The monorail goes right to Seattle Center, two bus stops one at Key Arena, a parking garage a block and a half away, and could add parking by tearing down Memorial Stadium.
Yes, building it in the SoDo area is better and last I saw the city was paying nothing for it. What it comes down to is the Mayor isn't happy with Hansen or the port has him by the balls. They have to redo one end so there is not any obstructed view seats for hockey. If Key Arena is what they do, just tear down that outdated building and build a new one. Even how much it's going to cost to remodel a new one would be cheaper.