Sacramento Kings Arena Efforts Begin With Unceremonious Prep Work
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Crews will start work on what will become the new face of Downtown Sacramento on Friday when the demolition of Downtown Plaza begins.
Construction on a new Sacramento Kings arena will begin at 6 a.m. sharp, not with a bang, but unceremonious prep work.
The actual demolition is still weeks away, but crews will begin tearing out wires and asbestos from vacant stores and putting up construction barriers.
Mayor Kevin Johnson spoke on the moment years in the making.
"It's a big deal for Sacramento, and for the last 30 or 40 years people have felt our K Street and downtown left a lot to be desired, and that's not going to be the case anymore," he said.
On the eve of construction, and arena opposition group led by former Caltrans director Adriana Saltonstall mounted a last-ditch legal effort. The group of a dozen citizens filed a lawsuit appealing a judge's refusal to issue an injunction that would halt the $477 million project.
"There are a lot of unknowns associated with this project, and certain very negative impacts we are pretty certain are going to happen, namely traffic noise and air pollution," she said.
Neither the team or the city seemed outwardly concerned with the lawsuit. The team would only say work will begin on schedule, and the city attorney says they're confident in their legal position.
