Seattle Storm to build facility in Interbay

Mayor Jenny Durkan signed law last week paving the way for the construction of an indoor sports facility in Interbay that will serve as a training facility for the Seattle Storm.

Durkan said the practice facility was necessary because the four-time WNBA master did not have his own practice facility. The team is currently training at Seattle Pacific University and is limited to the scheduled training time.

“Seattle, we’re better than that,” Durkan said in the virtual press conference, adding that the Storm are the most decorated professional sports team in town and active in the community. “They are our hometown heroes. … You gave our city so much hope during COVID. “

Durkan said Seattle supports its sports teams and the Storm has been good community partners over the years.

“We have seen this city move almost heaven and earth for our male sports teams,” she said, adding that she was happy to sign this law for the storm.

As it turned out, executing the storm’s plans did not require moving the sky and earth, just changing a sizing for indoor sports facilities at the Ballard Interbay Northend Manufacturing Industrial Center. Durkan’s legislation last week increased the size from 10,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet.

At the press conference, Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder said that the Storm will use the entire site, 1616 W. Bertona St., as a training facility and parking lot.

“While the Emerald City has been our home for 21 years, the WNBA has changed,” she said. “So the practice facility is no longer a nice-to-have, but a must.”

Gilder said Friday that the business deal between Seattle Pacific University and the Storm worked well for players who can practice at the SPU, but the Storm must adapt to the changing landscape of the WNBA in order to be competitive.

“What has changed is what it means to be a WNBA franchise,” said Gilder, adding that franchise businesses are starting to rethink what kind of profile they want to have.

With the increase in the salary cap, top players have more flexibility in choosing where to play, Gilder said.

“So if you want to keep a Breanna Stewart in your market, make sure your franchise is attractive to them,” Gilder said, referring to the Storm Striker and MVP of the 2020 WNBA Final.

Gilder said this will be the first WNBA exercise facility designed and built specifically for one WNBA team alone, rather than in conjunction with any other team.

“This is a way to send a message to the community and stand out,” said Gilder.

While the details of the practice facility are still being worked out, Gilder said it will be designed for the Storm players, with plenty of locker room space and a place to relax.

“It will have a feel for it,” said Gilder. “You know when you walk into a gym or a gym and when you look you know that this is where the men are playing?

She said while men and boys are not excluded from the facility, Storm owners consider a practice facility for their players a worthwhile investment for the team, Seattle and the WNBA.

“The world of professional women’s basketball is changing, and the Storm aims to change the world of women’s basketball,” said Gilder.

Gilder said Storm has slowly built its empire since she and her two partners bought it in 2008.

“It was a tiny part of their business and we wanted to take this flea and make it the dog in our business and we have a responsibility to invest in front of the curve, not behind the curve,” said Gilder, adding the practice facility is the latest step in their efforts to do so.

The building will also be for the community, she said. According to the development plan, the facility will serve the Seattle Storm and a “youth-oriented basketball skills development center with programs specifically focused on girls and underserved communities normally excluded by financial or traffic restrictions.”

Gilder said the plan is to get the building up as soon as possible, and the team has hired Queen Anne developer Maria Barrientos, BarrientosRyan LLC, as a development manager. Gilder said that once city officials approved the zoning change, they filed the pre-application that night.

Barrientos said the development team will hold public meetings in Queen Anne, Interbay and Magnolia prior to construction to hear from residents, answer their questions and address their concerns. She said these meetings will take place early next year and will hopefully include a draft concept that outlines more of what the facility will bring.

Gilder said she hopes the facility will be a positive addition to the Interbay community. Not only will it create additional jobs, but it will replace a vacant lot lined with RVs across from Storm’s current offices on Thorndyke with a nice looking facility.

“It’ll change the feeling of the neighborhood,” said Gilder.