arm8033

I am a little confused. If I remember correctly, the 2009 Port Plan could not be started until some ridiculous date , like 2030, because the Port had to move. Is this a different piece of land that can be developed quicker? What gives me hope: Holmgrem, Nance, and Lerner have attached their credibility to this project. They have already hired a sports-entertainment district consultant to help with the project. Also, they have a financial incentive to develop the area. This was an interesting quote from Rob Robinson, the consultant: "Lambeau Field is an interesting example as Coach Holmgren said there is a great tradition there and a great association between the community and its team there. The stadium itself was a bit isolated and not very well tied into the community physically. When we started working on that project in 1999-20000, annual visitation to the stadium was about 700,000 people really just for football games. Today, when you go to Lambeau Field it is a real address in Green Bay. They have annual visitation over three million. In fact, we are now planning with the Packers our next phase of development, which we believe will increase that visitation by at least two fold." I think at the very least, they will make a bona fide effort to shop this plan to private investors and see if there is any interest. This is more than what has been done in the past.

A few quick thoughts: If I am not mistaken, this plan is different than the other plans because all of the necessary stakeholders seem to be on board. Past plans came from the city or a developer but did not include input from the Browns, the Port, RTA, GLSC, and Rock Hall of Fame. If these parties are truly on board, then this plan could have some legs. I am wondering what the next steps are going to be. I am not sure if this was brought up at the press conference. I hope the Browns plan to be very active in the next couple of months to keep some momentum.

^I agree with the above statement about the lack of rental units in Battery Park. I am moving back to CLE from DC in May and would love to find one of those BP townhouses to rent. So far, no luck. Hopefully, with new units going up, some will be available to rent. By the way, drove through Gordon Arts district after being away for a year and I was happy to see the continued growth. It is on the verge of becoming a hot spot if not already one.