Officials Pitch Virginia Beach Pro Sports Arena, But Without Mention Of Kings
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (CBS13) - An arena plan was pitched Tuesday to the Virginia Beach City Council, but it didn't include any specific mention of the Sacramento Kings moving to the East Coast.
Comcast-Spectacor officials detailed a plan to build an 18,500-seat sports arena. That proposal also includes luring a professional sports team to play in the arena.
A Virginia newspaper, citing unnamed sources, reported last week that the Kings are the target tenant.
But Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luuko was evasive when asked Tuesday about whom they might be courting.
"We're talking to people in sports," he said. "We're in sports so I think we know there is opportunity and potential."
Kings co-owner Joe Maloof told CBS13 last week that the team had not talked to Virginia Beach.
A Maloof family spokesperson said the Kings has been approached by several cities over the years, but that the team wasn't going to comment further.
The plan pitched Tuesday didn't include many specifics, including how the arena would be financed. The city and Comcast-Spectacor officials will spend the next two months working on a term sheet.
Sacramento city officials thought they had a deal with the Maloofs to build a new $391 arena in the downtown railyards earlier this year, but the Kings owners backed out of that agreement, fueling speculation that the team was again looking to relocate.
The Maloofs were in talks to move to Anaheim after the 2010-11 season before deciding to stay put in Sacramento to see if an arena deal could be worked out.
