urbanSTL

I believe LA has approved a new stadium. AEG just doesnt have a team deal yet. Which shouldnt be hard to get for them. Here are the most recent stadium renderings: http://blogdowntown.com/2011/11/6482-ne ... mers-field

stlien wrote:I believe LA has approved a new stadium. AEG just doesnt have a team deal yet. Which shouldnt be hard to get for them. Here are the most recent stadium renderings: http://blogdowntown.com/2011/11/6482-ne ... mers-field

You'll forgive my skepticism - but how many renderings of the BPV have we seen? And how many BPV buildings have been built? I'll believe it if they break ground.

Royalty wrote:

stlien wrote:I believe LA has approved a new stadium. AEG just doesnt have a team deal yet. Which shouldnt be hard to get for them. Here are the most recent stadium renderings: http://blogdowntown.com/2011/11/6482-ne ... mers-field

You'll forgive my skepticism - but how many renderings of the BPV have we seen? And how many BPV buildings have been built? I'll believe it if they break ground.

The fact that you're comparing this situation to BPV betrays your ignorance of the situation. BPV is indefinitely on hold because the money isn't there to make it happen.

Here, the city has approved the stadium, and the money iIS there. Literally the only thing keeping them back is a team. They want two teams, presumably an AFC and NFC team.

And if the Vikings work out their stadium issues, then the Rams will be the first NFC team on the short list to re-locate.

I agree the intrinsic value of the Rams is way up there. What would we do with the dome without the Rams? Yes there are conventions and other things but it doesn't come close to the ram's. I don't think we should let the ram's stay here at any price but we should try darn hard. I really hope that their demands are not that outrageous since its pretty difficult to move an NFL team.

I dont think the Rams are in the lead to be moved. I still think the Jaguars and the Raiders are very much in play.

The reason I am worried is the fact that the NFL wants 2 teams in LA. I think the Raiders move is inevitable. However, the 2nd team is the unknown. The Raiders and the other team will likely share the new stadium. That is what I've heard. I think long term, if you put a winner on the field, St. Louis is the best option for Stan.
We have proven that we will get behind a winner or a team that is at the very
least competitive. I think the 2 things that would make the Dome's atmosphere better
would be the transparent roof like Ford Field and blue seats to match the Rams colors.
That couldn't cost that much. The roof, that is another story. I wonder if the
addition of natural light will save money over time. Not likely enough to pay for
itself, but at least save some money. It would be amazing to have natural light or
a retractable roof at the Dome. Imagine the buildings and Arch being visible from
the inside. I doubt public money will fund this, but it needs to happen either way,
assuming STL wants to keep the Rams out of LA. I'd much rather keep the Rams Downtown.
I know tailgating isn't ideal, but the amenities are great, the parking is fine and the proximity to entertainment is perfect. I hope Stanley (named after Stan the Man) sees value in staying in STL. He is a Missouri guy, so I see no reason for him to leave. He can make a fortune here if he brings us a winner. I am glad he got to see that with the Greatest Show. He witnessed it first hand and hopefully he does not have a short memory!

^ I hope you are right. Stan scares me with his silence.

stlien wrote:I dont think the Rams are in the lead to be moved. I still think the Jaguars and the Raiders are very much in play.

And the Chargers.

you all are forgetting about the chargers as a candidate and probably the most likely to move to LA.

Also can we stop equating St. Louis to LA? LA can take the loss of an NFL team on the chin. They have beaches, mountains an ocean and near perfect weather year round and beautiful people. Meanwhile St. Louis has insecurities and can't stand to look itself in the mirror.

But one thing St. Louis is, is a sports town. We've had some really special sports moments in this town within the past decade. Rams GSOT, and this incredible Cardinals season. Yes its a baseball town but that goes without saying but it doesn't have to be said to be divisive.

Chargers and (somebody other than the Rams) to LA. Rams stay in St. Louis and turn this thing around (God this season has been awful).

I guess you could refrain the question that needs to be discussed from St. Louis to Jeff City (to a lesser extent, what KC pols would support). The question being, what incentives is the region and state willing to pu on the table? Of course the question for Stan the Man, what do you want?

I think their some ideas that might doable with a little creative and imaginative reform of tax credits -

1) Better roof as being suggested. However, my twist - why not see what the budge number would be to add a roll in/roll out grass field like Phoenix has? This opens up the EJ Dome for soccer and maybe a MLS team in the near future. Not sure if it is even doable to cut a notch out on the north side on EJ Dome. But you do have space to the north and you won't know unless you ask!

2) More restaruants/sports store. Lets go beyond that and start with a new blvd replacing I-70 from Wash Ave to the new Mississippi River bridge as the basis for tying a new front door of the dome to Laclede's Landing. In other words, screw McKee & the Bottledistrict and see if THF (Stan the man's development agency) wants a shot at developing Laclede's Landing if the freeway comes down. Pinnacle has put phase II on hold. However, gearing EJ Dome being part of Laclede's Landing as well as improving connectivity in the same move could be the game changer desired. Once again, why not ask Stan the Man?

Yes, I don know my second item is already being proposed by City to River, but you need to tie it to something that politicians will want to grab onto. The Rams is something to grab onto in the near future.

I think your idea of offering space around the dome to THF to develop as they wish is a great idea. Stan could shape the dome and casino and convention district into a shopping Mecca paralleling the boom in dining on Washington ave.

THF developing a "shopping Mecca" probably wouldnt be the best possible use for the land. We have enough of that.

stlien wrote:THF developing a "shopping Mecca" probably wouldnt be the best possible use for the land. We have enough of that.

I agree, if you don't shape the development through the proper zoning and consistent/urban parameters then you take a big chance in getting an outcome that might not be desired with development company that made its money building Walmarts.

However, I believe you could layout the street grid and infrastructure for mixed use development that would be appealing and workable for THF and thus the potential for Stan K is the location of Edward Jones Dome at the end of day. I really doubt Stan K or anybody else honestly believes that the St. Louis metro region can support a billion dollar plus stadium.

I don't think the loss of Rams would be as big to the city as some might. Instead, I fear that the county and state will direct a lot of resources into a new stadium that will provide little benefit for region let alone the state. In other words, a lot of unproductive tax credits going into an unproductive stadium and another item added to my Shrewsbury property tax bill.

gary kreie wrote:I think your idea of offering space around the dome to THF to develop as they wish is a great idea. Stan could shape the dome and casino and convention district into a shopping Mecca paralleling the boom in dining on Washington ave.

Sorry, but anyone who thinks the dome generates enough foot traffic (or real traffic) to justify this level of development is kidding themselves. You can't run a viable business on 60,000 potential customers 10 times a year. You just can't. Of course, I realize that downtown has more people on a daily basis, but again, if the demand was there for this type of development it would have happened already. Heck, I saw countless businesses on Washington Avenue closed at noon, on a SUNDAY, when both the Rams and Cardinals were playing, as well as the Taste of STL going on downtown. If 100,000 potential customers can't get businesses to open their doors on a sunday - just for the day - then what good would be adding more retail floorspace?

Best thing for the dome is to continue to leverage it as a venue for events/conventions, continue to work to develop a surrounding residential community that can support local businesses, and work to improve the streetscape to facilitate pedestrian activity to improve the area's amenity, thus encouraging further investment. In 15 years when the dome may have outlived its usefulness/viability, then we can talk about replacing it with a state-of-the-art facility. But not before then.

Royalty wrote: Sorry, but anyone who thinks the dome generates enough foot traffic (or real traffic) to justify this level of development is kidding themselves.

I am not suggesting that only dome visitors would go there. I'm thinking that THF might be clever enough to create something that could be a destination for people from the entire Midwest, just as Washington Ave. restaurants draw from the entire region now, not just from football fans in the dome, or even just downtown residents.

The whole Washington Ave, Embassy Suites, Pi, Movie Theater, Casino, Convention Center, Arch, Laclede's Landing, and Dome area is sort of a mini-parallel to the area around Navy Pier, Embassy Suites, Movie Theater area in Chicago. If Stan controlled the Dome and owned the empty lot areas north of it, what would he do to make the entire package a Midwest destination? (Is it too ambitious to think St. Louis miracle 1/4 mile?) I'd like to get Stan invested in the success of a stadium zone and leverage his investment in the Rams here in St. Louis.