Golden State Warriors San Francisco Arena Plan Faces Growing Opposition
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – The Golden State Warriors have been the talk of the National Basketball Association all year, with the best record in the league and a first round sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans in the playoffs.
The team is also moving forward with plans to build a new arena in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, but is now facing some organized opposition to the plan.
A group called Mission Bay Alliance includes supporters of UC San Francisco and is raising concerns about what arena traffic could mean for hospital services. Alliance spokesperson Sam Singer said the Warriors plan to add only 950 parking spaces for the project.
"Traffic and the parking from the Warriors proposed stadium and the two office towers that go with it is going to make it impossible to get healthcare services in Mission Bay and create massive traffic jams the likes of which San Francisco has never seen," Singer said.
But in a statement to Comcast Sports Net Bay Area, Warriors spokesman P.J. Johnston disputed how much the group represents the Mission Bay neighborhood.
It's hard to know who or what this shadowy new organization may be, but they don't appear to represent UCSF, and certainly not the community. Ever since the Warriors made the decision to move off of Piers 30-32 and onto private property in a long-planned, former redevelopment area, we have been greeted with enthusiasm about our new home in Mission Bay. We've been working with all of our neighbors, including UCSF, for nearly a year now, to address any and all concerns. The San Francisco public overwhelmingly supports the Warriors' move to Mission Bay. This really comes out of nowhere.
Johnston also told KCBS Radio there are already 9,000 parking spaces near the arena site.
"This is in an area that currently is a vacant lot. It's been planned for development going on 20 years," Johnston said. "The Warriors have been working with the community and neighbors for several months in a lot of public meetings."
The final environmental impact report for the arena project is set to be released next month and the Warriors are hoping to break ground on the new arena next year.
