Any new content from the new News & Observe article that went out today?
I can’t say I learned anything new. Still a commitment to a stadium, at some point down the road.
I have talked to some folks who are pretty connected to Malik/Kane and they indicate the stadium “will happen”. We need to get past this latest covid spike…as you can imagine seeking funding in the middle of omicron would play very well into political opponents storylines in advance of the next election cycle. IF covid is truly coming to some sort of ending (even if that means we have to live with an endemic) & spring arrives and ‘consumer sentiment’ improves as a result, you’ll see discussions heat up on moving forward on the stadium.
According to my discussions, City Council all know Raleigh is way behind our competitors (Nashville, Atlanta, charlotte, Austin…list goes on & on) with respect to downtown stadiums and the economic (even if perceived) benefit they create. They know Raleigh comes in dead last on the ‘entertainment options’ when compared to those cities who we compete against every day for economic job creation, etc.
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I don’t know why I bother but this would not be a downtown stadium in almost any sense. It’s a 31 min walk along a freeway to downtown. All the cities you named have stadiums that are physically located within the city center that host major league teams. A minor league soccer stadium half an hour from downtown isn’t just apples and oranges, it’s apples and pine cones.
Ok, off to beat my head against a wall.
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All the hospitality tax revenue should be going to the PNC Arena replacement (hopefully not just a lame refurb) project anyways.
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Agree. Can’t walk there. Not downtown. Not interested. The blight between downtown and downtown south will never be redeveloped during my lifetime.
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I mean… one can both think a small soccer stadium in DTS and a major league downtown hockey arena would be cool in their own ways. They’re just different.
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Maybe I’m recklessly optimistic but I could see dt south being the southern edge of dt in 2 decades. By the time a stadium is built this would be less than ten years out. It will at least be the beginning gradient to dt in 10 years. Also, this is a pretty easy bike ride from dt current. Perhaps not Peace/Glenwood but Fayetteville street, sure.
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Between the Citrix ride share bikes and electric scooters, I don’t think the distance is too terrible. Haven’t they mentioned adding a greenway trail from DT South into downtown? If so, I think that would make the bike/scooter rides or walk not as bad.
I still would rather have Kane focus on downtown proper though.
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If we look backward 2 decades, it’s difficult to imagine that all that could happen in the next two decades. I have to agree with @Boltman on this one.
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Discounting any of the speculation on whether the gap between the DTS stadium and downtown will be developed in the mid/long-term, one of the better examples for how this would play out is Columbia, SC. Williams-Brice Stadium is 1.7 miles from the southern edge of that downtown, whereas this site is 1.5 miles from W South Street and S Salisbury.
Can you walk/bike that? Sure, if you really want to. It is not pleasant. If you’re determined to think of this as downtown, great, but it is so far from the current downtown that most people would not.
Anyways, if this is a 20,000 person stadium, it is pretty optimistic to think that anywhere near half the attendees would walk/bike/bus/bird there. If it does happen, I’d gladly eat my shoe
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If the stadium of any professional sports team, regardless of the league, were located where the State capital building is located in Raleigh, you wouldn’t get 10% that arrive without a car. It’s just the nature of our infrastructure and sprawl.
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They most certainly do know it. COVID-19 Has slowed alot of the agenda down for this Council, with that said, they have made some big changes, but if it wasn’t for COVID-19. I Can you tell we would have actually had two entertainment sports Arenas in the works or solid plans, but Don’t count out a hybrid Convention Center and Arena 
where Red Hat is, its actually justifiable due to the fact we already have future plans to expand there.
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You can Rocky Branch / Walnut Creek greenway out to that general area now ( To Bain Waterworks).
Biggest issue with DTS in a non-car mode of transport remains S Saunders street…
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It’s not a downtown stadium, but it is an urban stadium. Right now Raleigh has neither.
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Honestly a Convention Center/Arena hybrid makes the most sense. The construction cost can be shared and a major 500 room hotel project can service the needs of both.
Much like the City of Raleigh is building the new Civic Campus to save money–this could also save (and generate more) money in the long run.
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Are there any good examples in the US right now? The only one I can think of off the top of my head is Omaha (which is really nice) - they host Creighton basketball and US Swimming Olympic Trials.
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Anaheim Convention Center has an arena and the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center as well.
Gwinnett Center in Georgia also has an arena attached and yes they play ECHL hockey there.
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I’ve attended a convention in Anaheim. There’s nothing about that location that felt urban or walkable. I stayed at a hotel 1.5 miles away and walked each day in the blistering heat (like 100 every day) because I want to walk, and it was a pretty miserable experience. Everyone else who wasn’t staying right at the convention center was arriving by car.
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That’s Los Angeles for you.
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