Wednesday marked the first publicly
visible demolition, and it drew a crowd.
“This is just so exciting,” said John Santich, a video producer
for the Department of Motor Vehicles who stopped by the site
with his wife, Pam, on the way to a movie. “This is like a
rebirth of the city for us.”
"All we need now is for the Kings to start winning,” quipped
Theodis Ross, 56, watching the cranes on a break from his job at
the Department of Insurance. “This is historical for sure, but
nobody is going to come to see a loser. I don’t care how new
your arena is.”
(Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Eric Walsh)
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Work
starts on new arena for Sacramento Kings basketball team
