Let’s see, what’s the last thing you would expect to see in the news this morning? Zombie invasion? Harry Reid and John Boehner starring in a new buddy-cop movie? Word that Virginia Beach is reviving its crazy arena plans that it declared dead almost a year ago? (Okay, that’s almost the same as “zombie invasion.”)
Yep, you guessed it: According to city councilmember Bill DeSteph, who is running for the state house of delegates, two groups are interested in maybe proposing building something! And one of them includes a Chinese investor! And it wouldn’t cost the city anything, except tax credits, which of course cost the city! And “just about everybody in this room would support it”!
Since that’s clear as mud, let’s check in on Mayor Will Sessoms, who was the force behind last fall’s attempt to lure the Sacramento Kings by building them a new arena that would be paid for by cough cough, sorry something must’ve gone down the wrong pipe, what were we talking about again? What say you, Mayor Sessoms?
Mayor Will Sessoms said a group of Chinese businessmen has expressed interest in investing in a Virginia Beach project but has not taken any formal action.
Sessoms said possible projects they might be interested in include an arena, an entertainment project at the old Dome site and light rail.
He said he met some of those potential investors briefly at a recent luncheon but could not recall their names or companies they represent.
Alrighty, then. Wake me when the zombies are here.
So the “Chinese investors” have no problem building an arena ahead of actually having a NBA team to play in it ? Or maybe the math works better if they build light rail train tracks all around and make sure that they have a large train station/arena built at the same time ? Sessoms was re-elected in 2012 so he doesn’t have to be all “look at me” about this right now…
Remember Slapshot? When Paul Newman plants the story about a group of Florida investors who want to buy the Chiefs and move them to the sunshine state?
Funny, I thought Slapshot was a comedy, not a handbook for cities bent on doing a ham n eggs routine.
Go Virginia Squires go!