Mariners Name Preference For Stadium Site

Members of the Seattle Mariners baseball stadium board said the team’s site preference will be taken into account, but won’t be the only factor in their arriving at a decision.

“It’s a very important element, but it’s not the only element,” board member Tom Gibbs said.

“If the Mariners had said we can’t play baseball on one of the sites, I’d be very concerned,” board member Bob Wallace said. “But they’re not saying that.”

Mariners vice president Paul Isaki told the seven-member board Monday the team would like to see the new $320 million stadium built on the empty lot farthest south of the Kingdome, the so-called Ackerley site south of Royal Brougham Way.

Isaki said the other two sites, parking lots directly north and south of the Kingdome, aren’t big enough.

“Site C is the only one of the three that allows us to achieve our program,” Isaki said. “There, it can be accomplished in an architecturally spectacular way that enhances the urban environment of Seattle.”

Cramming a ballpark into one of the two smaller sites would shrink the bargain bleacher section, cramp the crowd flow to concession stands and distort the dimensions of the playing field in a way that could thwart manager Lou Piniella’s strategies.

Board members are to choose a preferred site on Tuesday. A final site decision will be made in late August, after an analysis of the environmental impacts of the three sites. The ballpark is expected to be ready in time for the 1999 season.