The Golden State Warriors and GSW Arena have announced the official ground breaking ceremony for Chase Center, the state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex to be built in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, will be held on Tuesday, January 17, at the site of the future arena (300 South Street).
Chase Center, which is scheduled to open for the start of the 2019/2020 NBA season, will play host to a variety of events, including concerts, family shows and conventions, in addition to Warriors basketball.
“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 and 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. “Chase Center and the surrounding area will serve as a destination for the entire community and we will continue to work to make sure it is the best experience possible for everyone to enjoy NBA basketball, concerts, family shows, conventions and more.”
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 will join San Francisco Mayor Edwin M Lee for the ceremony and celebration.
“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 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 18,000-seat Chase Center will anchor a district of 11 acres of restaurants, cafes, offices, public plazas and other amenities the neighborhood currently lacks, along with a new five-and-a half-acre public waterfront park. Chase Center will be located on a major Muni Metro rail line with easy links to BART and other transit options. When complete, it will be the only privately financed facility of its kind built on private property in the modern era of professional sports.
Chase Center will be built on a vacant lot that has been slated for development since 1998. The team entered into an agreement to purchase the property at Third and 16th Streets in Mission Bay in 2014, and has spent two years participating in a public planning process. The project won approval from all regulatory agencies and city commissions, including a unanimous vote at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The Superior Court and, most recently, the California State Court of Appeals upheld the project, paving the way for breaking ground this month.
“The Warriors have been the Bay Area’s NBA team for more than half a century,” says Welts. “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.”
January 10, 2017
