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Poll Finds San Francisco Voters Supporting Warriors Waterfront Arena

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — A newly-released poll shows a large majority of people in San Francisco support a new privately-financed waterfront arena for the Golden State Warriors in the city.

On Friday, Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts discussed the poll and what the basketball and entertainment arena entails at a San Francisco Business Times breakfast in Union Square.

The survey conducted by phone questioned more than 550 San Francisco voters. 80 percent of people surveyed support the plans for a privately-financed basketball arena at Piers 30-32. A similar survey was held with voters in Alameda and Contra Costa County, with a majority of people supporting the arena.

KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:

"I think more surprising perhaps is that the East Bay numbers were given the same information. Just about two-thirds of the people were enthusiastic in their support of the project," he said.

Welts said the team is not waiting for a new arena to become a great franchise and that there's been $11 million worth of investment this summer in Oracle Arena. He also touted the acquisition of seven-foot center Andrew Bogut, who will begin playing with the team next month.

"Warriors fans have been incredibly supportive, but also very patient. This is a team that has not made the playoffs in 17 out of 18 years in a league where almost half the teams make the playoffs every year; almost statistically impossible," he quipped.

Meanwhile, the arena project is making its way through the early stages of the approval process with the hopes of opening in 2017.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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