Venue News & Notes: NBA Halts Search for Sacramento Site

The NBA has dealt a major blow in the efforts to find a location for a new Sacramento Kings arena, bringing back talk of the team leaving the city. In a statement e-mailed to KTXL Sports Director Jim Crandell, NBA representative John Moag said, “On the heels of the disappointing — but not surprising — action (or inaction) of the state and Cal Expo Board, it is fair to say that the NBA has ceased its activities on the Sacramento arena front. However, we will continue to monitor and respond to the activities and options of others that might reasonably ensure the competitiveness and viability of the Kings franchise”…

…Three hockey leagues — the ECHL, the CHL, and the USHL — have responded to a call from the city of Evansville, IN, for proposals to lease a new downtown arena slated to open in 2011. All three submitted detailed information about their leagues, teams, and potential leases. All three are on solid financial footing. The CHL proposal came from the Evansville IceMen, an existing team; the ECHL and USHL would place expansion franchises in the arena. Earlier, the NAHL had shown interest in placing a team in Evansville but, in the end, did not submit a proposal to the city…

…Ahead of a weekend rally expected to draw some 50,000 people to the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, Canada’s federal government came under pressure again this week to pump $175 million into a new NHL-calibre arena in Quebec City as the mayor announced that construction for the project will start in 2011. Quebec Premier Jean Charest’s government has already said it will pay 45% of the construction costs of the projected $400 million arena, while the city is ready to fork out $50 million. A feasibility study for an 18,000-seat stadium showed it would be profitable, and both Charest and Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume have since been lobbying Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government to come up with the remaining $175 million needed to build such a venue…

…The UK’s West Ham United this week submitted its plan to take over the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games, becoming the only declared bidder come the deadline. The club will discover by the end of the year whether it is likely to prove successful, and it remains the favourite despite reports that a joint bid by Tottenham Hotspur and AEG, the U.S. entertainment conglomerate that runs the 02 arena in London, will be made public today. At a four-hour meeting last night, Haringey Council approved Tottenham’s plans to redevelop White Hart Lane…

…Officials in San Francisco say they’ll help raise $270 million from sponsors if their city is chosen to host the 34th America’s Cup. That pledge and other details are in an extensive term sheet released Tuesday. The money would help defray the costs of staging sailing’s marquee event, which is scheduled for 2013. America’s Cup champion BMW Oracle Racing, which is based in San Francisco, is evaluating similar offers from Valencia, Spain, and a port outside Rome. BMW Oracle Racing will pick the venue by the end of the year…

…Developer Bruce Ratner can’t predict when a massive office tower planned for the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn will go up, but, in the mean time, he’ll build a sweeping public plaza outside his new Nets arena, which is under construction and set to open in 2012. Officials unveiled plans this week for a one-acre plaza at Flatbush and Atlantic Aves. It features a subway entrance with a green roof covered in plants that change colors with the seasons, benches, and a direct view of the scoreboard inside the arena.

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