Kemper Freeman still unsure Expedia is moving to Seattle

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It's been 22 days since news broke that Expedia is moving its headquarters to Seattle from Bellevue, and some in Bellevue still have yet to move past the first stage of the grieving process: denial.

During a Thursday panel discussion, Bellevue civic and business leaders hashed over the online travel company's plan to pay $228.9 million for a 40-acre campus on Seattle's waterfront. The sale is expected to close later this year, and by 2018 the company plans to pull up stakes in Bellevue where it employs around 3,000 people.

The consensus among the panelists was the sky isn't falling in Bellevue, so the city "can cook Chicken Little," said attorney Aaron Laing, who moderated the discussion that Bisnow put on.

The most curious comments came from real estate developer Kemper Freeman whose company, Kemper Development, is building a 31-story office tower in downtown Bellevue. He still is not convinced Expedia (Nasdaq: EXPE) will actually leave even though company CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced that it is.

"I want to talk for just a second about the Expedia deal," Freeman said, adding that while it's "very likely" the company will move, he's not 100 percent certain this will happen.

"The reason I say this is I think this story was broken by the media before it was ready," Freeman said, adding that people in real estate know this is "one of the most dangerous things that can happen to a transaction that isn't quite finished."

After Freeman made his comments, the Business Journal reached out to Expedia. Company spokeswoman Sarah Gavin said Expedia "absolutely" is moving to Seattle.

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