Santa Cruz looking for permanent home for Warriors

The City of Santa Cruz is bouncing around ideas involving the popular Santa Cruz Warriors. The Kaiser Permanente Arena’s lease is almost up and the city is trying to figure out what to do next. Some neighbors who live near the facility don’t want a permanent arena in their neighborhood.

“Santa Cruz downtown is so beautiful and it’s already pretty congested, youknow. You can’t really find parking. You have to be really inconveniencedwith the noise,” said Santa Cruz resident, Arley Long.

Since the arena was built in 2012, game days have always been a huge part of the community and not all residents mind the noise.

“My kids would love it. They walk down and just go to the games but I’mthinking long term and the respect for the residents that have been here along time,” said Long.

The temporary structure was designed to last about 15 years, but the lease agreement for the arena is up in 2019. The city is looking to find a location for a bigger and better arena. The first option for a permanent spot is its current location on Front Street. The second option is to move the Warriors to Depot Park, where the arena would sit right on top of the current soccer field.

“I’m not feeling good about that. This provides a good place for many people to play soccer and the amount of people it services is a lot,” said Santa Cruz resident, Thomas Harrison.

The city completed a feasibility study which laid out the pros and cons for the two sites. Some of the cons include, parking and the project’s cost which is estimated to be $30 to $40 million.

“We’re excited to explore this opportunity further. working with the Warriors organization withother potential sports organizations like the University, maybe even a minor league hockey team for instance,” said assistant city manager, Scott Collins.

Currently, the D-league arena can hold 2,500 people on game days. Plans for a new arena would seat at least 3,500 people.

“It’s been amazing to be in Santa Cruz. The community support has been unbelievableand our partnership with the city has been even more unbelievable and thefact that we’re now in this conversation to have a permanent facility built right here in Santa Cruz, we are just on cloud 9 to the buzz,” said director of public relations, Santa Cruz Warriors, Gina Antoniello.

City planners will next speak with the city council and expand the conversation to the public before making any decisions next year.