Tear down mall, and build new staduim (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: apartments, hotel)

[scrantastic]

Given Scranton's situation, both the good and bad aspects, does anyone besides me feel as though tearing down the Steamtown Mall (which is a dying hole), and build a new baseball staium for the S/W-B Yankees? Here are my thoughts, becasue i would like to get a buzz or campaign going for the "powers that be" takes this seriously:

1. The Steamtown Mall is dead. Has been, and cannot be resurrected. The Lackawanna County Staidum/PNC needs 13-16 million in repairs anyway.

2. The location of the Mall is perfect, because it is close to I-81. There property behind the Mall is in utter disrepair, and could possibly be purchase at a discount. These properties could become parkinkg lots.

3. Many commerical buildings are empty, due to lack of population 9residentail 7 professional), and foot traffic. As staium would downtown would help bars, restaurants, stores all do better business.

4. Mores bars, restaurants, stores, apartments, may eventull come to downtown because of the new traffic. All eateries would offer specials on gamedays, thus making things very competitive.

5. We are the home to the Yankees AAA team, so we do have more high profile players come through out system than any other; thus, more people than usual would be inclined to attend a game, or at least go downtown.
THINK WHAT DOWNTOWN WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE IF CLEMENS' COMBACK TOOK PLACE IN THE CITY ! THE CROWDS WERE AMAZING!

I FEEL AS THOUGH A MOVE LIKE THIS WOULD REVOLUTIONIZE THE CITY THROUGH THE TRICKLE DOWN EFFECTS. IT WOULD BE LIKE AN INJECTION OF HGH INTO THE LOCAL ECONOMY

NOTICE WHAT THE WACHOVIA ARENA/CASEY PLAZA HAS DONE FOR WILKES-BARRE. That entire area is developed with new business.

IT IS A FACT IN THE MINOR LEAGUES (HOCKEY & BASEBALL) THAT S-WB IS THE BEST PLACE TO PLAY. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT BY SEVER PLAYERS!

THINK CAMDEN YARD OR WRIGLEY FIELD ON A SMALLER SCALE.

I would love nothing more than to leave my apartment downtown, met some friend for happy hour, and check out a game!

For those who will immediately complain about taxes and building a stadium, obviously dont realize that this is a LONG TERM INVESTMENT. If you want something to change, it isnt going to come free. Nothing does. Let me know your thoughts...

[weluvpa]

Hey Tmurphy nice duplicate post from DD..........

This is one of my favorite posts from you......

Actually the bee Witching poject is, and never was funded with any tax payer monies. All of the projects Joyce has announced are all privately funded projects, hence is slow moving progress on them. As a laborer on the bee Witching project, I can attest to this. I know who is paying for the project that ia am working on.

A laborer at a large construction project that is intimately involved in the check writing and accounting practices of said firm...Sure thats believable.....How would you know where the money for your pay check has come from.....Just because the check says one name doesn't mean that its their money....Not to mention its a KOZ.

3 posts here and one on DD, which will most likely be eaten alive.

Whats Jerry going to do build a stadium when he is done with St Pet's square in 2090....

[scrantastic]

Yep. That was me as well. I posted duplicates. Way to crack the case Magunm P.I.

[scrantastic]

Yep. You got me thats it. "Eaten alive"??? Are you some kind of internet bad ass? I was just throwing an idea out there on DD and here, to see if any feedback is positive. Thats all i got for you. Sorry I put an idea out there.

[The-Electric-City]

Without the mall, downtown would be nothing. Yes, I understand it is having some bad times but still, it is basically the heart of the city and there wouldn't be anything downtown without it.

On the next issue, I approve of building a new stadium. I just can't imagine the county paying $13 million in repairs when the Yankees organization wants a new stadium. In my honest opinion, I believe that spending $13 million in repairs is a waste of money. I know what will happen, the county will pay the $13 million and the yankees will leave because they want a new stadium. There you go, it's $13 million lost. And what will happen if the yankees leave? There's not going to be another team running for Scranton.

I don't agree with the stadium being built downtown, but I think that a newer stadium in the city somewhere would be great!

[scrantonluna]

I would argue that the mall needs to be 'repurposed' to
an extent, and the new stadium be built in Pinebrook.

[jetgraphics]

Instead of destruction, consider re-tasking the mall as a mixed-use shopping center that includes housing as a main feature.

See: WorldChanging Seattle: The Future of Shopping Malls: An Image Essay
Describing one renovation of a mall in Columbia, Md.:

The tactics would include walkways and streets connecting the mall to Columbia Town Center’s lakefront district, which abut one another but have never been connected from a pedestrian point of view…. Other sides of the mall would have their own connections to streetscapes.” Parking lots would be replaced by structured parking. Residential, office, and retail space would be added. A hotel may be built, too. The Howard County government had Design Collective, a new urbanist firm in Baltimore, devise a 30-year plan through a public charrette process.

My belief is that this is going to be a long-term trend extending over at least the next twenty years, so much so that people will become as familiar with a mall conversion protocol as they are with a prototypical new urbanist residential neighborhood…. It will start out slow as people learn the new ‘formulas’ and pick up speed once they have got them down.

We are paying close attention to the quality of the buildings and to the quality of the spaces between the buildings,"

[Mr Yuk]

I'd support a new stadium....if the Yankees and Mandalay are building it with NO PUBLIC MONEY! I'm a big sports fan, especially baseball, but I think that funding stadiums with taxpayer money is ridiculous. It burns me up to think that the state of PA is broke and can barely provide essential services and keep taxes reasonable, yet public money built new stadiums and arenas in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. These teams are rich, let them build their own stadiums.

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by scrantonluna

I would argue that the mall needs to be 'repurposed' to
an extent, and the new stadium be built in Pinebrook.

PINEBROOK?? I wouldn't want to have to walk far to my car at night in Pinebrook.

[scrantonluna]

Originally Posted by go phillies

PINEBROOK?? I wouldn't want to have to walk far to my car at night in Pinebrook.

There wouldn't be too much left of the old Pinebrook,
considering the medical college will most likely absorb
a big chunk, one way or another, and a stadium would
need a rather large footprint as well.

The added commerce would quickly fill in the gaps with
the downtown, and the rising property values would
push out most of the undesirables.