Legal Battle Over Warriors' San Francisco Arena Project Heats Up
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The legal battle over the proposed Warriors arena in San Francisco heated up Friday as a judge heard arguments for and against the construction of the Mission Bay complex.
Groups opposed to the arena have filed lawsuits to halt the complex, claiming it will create a traffic and parking nightmare near the UCSF hospital.
On Friday, a judge heard arguments involving two lawsuits against the arena.
The lawsuits are the latest in a string of challenges to the project as the Mission Bay Alliance once again tries to call a "time out" on the proposed arena. The Alliance describes itself as a group of UCSF stakeholders, donors, faculty and physicians.
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The piece of land in question is now an empty lot in Mission Bay right across Third Street from the UCSF Medical Center campus.
That parcel is where the Warriors want to build a complex featuring a new 18,000 seat arena to house the NBA team.
"This is going to be a disaster for San Francisco," said Tina Walker, a spokesperson for Mission Bay Alliance.
The Alliance says the arena will create a traffic nightmare around the hospital, especially if there are simultaneous events at the Warriors' arena and at AT&T Park, a few blocks to the north.
"With all of the noise and the shouting and the music and the loudness, this will really create havoc on all the patients that are being treated," said Robin Katsaros, whose husband is a patient at UCSF.
The lawsuit also alleges San Francisco overlooked important environmental regulations in a rush to approve the project.
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera denies that charge and is ready to defend it.
"That's ridiculous. This has been a well thought out project," said Herrera. "The city has come up with a traffic management plan and public transit strategy to ensure that the impacts on the hospital and the patients and the workers that are there, are minimized."
But the Alliance is asking the judge to set aside the project's permits and environmental impact report, delaying the construction of the arena which is set to open in 2019.
"If we're not successful today, we're going to appeal and take every legal avenue necessary to win this fight," said Walker.
The judge's decision is expected by July 18th.
