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Will Winston-Salem ever have a downtown arena?

cityboi

By cityboi
in The NC Triad

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cityboi Metropolitan Area

cityboi

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As we all know Winston-Salem is planning for a downtown ballpark. The city would sell Erne Shore field to Wake Forest. What if the city sold LJVM to Wake Forest? They already use the coliseum for their home games. That would make it possible for Winston-Salem to build an arena downtown, maybe even closer in size to the Greensboro Coliseum. What are your thoughts on this? Certainly a downtown arena location in W-S would be more competitive with Greensboro's Lee St/High Point Rd location. And Winston-Salem would likely attract more concerts. I'm thinking more along the lines of an 18,000 seat arena.

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twincity Burg

twincity

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A similar topic came up on SSP. I think a 2nd arena could work...only if LJVM is sold to Wake Forest and the city has nothing to do with its management. its big enough for ACC basketball crowds but not big concerts. Look at how UNC and Duke run Dean Smith and Cameron Indoor. Theyre solely for indoor college sports. the same scenario could work for Wake. They already own Groves stadium which is right across the street. why not buy LJVM and redevelop those decaying shopping centers. that would make Deacon Blvd look more like its name.

Yes ,W-S has been getting bigger acts here lately, but not the big US tours. A new arena could operate similar to the Greensboro Coliseum. it could also be home to WSSU (if built downtown) which the NCAA is requiring to build a new arena for div 1 sports.

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partial Unincorporated Area

partial

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The Dean Smith center is not used solely for college athletics. It has always been used for concerts and other events. Only recently has the RBC Center eclipsed it as the venue of choice in the triangle for other events. Since the construction of the RBC Center the Dean Smith Center has been operating in the red, and has needed help from the state ever year to cover costs of upkeep and operations.

If the Dean Dome cannot operate in the black then how likely is it that Wake could operate LJVM in the black, especially if a newer, large, competing venue were built a couple miles away in downtown Winston?

A new downtown civic center the size of the greensboro coliseum just doesn't seem like a viable option unless Wake is involved. Even then, I'm sure sure Wake could sell out a venue of that size, and with the new Charlotte Coliseum and the RBC Center each about 1:30 drive from the triad, the venue would have serious competition for big shows.

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twincity Burg

twincity

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Solely was the wrong word. "mainly for indoor college sports" is more accurate. i was aware of some concerts that used to go through DCC but not that many. wow...i didnt know the state had to help fund for the upkeep. thats crazy...especially for a school the size of UNC.

My reasons why i think a new arena could benefit Winston.

LJVM is small...a lot smaller than DCC and RBC.

LJVM is losing events to other venues because of scheduling conflicts with WF basketball.

If we ever get professional hockey back, it, along with WSSU, should bring in a healthy annual revenue to help support it. if we want to attract more visitors to the city, something has to be done.

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cityboi Metropolitan Area

cityboi

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The Polar Twins folded just like Greensboro's hockey team. Now the closest hockey game is in Raleigh.

I agree with you Twin City. If Winston-Salem had an arena more competitive with Greensboro, it may even snag some events away from the Greensboro Coliseum. Maybe since Winston-Salem didnt get mjor league soccer, the Twin City could get one of those indoor soccer leagues to play in a new arena downtown. One ideas could be to attach a hotel to the arena and have the proposed streetcar line go through it like the convention center in uptown Charlotte.

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krazeeboi Gigalopolis

krazeeboi

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Two of the advantages the Greensboro Coliseum has that it is once again the largest in the state and is easily accessible from I-85, one of the most heavily traveled interstates in the Southeast. I don't know the specifics of LJVM, but I don't see how Wake's basketball program would substantially interfere with the arena landing other types of events. The Colonial Center in DT Columbia is the home of USC's basketball teams, yet the arena ranked 16th worldwide in concert ticket sales after the first quarter of 2003 and ranked #1 in the Carolinas based on ticket sales for touring shows for 2005. I think the competition from the Greensboro Coliseum is the primary reason why LJVM doesn't land as many acts. But like I said, I don't really know the specifics--perhaps management plays a part in this as well?

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Hotlanta Hamlet

Hotlanta

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I don't think a new downtown arena would work well. It wouldn't get that many events and it would be struggling for many years. I would like Winston to improve its convention business before it goes after a new arena. Plus North Winston is more convenient to residents of Forsyth County and it has ample parking. The area is like Winston's entertainment and sport's area because you have Ernie Shore Field, Groves Stadium, Coliseum Annex, LJVM Coliseum, and the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds. I would like to see Winston locate the annex to downtown because that hardly gets used at all.

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twincity Burg

twincity

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I don't think a new downtown arena would work well. It wouldn't get that many events and it would be struggling for many years. I would like Winston to improve its convention business before it goes after a new arena. Plus North Winston is more convenient to residents of Forsyth County and it has ample parking. The area is like Winston's entertainment and sport's area because you have Ernie Shore Field, Groves Stadium, Coliseum Annex, LJVM Coliseum, and the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds. I would like to see Winston locate the annex to downtown because that hardly gets used at all.

i like that idea too...rebuild the annex downtown. i dont know? maybe a new arena is nothing but wishful thinking. i think one way to solve LJVM's problems is to expand. the more i think about it, that seems to be the best solution for the city, Wake, and special events. thats a more realistic option for Winston-Salem.

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