Downtown stadium plans... VER 2

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Sankofa
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Post by Sankofa »

If the stadium gets built, it seems the only locals who will be the better for it will be the homeless population-they'll have more possible donors filtering through their neighborhood. I couldn't help but notice the land this plan involves would eat up the apartment I just moved from, which is in a low income and thus quieter politically voiced area. My gut feeling on the liquor store public domain was the city felt embarrassed about pouring money into the Grand Wayne center and having a booze depot right next door. Cats can sugar coat all they want, but until this city fosters a sense of COMMUNITY, these big buildings and fancy plans won't amount to much of anything and I will continue to enjoy the sense I'm in a post apocalyptic spaghetti western populated with a few proud old buildings between the parking lots whenever the weekend hits.

I am very distrustful of public domain and it seems against the Republican bent of this city to squash a successful local business. I'm happy the library got huge and it looks like it has potential to draw more folk (well, at least house more would be geneologists who fear a trek to the Mormon mecca of family forests), but having it accross from the newly enlarged Grand Wayne center only makes me feel I'm in an anonymous city of monoliths.

At any rate, who even cares about baseball? As a sports fan, I've listened/read time and time again to discussions regarding the pros and cons of having stadiums in regards to local revitalization and my feeling on the matter is they don't really help. It'll be a great opportunity for some local bigwigs to don hard hats and hold a golden shovel or a giant pair of scissors, but what will it bring to Fort Wayne? This whole "alternative usage" bit of the plan seems tacked on, a weak almost pre-emptive defense for those such as myself who feel this move has nothing to do with Fort Wayne.

We already had big buildings, those went away for parking lots. Now the city is intent on making more big items which lack the soul and identity of the since torn down structures.

Look at the Grand Wayne. I walk by it multiple times each week and when full it is with out of towners there for the microsuede synthetic textiles convention. As there isn't really anything to speak of from a unique nightlife or dining standpoint within walking distance, what are the visitors going to do? They're not turning into emissaries who will go home and say "Fort Wayne is incredible!" They'll come home, shrug their shoulders and say "another convention" and move on.

Forget big plans, this city needs to focus on the people who will foster a sense of individuality that will give this city an identity people can identify with. For now, we're just an anonymous conglomeration with new housing developments featuring names generated by a rogue computer stretching the limits of our county lines.

enough

yep
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Post by conley »

What is the point in revitalizing downtown?........Sankofa

That is an excellent question &, quite frankly, I'm not sure if we should even attempt to save the downtown. It truly could be a lost cause & I'm not denying that; but, my point is, "what other way is better"? Building this stadium, to me, has very little to do with baseball. It's one last chance to get some sort of a diverse crowd downtown. Like I said before, baseball fans aren't the only ones who go to Cubs games. Lots of entreprenuership can materialize, indirectly from this stadium deal.

For God sakes, if you have a row of 1,000 dominos, you have to be aware of domino #1, but, that domino also affects the other 999 dominos. To many politions in this town just look at the first "domino" & then realize later on that other ramifications might actually occur on down the line, indirectly, as a result of their actions.

i.e.......Let's renovate & expand the Grand Wayne Center - Good idea
Let's block a major street (Harrison) to achieve the goal - stupid
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Post by beck »

A city councilman explained to me that the reason for the stadium, is in order for the river-front development to actually take place, they have to generate more attention to downtown. If the stadium goes in, they have a much better chance of getting the funding and the OK for the proposed river-front development.
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Post by Al Quandt »

i am really excited for the river fron development,
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Post by cwallace »

beck wrote:A city councilman explained to me that the reason for the stadium, is in order for the river-front development to actually take place, they have to generate more attention to downtown. If the stadium goes in, they have a much better chance of getting the funding and the OK for the proposed river-front development.
Which still wont happen because there is no real river front. There is also no money to do it and no populous downtown. There is nothing to go there for and reliing on a few hundred baseball fans durring the WARM months will not make downton a place to be. The only people benefitting are the ones directly involved and they are not going to let that change. This town is built around a group of blue hairs that want no change that doesn't pay them.

@ conley: again with the cubs..:) Remember...that city would be as much of the same without them..:) Was there long before and will be there long after...

I wish to GOD none of it was true, but we are sadly reminded daily as to how much this town fails to do the right thing.

Chris
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Post by conley »

Wallace said:
@ conley: again with the cubs.. Remember...that city would be as much of the same without them.. Was there long before and will be there long after...

So, what you're saying is that all of the businesses surrounding Wrigley Field would not be adversely affected if the Cubs & Wrigley Field were not there? The Cubbie Bear Bar would not be impacted by this? Murphy's would not be affected by a Cubs "exit" of Chicago? Really? Are you sure about that, Chris? Sorry, there has been economic growth around that stadium as a DIRECT RESULT of................the stadium being there.

Everyone is quick to bash this "stadium idea", but if we were to try & revitalize the Downtown (assuming we even want to), I still haven't heard any other suggestions.
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Post by cwallace »

I am not saying they wouldn't be affected if they were to leave, but there was something at least THERE before the baseball field was built. DT FW has nothing to speak of...it is a traffic violation trap for anything and everything. They want you downtown because it is easier for them to control your through their police state..:)

They also want to unload all of their worthless property to developers to build facilities that will go largely unused. That is all...

There are also a LARGE number of people who attend wrigley field and vacate immediately afterwards...

The thought of people putting businesses in so they can make a few hundred bucks on a few nights of the year is absurd...people are not going to move to the downtown area without having some level of convenience when they need things either. If you have to drive to the other end of town to do your shopping and then fight to get back into your home through downtown you will quickly rethink you idea of a place to live.

There are no stores/markets/anything that are in 'walking' distance of downtown. There will have to be a large number of people in that area before any business would consider taking the risk of establishing themselves downtown as well. I would not spend 10s of thousands of dollars or more to open a small business in 'hopes' that the people will be there.

There is no concrete evidence that there will ever be people down there...this town has run them all out...

I can also never stress enough the cops...I do NOT go downtown to the bars ever...why...even though I RARELY drink...I am not about to even risk getting pulled over and being harrased by some ego flaring cop out to score his DUI quota and then do everything to fudge the process and force me into some level of arrest...you blow a .01...yes POIN ZERO ONE in this town you are going to jail for a PI...they may not hit you with the DUI, but you WILL get arrested for a PI if you even think in your mind out of line...

If there was not a cop on every street corner watching your every move looking for that perfect lie to take you in on it might be a fun town to hang out in...

Chris
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Post by cwallace »

other sugestion: Make this town fun again. Let people have some fun. Stop looking for reasons to squash the fun. Don't stand us behind a rope in plain sight to drink a beer. Don't treat us like children.

Live a little...

Chris
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Post by Sankofa »

Far as I'm concerned, the Cubs and Wrigley field are an anomaly in major league baseball and they have a legacy (albeit of losing) which calls fans. Even if Fort Wayne were to get a major league team (aka "not happening"), I don't see the stadium getting filled. People who want to watch a sub par Padres farm team take the field can just as easily drive to one of the many outskirts and hit the present stadium.

I'm just waiting for MY MAN MITCH styled bumper stickers reading "BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME."

yeesh
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Post by =^-..-^= »

bwohlgemuth wrote: The only area I see growing in this area is Whitley County and their days are numbered as well..
We are growing in Whitley from people FLEEING the Fort. Our days aren't numbered, if Allen County eventually doubles their property taxes to pay for all their stadium/skool plans.

We have to build a new High skool up here, so our property taxes are going up as well, pretty soon.

The REAL economic growth, based on actuall economic expansion, not make-work ponzi scheemes is happening in Warsaw with all the medical industry. When Hillary socializes health care, that will die, too. ;-)
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Post by shattered existence »

The ballpark's going to be a huge waste of money. We already have a forking ballpark. But I think the retail area is a good idea. We definitely need more going on downtown. Unfortunately it will probably all be bought out by national franchises. More starbucks and gap and sh*t like that. A bunch of unoriginal sh*t that we already have everywhere. If we could get a retail area full of good local businesses, and original stores selling unique products I think that would be great for the downtown area. But f**k the ballpark.
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Post by WBOB »

=^-..-^= wrote:
bwohlgemuth wrote: The only area I see growing in this area is Whitley County and their days are numbered as well..
We are growing in Whitley from people FLEEING the Fort. Our days aren't numbered, if Allen County eventually doubles their property taxes to pay for all their stadium/skool plans.

;-)
Good Point!

I'm always reminded of this heading west on US30 and crossing
the county line and all of a sudden. BOOM,.. sprawling business
and industries.
.


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Post by WBOB »

cwallace wrote:other sugestion: Make this town fun again. Let people have some fun. Stop looking for reasons to squash the fun. Don't stand us behind a rope in plain sight to drink a beer. Don't treat us like children.

Live a little...

Chris
Dont disagree with you,... but with the history of how our local government
brings these projects about (ie: Memorial Stadium was originally supposed
to the all to end all for this town in 1993) and bulldozes them through
with seemingly disreagard for those who foot the tax bill(s).

Personally, I'm for most all projects that enhance the downtown area
(and also to frequent them).
Once again, the wasted tax dollars from past projects can leave
a bad taste in one's mouth.
.


Less is always more
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Post by Garr »

Does it say anywhere what happens to the old Stadium if the new one is built?
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Post by WBOB »

Garr wrote:Does it say anywhere what happens to the old Stadium if the new one is built?
As I understand it, IPFW is interested in using it.
Not sure if they or the county(us) is picking up the tab though.
.


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