Greensboro Coliseum Complex thread

[redjeep77]

on top of that...The ACC would rather for it to be in a neutral location anyway. The wouldnt put it in a city that has an ACC team. but yeah naturally since the ACC was born in Greensboro I think the hall of fame belongs here.

Be careful what you say......wake forest played their home games in Greensboro up until LJVMC was built in th early 90's. However, i agree the hall needs to be in greensboro. Lord help us if they put it up in the DC or atlanta area.

[Route]

GSO was nothing more than a temp home for the Deacs. They trully sucked then too and hardly ever one and drew very little. They had no home court advantage there.

[cityboi]

yup there is a difference. Greensboro is not home to an ACC school.

[cityboi]

with the downturn of the economy, any plans for a Hall of Champions would likely be put on hold but I think this really should have been done a long time ago. Look how fast it took Charlotte to go from concept to construction on its NASCAR Hall of Fame. Meanwhile Local leaders dont seem to be enthusiastic about the ACC being home in Greensboro. About 6 years ago there was talk of putting up ACC Welcome signs at the city limits on the interstates. Its 6 years later and it still hasnt happened. I took the liberty of creating ACC signs which I emailed to city council. Maybe by looking at something thats more tangible the ball can get rolling on those signs It took me 20 minutes to create this sign and it seems to be taking Greensboro DOT more than 6 years to do the same.........

Edited March 16, 2009 by cityboi

[beyonce245]

Agenda item 29 from next week's Greensboro city council meeting: "Resolution to support the construction of the first phase of the Atlantic Coast

Conference (ACC) Hall of Champions. (roll call vote) (Attachment #27 to Council members)"

Has anyone heard rumblings about this project lately?

[cityboi]

Agenda item 29 from next week's Greensboro city council meeting: "Resolution to support the construction of the first phase of the Atlantic Coast

Conference (ACC) Hall of Champions. (roll call vote) (Attachment #27 to Council members)"

Has anyone heard rumblings about this project lately?

haven't heard anything but this is interesting. My guess is that city council would rather for this to be built next to the coliseum instead of downtown where it belongs. Did Charlotte built its NASCAR Hall of Fame next to Lowes Motor Speedway? No they built it downtown. I think Greensboro should really focus on downtown becoming a tourist destination.

[twincity]

haven't heard anything but this is interesting. My guess is that city council would rather for this to be built next to the coliseum instead of downtown where it belongs. Did Charlotte built its NASCAR Hall of Fame next to Lowes Motor Speedway? No they built it downtown. I think Greensboro should really focus on downtown becoming a tourist destination.

Yea, I would much rather see this downtown than on High Point Road. Good point.

[beyonce245]

Coliseum Director will ask the city council tomorrow to release $2 million in state funds to begin construction of the ACC Hall. Read it here.

Also, I agree with the previous comments about locating the hall in downtown. That said, I think the ACC Hall is better suited for the Coliseum area. I think it will draw more people if located there, especially during ACC and NCAA tournaments.

[cityboi]

I personally think the ACC Hall of Champions should be built on the old Duke Power site next to the Children's Museum downtown. The hall of champions would have enough drawing power to attract coliseum patrons downtown. It would be better to have the hall of champions near other attractions and restaurants within walking distance. There would also be plenty of room for an onsite ACC cafe'

I think if we use the reasoning that the ACC hall of Champions should be near the coliseum, then the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte should be at Lowes Motor Speedway instead of uptown.

looks like Matt Brown wants to put it in the special events center at the coliseum. Im hoping for something more ambitious than that. whether its located downtown or on the coliseum property, the Hall of champions deserves its own state-of-the-art brand new building. Putting it in the special events center doesn't created a lot of excitement in my opinion. People like to see brand new shiny things. Charlotte gets a state-of-the-art downtown NASCAR hall of fame with a high-rise included and we have leaders here that want to shove ACC memorabilia in the coliseum special events center and call it the ACC Hall of Champions. I thought our leaders had a bigger vision than that. jeez. I think we need to clean house and transplant some of those Charlotte city leaders to Greensboro.

NASCAR Hall of Fame

location of ACC Hall of Champions? Is this what we really want?

Edited May 4, 2009 by cityboi

[Spartan]

on top of that...The ACC would rather for it to be in a neutral location anyway. The wouldnt put it in a city that has an ACC team. but yeah naturally since the ACC was born in Greensboro I think the hall of fame belongs here.

How was it 'born' in Greensboro?

[crowe1856]

How was it 'born' in Greensboro?

From ACC's website:

"The Atlantic Coast Conference was founded on May 8, 1953, at the Sedgefield Inn near Greensboro, N.C., with seven charter members - Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest - drawing up the conference by-laws."

As much as I want to see activity downtown, having it near the coliseum makes sense, but just throwing it in an underutilized corner of the coliseum seems pretty half-assed.

Personally, I like the idea of putting it downtown and using part of the existing rail corridor to run light rail from the coliseum to downtown. Immediately practical & cost effective? No.

On the subject of focusing on downtown for tourism & general identity, any coincidence that the Greensboro Visitor Information Center recently moved from downtown to HP road over by Four Seasons? Our city talks a good game, but all too often takes the cheap/easy way out.

[cityboi]

Our city talks a good game, but all too often takes the cheap/easy way out.

unfortunately you are right. Its really frustrating that we don't seem to have city leaders with bold visions. Making High Point Rd the center of tourism for the city is a huge mistake.

[cityboi]

looks like the ACC Baseball tournament will be held at NewBridge Bank Park in 2010. Its just another reason having the hall downtown. A downtown location may help Greensboro get the ACC baseball tournament more often.

http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/05...y_in_greensboro

Edited May 5, 2009 by cityboi

[beyonce245]

I'm all for more development and more attractions downtown. And 99% of the time, I would agree that projects should at least be considered being built there.

But just from a logistics/practicality stand point, having the hall adjacent to the coliseum makes sense, especially if it will be a venue that generates revenue (either through admission sales or souveniers, etc.).

Having in downtown would be great, but how many out-of-towners visiting for the tourney are going to try and find the hall downtown? Not may would be my guess?

Where did you hear that Brown wants to use the special events center for the hall? Just guessing, but I would think that this is incorrect because the SEC will be used as a practice facility in 2011 for the figureskating championship. And if he's asking for money to start the project now, it just doesn't mesh.

[cityboi]

I'm all for more development and more attractions downtown. And 99% of the time, I would agree that projects should at least be considered being built there.

But just from a logistics/practicality stand point, having the hall adjacent to the coliseum makes sense, especially if it will be a venue that generates revenue (either through admission sales or souveniers, etc.).

Having in downtown would be great, but how many out-of-towners visiting for the tourney are going to try and find the hall downtown? Not may would be my guess?

Where did you hear that Brown wants to use the special events center for the hall? Just guessing, but I would think that this is incorrect because the SEC will be used as a practice facility in 2011 for the figureskating championship. And if he's asking for money to start the project now, it just doesn't mesh.

Brown said tonight at the city council meeting that the hall of champions would be located in existing space in the special events center. However there would be a new facade on the exterior where the hall of champions would be located. The renderings that were shown had alot of glass and steel on the exterior. The Hall of Champions will also be built in phases.

Edited May 6, 2009 by cityboi

[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.com/news/features/arti...7&catid=216

Edited May 6, 2009 by cityboi

[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-record.com/content/2009/05...ns_gets_started

Edited May 24, 2009 by cityboi

[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]

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 May 24, 2009 by cityboi

[Beany]

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.