SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)—The Golden State Warriors has announced the official ground-breaking ceremony for the Chase Center which will be built in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood.
The ceremony will be held on January 17 in the future area of the stadium on 300 South Street.
The Chase Center is set to open for the start of the 2019-2020 NBA season. Not only will the center host the Warriors, but it will also host a variety of events including concerts, family shows and conventions.
“We have been looking forward to this day since we first had the vision of building a privately financed state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex in San Francisco are excited for what this will bring to the city of San Francisco and the entire Bay Area community,” said Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts.
Warriors owner and CEO Joe Lacob, co-owner Peter Guber, president and chief operating officer Rick Welts, head coach Steve Kerr and forward Kevin Durant are all expected to attend the ceremony. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee will also attend the event.
“This new venue will not only ensure our beloved Warriors remain in the Bay Area, but it will fill a void in San Francisco’s portfolio of arts and events facilities,” said Mayor Lee. “It will provide enormous economic benefits, including thousands of new jobs and millions in new tax revenues for The City. And the Warriors are doing it the right way — financing this arena entirely without public funding.”
The Chase Center will have 18,000 seats as well as 11 acres of restaurants, cafes, offices, public plazas and a five-and-a half acre waterfront park.
“The Warriors have been the Bay Area’s NBA team for more than half a century,” Welts said. “With the construction of this new venue, we’re making sure the Warriors will be the Bay Area’s team for the next 50 years and beyond.”
A group called the Mission Bay Alliance has filed multiple lawsuits against the project alleging that it will hurt emergency response times and access to UCSF Medical Center which is nearby.
A San Francisco Superior Court judge in July rejected two lawsuits the group filed challenging the city’s approval process and environmental review.