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MAY 27, 2026
Plan to Renovate Seattle Center Could Require $1.5 Billion Bond
VOL. 107, NO. 22
Seattle Center Celebrates LET’S PLAY SEA ’26: World Soccer Fan Celebration
Designated as a primary civic hub for the citywide celebration, Seattle Center becomes Seattle’s unofficial home field for the world’s game
By Randy Diamond The Center Square
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eattle property owners will be asked to approve a plan that will result in higher taxes to fund the renovation of the aging Seattle Center campus, home of the 1962 World’s Fair and numerous iconic buildings, including The Space Needle and The Climate Pledge Arena. Just how much of a tax increase the plan announced this week by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Councilmember Rob Saka will result in is unclear. Neither Wilson nor Saka has determined the amount of a bond issue to be floated to pay for the renovations. But some backers of the plan last year mentioned a bond issue of up to $1.5 billion. Depending on the terms and length of the bond, a $1.5 billion bond would end up costing taxpayers at least $2.5 billion with interest and fees. The City Council’s Transportation, Waterfront, and Seattle Center Committee will begin taking up the matter on Thursday morning. It’s unclear when a potential referendum would be held. It would need the approval of 60% of voters. Seattle taxpayers currently pay more than $8,000 a year in taxes, based on a median home valued at more than $872,000. “We do know that we need to do something, and we need to do something ASAP,” Saka said in an interview with Center Square. He said the exact details of the plan will be hashed out during city council meetings. While Climate Pledge Arena, current home of the Seattle Kraken hockey team and potential home to a future NBA franchise, was completed in 2021 at a cost of $1.15 billion, some buildings on the 74-acre campus haven’t had renovations in many years. The whole campus is a hodgepodge of buildings, such as the Museum of Pop Culture, built in the early 2000s, and older facilities that officials say are significantly in need of renovation.
“Seattle Center is one of our city’s great gathering places – a place where arts, culture, community, and civic life come together,” Wilson stated in a statement kicking off the renovation plan. Renovations are expected to include the Amory Building, one of the largest on campus, and Memorial Stadium, which hosts numerous sporting events, as well as the iconic 132-foot “space gothic” arches outside the Pacific Science Center. A presentation to be discussed at Thursday’s meeting also shows that improvements could be made to the monorail system, which has been in operation since 1962. Climate Pledge Arena could host a new basketball expansion team following a NBA owner vote in July, and Saka said a renovated Seattle Center would be a positive for guests, offering places to stroll and other entertainment options, bringing new revenue to the city. “It will be a positive for fans,” he said. “Another reason to go to Supersonics games.”
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hen the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes to Seattle, the games will be played at the stadium. The public celebration will stretch across the city. Seattle Center is preparing to serve as one of Seattle’s official fan celebration sites during the tournament through Let’s Play SEA ’26, a World Cup fan celebration built around public viewing, music, public art, local vendors, workshops and gathering spaces. Seattle Center announced the program as its World Soccer Fan Celebration, describing the campus as a central gathering place for fans, families, residents and visitors during the tournament. The celebration is intended to bring fan excitement, music, art, culture
and community together in a free, accessible and family-friendly setting. Seattle is one of 16 host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which runs June 11 through July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Seattle will host six matches on June 15, June 19, June 24, June 26, July 1 and July 6. Seattle Center’s role is bigger than a standard summer event. The campus is one of four official fan celebration sites designated by the Seattle FIFA World Cup 26 Local Organizing Committee. Seattle Center is also being described as the north portal of the city’s “Unity Loop,” connecting fans to downtown celebrations, neighborhoods, venues and transit options throughout the tournament.
From June 11 through July 19, Seattle Center says the 74-acre campus will serve as Seattle’s “Global Living Room,” a place to gather and experience the energy of the tournament together.
ARMORY BECOMES THE INDOOR FAN HUB
One of the most concrete pieces of the plan is the Armory Food & Event Hall, which Seattle Center is calling the Center of the Game. The Armory will serve as a central indoor gathering space with food, seating and a large-format screen. Because it is indoors, it gives fans an all-weather option during the tournament, whether they are watching a
FIFA, 5
Seattle Police Say World Cup Security Plan is Ready, While Drawing Line on ICE Staff Report
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“Seattle Center is one of our city’s great gathering places – a place where arts, culture, community, and civic life come together”
Staff Report
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eattle police say they are confident the city will be ready to protect residents, visitors and fans during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, even as officials continue to draw a firm line between tournament security and federal immigration enforcement. Seattle will host six World Cup matches next summer, along with public viewing events, fan celebrations and large crowds moving between Seattle Stadium, downtown, Seattle Center, Waterfront Park and surrounding neighborhoods. Seattle Police Captain Daniel Nelson, who has been coordinating SPD’s World Cup security planning, said during a public safety webinar that he is confident a joint local and federal law
enforcement team will be ready to respond if a major incident occurs. “If we do have an unfortunate incident or an actual terrorist attack or something like that, we’re going to have people who can make decisions on behalf of their agency,” Nelson said, in an interview with the Center Square.
Federal officials have classified Seattle’s World Cup events as a Level Two threat, meaning a high-risk event requiring significant coordination. Nelson said federal agents will assist because SPD does not have enough resources by itself to address every possible threat tied to an international event of this size.
He did not disclose the number of federal agents expected in Seattle, but said a special mass casualty unit will be present, along with specialty agents capable of responding to armed drone threats. Washington’s Emergency Management Division has also highlighted the size of the operation. A state notice for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Grant Program said more than $33 million in combined state and federal funding was expected to support public safety and security activities tied to Seattle’s six matches. The same notice estimated Seattle would host about 750,000 visitors across the six games. The funding categories include planning, surge staffing, physical security barriers,
SECURITY PLAN, 5