Comcast Dome? Tacoma name goes to high bidder

TACOMA – What’s in a name? When it comes to the Tacoma Dome, the answer is $7 million, judging by an agreement between the city and Comcast Corp.

Officials confirmed Tuesday that a tentative agreement has been reached to rename the 20-year-old landmark beside I-5 as Comcast Dome for $3.5 million in cash and an equal sum in cable television advertising over 10 years.

Seven of the nine City Council members are sponsoring a resolution to approve the proposed 10-year contract, with a vote expected Tuesday.

The building, 530 feet in diameter and 152 feet high with a seating capacity of 22,000, is the world’s largest free-standing wooden domed structure. It was the temporary home of the Seattle SuperSonics in 1994-95 while KeyArena was built in Seattle.

Comcast outbid city-owned Tacoma Power and a group of Toyota dealers for naming rights. The change would take effect immediately, but changing all the signs is likely to take months.

Payments are contingent on permission by the state Department of Transportation for the Philadelphia-based cable TV company to advertise on a new message board by I-5.

The state agency currently limits freeway advertising to the goods and services sold at a site, dome director Mike Combs said. The dome’s existing sign is used to promote events and Key Bank, which has an automated teller machine at the stadium.

If an exception is denied, Comcast’s payments would be cut to $625,000 a year, evenly split between cash and advertising, dropping the total value of the deal to $6.25 million.

Backers say the deal will spare taxpayers at a time when the dome needs an overhaul and has lost some concert revenue since the opening of the White River Amphitheater near Auburn in June.

“The opportunity to bring this level of new, nontax dollars into the city’s coffers is good news for our budget and good news for our citizens,” council member Connie Ladenburg said.

Opponents include organized labor – Comcast is nonunion – and Mayor Bill Baarsma, who is supporting a move to put the issue on the ballot.

“My feeling is that if we sell the name of the dome, I think the voters should have an opportunity to express their feelings,” Baarsma said.