To renovate or replace?
The Coliseum study group has narrowed the recommendations for a new/renovated sports, entertainment, and tourism facility from seven to four possible sites.
The Coliseum study group (composed of Barrett Sports Group, LLC, Populous Architects, P.C. and Weston Sports & Entertainment) has narrowed the recommendations for a new/renovated sports, entertainment, and tourism facility from seven to four possible sites:
- The existing Coliseum
- Public Safety Building
- The Diamond
- The ABC warehouse site
These recommendations come after Tuesday’s announcement that City of Richmond will extend its existing contract with the CAA tournament to 2014 with an option to renew for two more years provided the City meets “expectations”, referring specifically to providing a venue that adequately serves the needs of such a large sporting event.
In what we perceived as a reference to Charlottesville, Mayor Jones stated in a press release, “We want a facility that accommodates what this market can support and what this market deserves. Dollars are leaving this area and going to other places because of the limitations of the existing facility and we are going to turn that around.”
No conclusions have been drawn at this point and a final report is expected in mid-November. The next step will be to assess the economic and financial feasibility of each option. The City will be providing opportunities for the public to provide input and help evaluate these recommendations. We’ll keep you posted on those opportunities as they become available.
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Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
The Diamond is a better location for a sports-entertainment-complex because of the highway access and available space in that area. Although I like the idea of things being downtown, the Coliseum causes some serious traffic issues, and that space could be used for more Bio-Technology Park stuff, which is a growing industry in that specific part of town.
There’s a picture of the original model for the building on the Library of Virginia archives blog for Sept. 1:
“We can’t all age gracefully”
http://www.virginiamemory.com/blogs/out_of_the_box/2010/09/01/we-cant-all-age-gracefully/
The city should think about moving the waste water treatment plant across the river from church hill. Use that land for a sports-entertainment complex. This site has highway access, it’s downtown, and improves river access. We could have something like Pittsburgh’s Station Square with cruises the river to events. The city could work with VCU on the project by entice them to start a football team and build a stadium there.
We should use all the profits from the City’s investments in Center Stage and Hippodrone to support taxpayer funding for a brand new Coliseum. Richmond has such a great history of studies and large projects that I am confident that we should just trust Trani and whatever corporate business leaders say- after all, they know best, right?
It’s not like the City does not have more pressing priorities than a new sports facility – I mean our school and municiple buildings are in perfect shape, and thanks to all the activity along the Canal Walk, our City’s parks and rec budget is just overflowing. I enjoy zipping around on our mass transit system all over town, and the local and national economies are just zooming.
Scarcasm….what scarcasm?
Scott makes good points. Has anyone here attended anything at Center Stage? I can’t afford the ticket price, even though my taxes paid for the facility to be built…