Allen Says No To Husky Stadium

Billionaire Paul Allen said Thursday he would no longer consider Husky Stadium as a possible playing field for the Seattle Seahawks because of quality-of-life concerns around the University of Washington.

A proposal to renovate the stadium for joint use by the NFL team and the Washington Huskies drew vigorous protest from many people who live near the university. They said they feared worsening weekend traffic jams, noise and unruly fans.

Allen has purchased an option, which he must exercise by July 1, to buy the Seattle Seahawks from Ken Behring, who wanted to move the team to Southern California. Allen has said the Seahawks cannot succeed financially without a more lucrative place to play football than the 20-year-old Kingdome.

Football Northwest has been working with the Kingdome Stadium Task Force to determine how best to field the team. With the elimination of a renovated Husky Stadium, the remaining options are tearing down the Kingdome and building a new stadium in its place, remodeling the Kingdome or building a new stadium in the suburbs.

Seattle Mayor Norm Rice said Wednesday that tearing down the Kingdome and building a new stadium is probably the best way to keep the Seahawks in town.