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The Stadium Boondoggle
Reason.tv provides this video explaining why taxpayer-subsidized sports stadiums don't deliver on promises of economic growth and sustained development.
Just in time for tomorrow's print column on the Delaware County Chester Waterfront Industrial Development Authority. (Now there's a mouthful.)
Stay tuned.
Just in time for tomorrow's print column on the Delaware County Chester Waterfront Industrial Development Authority. (Now there's a mouthful.)
Stay tuned.
posted by Spencerblog at
10:59 AM
8 Comments:
Gil, reason.tv makes a good point, but I'll argue back with the real estate approach, location, location, location. Take Baltimore, their city planning turned out to be a magnificent hit, camden yards at the Inner Harbor was a brilliant move, they created a HUGE attraction out of a growing location. Now Baseball fans spend a full day at the harbor enjoying dining, shopping, the aquarium and finally a ballgame in the evening. I have a hard time believing that camden Yards made such a negative impact to another area in the city of Baltimore as there was nothing to compare it to.
Philadelphia's a different situation: there was no planning to build anything around the staduims, there were no mixed use plans to liven up the experience around South Philadelphia. It's as dead as it was when the Vet was built in the late 60s. Credit Comcast Spectacor for drawing up plans to take down the Spectrum and create a potential marketplace; other than the Turf Club there's little else in that location for the public to do (Golf at FDR Park anyone?)
What do you have to lose in chester at the waterfront that has nothing to begin with? The Stadium alone isn't the answer; the full experience (dining shopping, entertainment) is what's going to turn this plain waterfront into a true destination. The Commonwealth's investing in one of it's harder hit areas in the anticipation of a turnaround.
it's nice to see that Colwyn has it's b.s. political battles just as Media does. It's just a shame that it has to go so far to shut down the fire company!
Media's a little easier to understand. The democratic losers in the previous year's election get "Miss Congeniality" Prizes in terms of key positions to aid them in being elected the following year. The two Democratic losers in the Council Elections last November have such "resume-fluffers". Jeffrey Deitch got the borough treasurer position out of nowhere while Monica Rehoric took the Presidency of the Media Business Authority. Plus, let's not forget Faired-haired boy Brian "Bull" Hall stealing the EAC from Alyanakian so he has a resume point for his 2009 re-election!
I don't know if the Media Donkeys are about people or themselves anymore...
Monica actually has a retail business in town, so the MBA is actually a step up from the past, as previous positon holders were bankers and insurance salespersons.
The other two you could be right about. Now if somebody on either authority or council, could do something about the gateway at the southern end of Baltimore Pike, now that would be an improvement.
anonymous, I'm not a business owner in Media, but I'm sure Monica was "elevated" to the position with the assistance of the other Monica who works with the MBA through borough council and the King of Media, my buddy Frank. There's just too much of a coincidence involved here.
I'm not familiar with the southern end of Baltimore pike, which end is it? And what do you mean by gateway?
Where there's smoke there's Frank Daly feeding a sneaky and underhanded partisan fire.
S: coming up the hill toward town, by Mengetti's Vet and Keyes Towing.
OHH, OK. See Randal knows Media better than me and I live there! That part of Baltimore Pike is kinda reminiscent of driving through an indistrial area to get to a city dump; dirty, disfigured, confusing and depressing all at once. There's a property for sale right along that curve, it would make for a perfect Super Wawa that would probably fix the road in that area, but I doubt something like that would happen.
Was a time I knew every inch of that town. Back before Frank Daly f-ed it up.
How about that big square building right on the hill? What is it now, a carpet store or something? It’s been several things through the years. It’s onea those sh!tty locations that a business just never does well there. Never been in it.
Ever take a ride down Brooke Street? That’s like a blast back in industrial time. Concrete everywhere.
Did you know that where those trucks sit for sale on the Pike there used to sit a Dairy Queen? And that entire lot is the roof of a building below. Yep.
Cant' lie to you, randal, I don't dabble much in that area. I think the only business I know of in that location is the lovely towing companies. That and the auto shop with the "Eagles Helmets" cars. Not a very attractive way to enter into the boroughy indeed.
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