Seattle Mayor Charles Royer announced that the...

Seattle Mayor Charles Royer announced that the city has reached a tentative agreement involving a new $40-million sports arena to keep the Seattle SuperSonics in town for at least the next 30 years.

The agreement was reached over the weekend between the city and a joint venture involving Ackerly Communications, which owns the basketball team, and Spectacor Inc. of Philadelphia.

The deal, which still needs the approval of the nine-member Seattle City Council, ends a tug of war between Seattle and nearby Bellevue. Bellevue initially had been considered the front-runner for a new SuperSonics’ stadium after team officials said they would not keep the NBA franchise at its current home, the Seattle Center Coliseum, after its lease expires.