Spokane OKs Arena Expansion

Voters in Spokane, Wash., have approved a measure to add seats to the 12,500-capacity Spokane Arena and expand the city’s convention center.

The measure, which extends a pair of sales and use taxes by 10 years, will add 750 seats to the arena’s upper bowl and 91,000 square feet of new space to the convention center.

Kevin Twohig, CEO of the facilities district that oversees the venues, told the local Spokesman-Review the project has already undergone a preliminary study and designs are in the works.

The project is expected to come at a cost of $65 million but the increased capacity at the arena means it could host future NCAA men’s basketball tournaments.

“I think our message was pretty clear,” Twohig told the paper. “We are in a competitive environment and we need to remain competitive. At the same time we’ll be able to create a bunch of new jobs.”