Golden State Warriors' New San Francisco Arena Approved by Board

Winning the 2015 NBA championship and their first 23 games this season is providing the Golden State Warriors with plenty of perks, including steps to get a new arena built in San Francisco. 

According to Carolyn Tyler of ABC 7, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10-0 to approve an environmental impact report. 

San Francisco mayor Ed Lee released a statement, per J.K. Dineen of the San Francisco Chronicle, proclaiming his excitement at the vote and at potentially bringing the Warriors back to San Francisco:

"

This new, privately financed, state-of-the-art Golden State Warriors event center rounds out Mission Bay as an incredible and diverse ecosystem of technology, health care, science and, now, entertainment. The Warriors are inspiring a new generation of fans throughout the Bay Area. I can’t wait to welcome them home to San Francisco.

"

Dineen added the proposed arena will be an 18,500-seat venue that will cost $1 billion. Despite Lee's enthusiasm, there are hurdles standing in the way of making the arena a reality. 

However, Warriors team president Rick Welts said, per Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News, that "due to the recent litigation filed by arena opponents, the team is backing up their planned San Francisco arena opening date one full season, to Fall 2019."

According to SI.com, the Mission Bay Alliance, made up of University of California, San Francisco donors, intends to file a lawsuit preventing the building of the arena due to "the life-threatening impact it could potentially have by hindering people who are attempting to reach UCSF hospitals."

Plans for a new building to host the Warriors were originally announced in May 2012, with the team privately financing the arena. 

The Warriors currently call Oakland's Oracle Arena home, but they were based in San Francisco from 1962-71 before moving.

Working to get a new stadium built has become a model for sports franchises when they become successful. The San Francisco 49ers opened Levi's Stadium last year after making three consecutive trips to the NFC Championship Game from 2011-13. 

The Warriors have become the top story in sports right now because of their winning ways. It seems like the perfect time to take advantage of their success.