197 replies to this topic

[cityboi]

here is the rendering for the ACC Hall of Champions. City Council has released 2 million dollars for the project. As I stated earlier it will be in existing space at the coliseum but there will be a lot of changes to the exterior.



The planned swim center is partially shown in the foreground. So it looks like the coliseum will be getting both the ACC Hall of Champions and and a state-of-the-art swim center that will be used primarily for competitions.

http://www.digtriad....i...7&catid=216

Edited by cityboi, 06 May 2009 - 01:43 PM.

[cityboi]

planning for ACC Hall of Champions begins! The first phase of the Hall of Fame is expected to be completed by the 2011 ACC mens basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum

http://www.news-reco...ns_gets_started

Edited by cityboi, 23 May 2009 - 09:55 PM.

[beyonce245]

An article that I read said that the ACC Hall will face High Point Road.  But I'm having trouble visualizing any part of the special events center the fronts High Point Road.

The Swim center being located at the Coliseum is a disappointment.  City council said they were going to set up a committee to look at locations and then they up and decided on their own that it would be located at the Coliseum.

I think a downtown location should have at least been considered.  I understand it will cost less if they locate it at the Coliseum because the city won't have to pay to acquire anymore land.  But I think that if the city had paid for some downtown land, the benefits would far outweigh the costs.

When will city leaders begin taking downtown revitalization seriously.  If the city wants private businesses and developers to invest downtown, the city should be willing to put some skin in the game too.

[Beany]

Just to offer a counterpoint--  I would love for the ACC Hall and Swim Center to both be downtown however I can understand putting it at the coliseum.  The swim center is being built with taxpayer money.  As such it should be built with some sense of frugality.  A bond was voted on and approved for a swim center and  a swim center is what the people will get.  Unless the city already owns land downtown it would have to be purchased (which isn't cheap).  There would have to be suitable parking which could require more land or a very expensive parking garage.  Building it at the coliseum requires no land to be purchased and plenty of parking already available.  Putting it downtown would certainly be another nice amenity however putting it at the coliseum will cost millions less and is the more responsible use of taxpayer money for a project many do not want their money going to in the first place.  The center will be used and enjoyed at the coliseum as much as anywhere else.

As far as the ACC HOC I think downtown would be a preferred site, however I don't see money coming in for it anytime soon for it to be built downtown.  Using 2 million from the state the coliseum can be modified to hold the hall and it will still look nice.   The conference and city will get the HOC without using lots of taxpayer money.  I think the swim center and HOC represent a good compromise between conservative and liberal economics.

And of course High Point road is being targeted for redevelopment as well.  This will help.  The coliseum isn't far at all from downtown.  With a few good redevelopment projects along Lee Street the gap between the two can be bridged.

[beyonce245]

Beany, on May 24 2009, 10:07 AM, said:

Just to offer a counterpoint--  I would love for the ACC Hall and Swim Center to both be downtown however I can understand putting it at the coliseum.  The swim center is being built with taxpayer money.  As such it should be built with some sense of frugality.  A bond was voted on and approved for a swim center and  a swim center is what the people will get.  Unless the city already owns land downtown it would have to be purchased (which isn't cheap).  There would have to be suitable parking which could require more land or a very expensive parking garage.  Building it at the coliseum requires no land to be purchased and plenty of parking already available.  Putting it downtown would certainly be another nice amenity however putting it at the coliseum will cost millions less and is the more responsible use of taxpayer money for a project many do not want their money going to in the first place.  The center will be used and enjoyed at the coliseum as much as anywhere else.

As far as the ACC HOC I think downtown would be a preferred site, however I don't see money coming in for it anytime soon for it to be built downtown.  Using 2 million from the state the coliseum can be modified to hold the hall and it will still look nice.   The conference and city will get the HOC without using lots of taxpayer money.  I think the swim center and HOC represent a good compromise between conservative and liberal economics.

And of course High Point road is being targeted for redevelopment as well.  This will help.  The coliseum isn't far at all from downtown.  With a few good redevelopment projects along Lee Street the gap between the two can be bridged.

If you had read my previous comments, you would of noticed that I actually said ACC Hall would be best at the Coliseum.

But the Swim Center is different.  And with this project, the council was presented with an opportunity to put a great community attraction in downtown.  So the city might have had to purchase more land.  Or maybe a community organization like the Bryan Foundation would've stepped up and purchased the land and leased it to the city for $1 a year, similar to what they did with the Elon law school.

But we'll never know because the city council didn't follow its own recommendations and use a committee to look a multitude of sites.

As far as parking, thats a bull answer if I've ever heard one.  The city already has underutilized parking decks downtown that could easily support a swim center.

My overall point was that for years, we've heard city leaders wax poetically about downtown revitalization.  But the city itself has done little on its own to move the center city forward. Why should other want to invest downtown when the city freely admits, either directly or indirectly, that downtown is too pricey.

My outlook on government isn't purely shaped by the dollars and cents of what a project will cost.  And people who only consider this criteria are shortchanging themselves and the city.

[Beany]

I agree with you 100% a committee should have been used.  There may have been a suitable arrangement downtown but it looks like we will never know.   Although I have my doubts about whether a solution could have been come up with downtown which would have met the project requirements without requiring more money than what the bond was approved for.  This swim center has been talked about for many years.  I think if private involvement was possible we would have already heard about it.  Don't you think if DGI really wanted it and thought there was a possibility for it they would have already worked to try to organize parties for it to possibly be downtown?  They have surely known about it.  

I do question whether suitable parking could be arranged without driving project cost way up.  Even though overall downtown has lots of parking many people are not going to want to walk 3 or 4 blocks to get to it.  If parking is believed to be a pain it could hurt the overall success of the facility.   It could mean the difference between a large swim meet choosing Cary over Greensboro because in Cary swim moms in their mini-vans do not have to worry about finding parking where their wet-headed swimmers can get in and out of a place easily.

Again I am not against it downtown.  I wish it were going to be there.  But I just don't see that being very feasible.  

I do understand your frustration regarding city leaders.  And I'm not deliberately trying to defend them, just that I also see another side to it.  You may frustrated that the city isn't doing enough to financially support center city development.  But at the same time there are many people who are just as fanatic that they do not want their hard earned money being taken away and given to businesses, corporations and special interest groups.   City leaders have a responsibility to answer to everyone.  I actually do agree with you about the role of government in fostering economic development but I also know many people would not agree with us.  I respect the other side and understand the difficult decisions leaders have to make.

[cityboi]

Here is the thing. I wanted both the swim center and ACC hall downtown. But even though they arent going to be downtown, im still excited about both projects because they are worthwhile for our community. I agree that city leaders dont focus on downtown as they should. It takes groups like DGI and Action Greensboro to make things happen downtown. City leaders need to have a "Charlotte" mindset in this case. Downtown should be the the city's hub for cultural and recreational attractions such as the swim center. There is enough hotel rooms in the downtown area for a swim center. If you'll notice the strongest and most prosperous cities have a strong and vibrant downtown that is "THE" commercial, cultural, recreational and entertainment hub of the city, not commercial strips like High Point Rd or airport areas.

Edited by cityboi, 24 May 2009 - 02:57 PM.

[Beany]

cityboi, on May 24 2009, 04:53 PM, said:

Here is the thing. I wanted both the swim center and ACC hall downtown. But even though they arent going to be downtown, im still excited about both projects because they are worthwhile for our community. I agree that city leaders dont focus on downtown as they should. It takes groups like DGI and Action Greensboro to make things happen downtown. City leaders need to have a "Charlotte" mindset in this case. Downtown should be the the city's hub for cultural and recreational attractions such as the swim center. There is enough hotel rooms in the downtown area for a swim center. If you'll notice the strongest and most prosperous cities have a strong and vibrant downtown that is "THE" commercial, cultural, recreational and entertainment hub of the city, not commercial strips like High Point Rd or airport areas.

I agree with you.  Downtown is the heart of a city.  Just imagine if Koury Convention Center had been built downtown rather than on I-40.  But old Joe Koury's vision then didn't include downtown.  I wonder if he were alive today if he would be looking to build downtown.

I would have rather had the ACC HOF downtown but at the same time I am not so sure about how much of an attraction it will be anyway.  I can see it getting a lot of attention when the ACC tournament is in town or whenever Duke or Carolina plays at the coliseum but I bet the traffic will be very light otherwise.  How many people are really going to go out of their way to look at a bunch of old ACC memorabilia?  Having it at the coliseum will probably get it more attention since every time there is something going on the coliseum people can go see it.  If it were downtown you would probably have a good crowd going to see it when it initially opened and then probably only a few after the hoopla wore off.  I am not so sure even during the ACC tournament if many people would make the trip downtown to go look at it.  But I could be just under-estimating the whole thing.

I am ticked the Greensboro CVB moved out downtown and onto HP road.  That is the thing that annoys me most.  Instead of moving out of downtown they should be coming up with plans for a new, large visitor center downtown.  Downtown Greensboro needs a facility with the CVB, a gift shop, public restrooms, and a large commons area with benches or sofas for groups and tourists to congregate.   With more attractions opening downtown such as the civil rights museum it would be great to have a nice facility to serve as a starting point for people's trip to the city.  The facility could probably even pay for itself by leasing out part of the building space to businesses.

[beyonce245]

Greensboro city council is fast tracking the aquatics center to be finished in 2011.  They will authorize contract and sale of bond funds at next week's council meeting.

[cityboi]

cool. The city has been trying to get this for years and its finally going to happen.

[beyonce245]

cityboi, on Jun 12 2009, 02:36 PM, said:

cool. The city has been trying to get this for years and its finally going to happen.

I know.  I'm still a little disappointed that downtown wasn't given an opportunity to land this, but oh well.  Onward and upward I say.

I'm still having trouble visualizing where at the Coliseum Complex this will be.  Do you know Cityboi?  Is it supposed to front High Point Rd?

[cityboi]

beyonce245, on Jun 12 2009, 02:56 PM, said:

I know.  I'm still a little disappointed that downtown wasn't given an opportunity to land this, but oh well.  Onward and upward I say.

I'm still having trouble visualizing where at the Coliseum Complex this will be.  Do you know Cityboi?  Is it supposed to front High Point Rd?

Yes its suppose to front High Point road where currently there is parking (Near the High Point rd entrance to the coliseum)

[Beany]

I didn't see a separate thread for this topic but I figured going forward there will be enough conversation around this to start one.

The swim center is moving along quickly in an effort to take advantage of the current economy.  I am glad they are doing their homework by visiting swim centers in other states.  This will draw swim teams for competitions from all over the region.  This fits well with what Greensboro does well--and that is hosting large, amateur competitions.  Junior amateur golf at Sedgefield last week,  NCAA regional track & field a few weeks ago, Nike Outdoor Nationals High School track & field, soccer tournaments are big every summer, ACC men and women basketball, NCAA regional basketball games, and so on and so forth.

http://www.news-reco..._speeding_along

[cityboi]

Im glad this is moving forward, as long as the average citizen can use this facility since the taxpayers are paying for it.

[beyonce245]

Coliseum director says the swim center is on track to start construction later this year.

Below is the article from the Biz Journal:

"Construction of a $12 million aquatic center in Greensboro appears on track to begin later this year.

Matt Brown, managing director of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, where the swim center will be built, said during a luncheon at the Greensboro Regional Realtors Association this week that the city expects to see construction bids in early October and could approve one of the bids at its Oct. 20 City Council meeting.

City voters approved a $20 million parks and recreation bond last fall, $12 million of which was earmarked for the swim center. Plans call for three pools — one for therapeutic exercise and instruction, another for diving and a third for competitive races. The natatorium will likely hold upward of 2,500 fans, the most of any aquatic center in the state and larger than most around the country.

Brown says he’s already taken a half-dozen calls asking about hosting regional or national competitions in Greensboro once the swim center opens, likely in spring 2011. And he says the Atlantic Coast Conference is interested in hosting its swimming and diving championships in Greensboro as well."

[cityboi]

The final design of the swim center was revealed on WFMY this evening. I was BLOWN away at the final design. Its a very bold, contemporary and interesting design, particularly the shape of the roof. (landmark design). It was nothing like the first renderings which was a very boring design. As soon as the rendering is put on the web I'll post it. Greensboro should be very proud to have a facility like this and this will be a welcome addition to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.

Edited by cityboi, 22 September 2009 - 04:33 PM.

[Beany]

I saw that too!  I didn't see it real well though I am looking forward to seeing the renderings closer.  But I agree it looked like a landmark design.  Certainly something out-of-towners should be able to recognize.

[cityboi]

from what I did see, the Swim Center will easily become the best example of modern, contemporary architecture in the city. I was not expecting this and im sure it will be one of the best swim facilities in the Southeast. While i'm happy this is being built at the coliseum complex just think if a facility with this kind of design were being being built downtown!


update: the rendering will be shown again on the 11 oclock news on WFMY.

Edited by cityboi, 22 September 2009 - 05:59 PM.

[Beany]

No kidding it would rock downtown.  Too bad it didn't work out that way but at least it will enhance the Lee/HP Rd coridor.

[twincity]

Cant wait to see it.