Will the Koury Convention Center Expand Again One Day?

[cityboi]

If youve driven along High Point road going south past the Koury Convention Center, you'll notice that there is a very large area of vacant land just south of the convention center owned by Koury Corp. Its bordered by High Point Rd, Pinecroft and Four Seasons Blvd. Does anyone think that land is being saved for future expansion of the convention center or another hotel tower for the Sheraton increasing the number or rooms beyond 1,016? They would have to construct a pedestrian bridge over the road. Its just odd that the land mysteriously sits empty as if Koury Corp has plans for it one day.

[ezcheese]

i'm sure that if they do own it, they have some plans for it. those plans may change before anything actually happens on the site, but eventually something will happen there.

[cityboi]

I think the convention center itself has 250,000 sq ft of convention/exhibition space. The land could easily be used to expand the convention center space to 500,000 sq ft which is the amount of exhibition space at the Charlotte Convention Center. Greensboro is a convention city though. There is another 200,000 sqaure feet of trade show/exhibition space at teh coliseum complex.

[StevenRocks]

That empty land is owned by Koury Corporation, and it's been a parking lot for as long as I can remember.

Across Four Seasons Blvd., there's an even bigger piece of Koury property that used to contain a large office building that NCNB/NationsBank used for many years. It was razed several years ago.

It's hard to say what will happen with either property. I don't know of any expansion plans for the Koury Center or Sheraton Four Seasons.

[krazeeboi]

Didn't the Koury Convention Center recently undergo some type of expansion? Greensboro is listed as a city with an expanded convention center since 2000 in the Brookings Institution report, "Space Available: The Realities of Convention Centers as Economic Development Strategy".

[StevenRocks]

^ It wa expanded in the mid-'90s, but I don't recall them doing anything to the Koury in the last few years.

[cityboi]

True there was a small expansion. The convention center opened in 1990 but the 28-story hotel tower addition wasnt built until 1994. Then are 1995 or 97, the convention center expanded.

Koury doesnt want to sell all that vacant land so maybe they do have plans to use part of it for convention center expansion one day.

[StevenRocks]

^ with a development arm like Koury has and all the cash they made from selling Four Seasons, they'd be fools to sell that land when they could easily develop it themselves.

[DigitalSky]

The land across Pinecroft (across the mall) that's vacant is somewhat of an eyesore

[cityboi]

a theatre stlye multiplex theater like the Grande at Friendly SHopping Center would be a great addition on part of that land. The land directly across from the mall will likely be developed into retail but who knows. Maybe Koury Corp has plans for an entirely different name brand hotel which would add more hotel rooms within walking distance of the Koury Convention Center. What ever happenes there, it should be very interesting.

[StevenRocks]

I can't see theaters there. A few years ago, Greensboro got over-run with multiplex theaters, especially in the Friendly Center area, and with movie reciepts down nationwide, it wouldn't make much sense to put one up anytime soon, even there.

[DigitalSky]

yeah. Now everyone goes to either the Grande or the Palladium on Wendover

[richthofen]

There used to be a movie theater at Four Seasons, back in the 80's. When I worked at the mall from '95 to '97, I think the theater building was still there, though it had been closed for a couple of years. I presume it has since been razed? Since I never park on that side on my rare visits to Four Seasons, I kinda lost track...

[StevenRocks]

Where the theater used to sit is now an Outback Steakhouse and a NASCAR Cafe.

[DigitalSky]

that's interesting. Did Four Seasons ever have a convience center?

[StevenRocks]

They did have one. In fact it's still there. It's adjacent to JCPenney on level two (intersection of Pinecroft and Vanstory) and contains CompUSA and Woodcraft, formerly Winn-Dixie and Piece Goods Shop.

[cityboi]

I think its time for Greensboro to get another mall. Hopefully at the intersection of Bryan Blvd and I-840.

[richthofen]

Okay, what exactly is I-840?

(Since I live in Raleigh these days, I'm not really up on Greensboro news...)

[StevenRocks]

Okay, what exactly is I-840?

(Since I live in Raleigh these days, I'm not really up on Greensboro news...)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's the new beltway around Greensboro currently under construction.

[cityboi]

The beltway will be attracting alot of development in areas of the city that need it. But I do want to see us get another mall. Greensboro can support another one. After all Greensboro had two enclosed malls for years plus the Friendly Center "open-air" mall. Carolina Circle had closed down becasue it was not in the right location. Northwest Greensboro is exploding with growth and to have a regional mall near Bryan Blvd and the I-840 intersection, it will attract people from Summerfield, Oakridge and even Kernersville.

[sax184]

Does anybody really think that Greensboro can attract additional convention business by expanding the Koury center?

The national market for conventions is dominated by a few destinations (Vegas, Orlando, Atlanta) that are bolstered by lots of entertainment options or superior air connections.

You can fly direct to Atlanta from just about anywhere in the US. Vegas and Orlando have obvious entertainment advantages few others can leverage. Within the state, Charlotte has a better convention center in a more fun location, and Raleigh is about to do the same. Even W-S has a much better location quotient for the Benton Convention Center. Add in the small number of direct flights to PTI, and what's the point of expanding the convention center when you can't compete?

You're left with regional, drive-only attendance events, which can adequately be served by the existing centers in GSO and W-S.

That area of GSO is enough of an urban design disaster that parking may well be the highest and best use. Chain retail, though, is probably the other reasonable option.

[ILoveCallingNCHome]

I think if Greensboro tries to have more conviention space, it will do so in the downtown area that they are trying to build up with the ball park and other cultural points of interest. That is where much of the money is being sunk at this time. While it lacks what Atlanta does in a major highway going straight through it, it holds the most potiential for having a real draw for after hours entertainment. Beyond that, other cities have more to offer than Greensboro at this time.

As for Greensboro getting another mall, I hope not. NW Greensboro has about maxed itself out IMO....and well a good deal of Battleground looks worn. I get tired of seeing good forestland torn up for yet another project that will look tattered before the decade is out.

[cityboi]

Greensboro does attract national conventions at its convention center. However Greensboro cant compete against cities like Las Vegas which has many entertainment options and thousands of hotel rooms. Greensboro cant compete with Atlanta which has the very huge Georgia World Congress Center and is the business center of the south but there is a niche for Greensboro. There are very few convention centers that have hotels attatched to them with over 1,000 rooms. The Sheraton in Greensboro is the same size as the largest Sheraton in Chicago in terms of number of rooms. Also not all convention planners want their conventions where there are alot of distractions like in Las Vegas. There are things to do in Greensboro. Convention goers might want to play a few rounds of golf at Grandover and now the downtown nightlife scene is booming and its night just places for young college age people. There are also museums, art galleries and antique shops.