Oakland, California-based National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise Golden State Warriors has revealed the first conceptual plans of its new home in San Francisco, California.
Plans to build a 18,000-capacity, multi-use arena in the Mission Bay area will see the Warriors travel across the San Francisco Bay and return to the city of San Francisco for the first time since 1971, when the team moved to its current Oracle Arena home in Oakland.
The Warriors have purchased a 12-acre site in Mission Bay and are hoping to have the venue ready for the 2018-19 NBA season.
The location was selected after an original proposal to construct the arena on Piers 30 and 32, just south of the city’s Bay Bridge, met with opposition due to concerns about traffic, environmental impacts and obstruction of views across the bay.
Joe Lacob, co-owner and CEO of the Warriors, said the switch of focus from an waterside to an inland location ensures planning applications will be easier to secure – the new site eliminates the need for a public approval, which would have been required with the original site.
He said: “This process has been a long one and we’ve listened very hard to all the constituencies and groups that voiced their concerns over the initial location.
“The piers location was a great one but the Mission Bay site gives us a much greater chance of getting the arena done and we also thinks it’s a fantastic site in many other ways that maybe the other site didn’t have.”
Peter Guber, Warriors co-owner, added that the new “super-modern” arena will not only be a great venue for sport but will also attract high-profile artists and performers - aiding the financial sustainability of the arena.
He said: “This will be a state-of-the-art facility in every possible way. Every touchpoint of guest performance will be utilised, we’ll be a digitally fit organisation.
“That’s going to be attractive to the great artists of the world. It’s going to be both a beacon and a lightning rod. It’s going to serve as a cauldron and will present to the world the best of San Francisco – and will provide the best artists of the world a place to gather.”
The move has also lead the Golden State Warriors to consider rebranding as the San Francisco Warriors.
