With the Sacramento Kings staying for the 2013-14 and beyond,one of the key components in them doing so is for them to be playing in a new arena by the start of the 2016-17 NBA season. That new building will be placed where the current Downtown Plaza is.

Many people are for it and are excited and can’t wait to attend the first game in the new building. Others are against the project saying it is a waste of taxpayer money and that it should be up to the public for a vote.

One of those groups hoping to stop the arena project was recently found to have been funded by the very man who wanted to take the Kings away from the capital city and place them in Seattle. Yes,that’s right,Chris Hansen. Once that information was made public, some who signed the petition now wanted to remove their names from it.

While I was long for an arena project where little to no public money was involved, I now realize that this kind of project is not just good for the Kings and the NBA. This is agood for Sacramento. With a premier arena that will be the envy of other cities, Sacramento will not only host Kings games,but concerts,conventions,and other events that will bring tourism to the area. Even other artists who have bypassed Sacramento in favor of cities like San Jose or Fresno because of the Maloof family or the poor acoustics of Arco Arena may decide to give Sacramento another try. Also, think of the jobs that will be created when more bars,shops and restaurants open up nearby.

This arena also will liven up downtown like nothing else has before. Sure,downtown has some life in the night time,but only in certain pockets. It also rids us of a dormant mall that people do not shop at (admit it,you don’t). The last time I was at Downtown Plaza was in 2011 while having lunch with a friend and we were surprised how far it had fallen. There were barely any stores open and not a lot of people were there. It makes Country Club Plaza, a similar dormant mall in Sacramento’s Arden-Arcade area, look like the Roseville Galleria,the mall that all of you do shop at,admit it.

I understand the other side’s beef about the city maybe not needing an arena and that other matters need to be tended to,but this is a project that I feel is great for everyone. Sometimes projects like this are in the best interests of the public in mind. As a lifetime Sacramento-area resident,I am confident that this will be something that will benefit the city and will help bring the city more in terms of tourism and employment.