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Yes. I agree.
I would like to see it tore down. It is a waste that serves no solid purpose.
And I was lynched.
I also said we should tunnel 37 with park land and wide boulevards on the surface.
I was also lynched.
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Mike Greenberg: Remember the Alamodome as folly and then tear it down
San Antonio Express-News
As people age, their eyes change. Take, for example, Mayor Ed Garza. When he took office, his "South Side balanced growth initiative" indicated a farsightedness that outdistanced his five predecessors combined.
Now, less than four years later, his backing of $6.5 million of inducements to put "major league" soccer into the Alamodome indicates severe myopia.
There's a smarter, more visionary way to invest $6.5 million in the Alamodome — a way that will have a much better chance of producing real economic benefit for the city.
Instead of foolishly giving away $6.5 million to keep the Alamodome on life support, the city should wisely invest $6.5 million to tear down the Alamodome.
This is not my version of Swift's "Modest Proposal." I am absolutely serious.
Everyone with any sense knew the Alamodome would be an economic folly even before the voters were suckered into approving a sales tax increase to pay for it. History has justified the cynics.
The building has no value. It's a money-loser for the city. It will never be anything but a money-loser. As long as it's still standing, City Councils will be tempted to throw money at every sports operator with "major league" in its name. Today, soccer. Tomorrow, badminton.
The ridiculous fantasy of attracting a National Football League team to the Alamodome will never come true.
Austin will get an NFL team long before San Antonio does because Austin invests in public works and development projects that create real value and support real economic growth, not in useless baubles like the Alamodome.
In addition to its economic liabilities, the Alamodome is ugly and it has a stupid name. As any moderately attentive fourth-grader can tell you, there's no dome on the Alamodome.
Pardon me for uttering a heretical, if not blasphemous, sentiment: San Antonio should learn, for once, from its mistakes.
If the Alamodome has no value, the land under it, and under its mostly empty parking lots, is another matter.
That swath of land could generate property and sales tax revenues for the city. It could strengthen the downtown retail and office markets. It could enlarge the audience for downtown arts ins utions and galleries. It could spread economic cheer and jobs to nearby neighborhoods on the east and south. It could help support an improved public transportation system.
But the Alamodome stands in the way of all that. The city should tear it down and pursue development partnerships with the private sector to create a high-density, mixed-use neighborhood in its place.
To maximize the potential of such a project, the elevated I-37 freeway, which divides the Alamodome site from downtown, should be converted to a street-level boulevard. (Yes, it can be done.)
With that barrier reduced, a neighborhood on the Alamodome site could mesh more effectively with the one being built on the old Victoria Courts site, as well as with HemisFair Park and Rivercenter.
A concentration of several thousand residents where the Alamodome stands could justify a demonstration light-rail line running west through the downtown core to the UTSA downtown campus, and east to the SBC center.
The Alamodome was a bad investment. It's time for the city to cut its losses. We can have a big glass of lemonade — if we're smart enough to give up the lemon.
Yes. I agree.
I would like to see it tore down. It is a waste that serves no solid purpose.
Does anyone else remember Cisneros singing that song, "Dome, dome, dome, dome, da da da da dome dome dome dome dome, da da da da, doooooooome."?
I thought he was singing, "Dumb dumb dumb dome, da da da da dumb dumb dumb dumb dome......."
I think it was to the song:
Artist: Del Vikings Lyrics
Song: Come Go with Me Lyrics
Love, love me darlin'
Come and go with me,
Please don't send me
'way beyond the sea;
I need you, darlin',
So come go with me.
Come, come, come, come,
Come into my heart,
Tell me, darlin',
We will never part;
I need you, darlin',
So come go with me.
Yes, I need you,
Yes, I really need you,
Please say you'll never leave me.
Well, say, you never,
Yes, you really never,
You never give me a chance.
Come, come, come, come,
Come into my heart,
Tell me, darlin',
We will never part;
I need you, darlin',
So come go with me.
for a new venue the sbc center is a piece of too
the dome host cfootball bowl games which we are getting pretty good teams now
major league soccer would be cool too although soccer is a very lame sport
Long live the Alamodome!!!
No, I don't.
I'm sure Manny, Das Texan, Scott, and a bunch of others do.
This was before FSP when everyone was at SpursReport.
It is an intriguing idea... but he's wrong on one point:
The Alamodome was in the black until the SBC Center opened up. At the same time that they lost their major tenant, they also lost acts that were previously booking the dome but are now choosing the newer facility.
True. But now the Dome is pretty useless after the next mens final four is hosted there.
They need to tear it down.
Create a sports district like Philly. Since the SBC is where it is. Build the sports district there. Tear down the Freeman. Build a soccor stadium. Build a new stadium for the Missions. And in the future, a NFL stadium and maybe a MLB stadium.
Expand the Riverwalk from downtown to the sports district.
Build a entertainment area as well. With clubs and restaurants. Maybe some hotels in time.
Make it a 24/7 hot spot.
The primary reason why I don't think it will happen is no politician wants to be the one who has to try to explain that the Dome was a success, even though they're tearing it down. It is too hard to explain in a soundbyte, and most people stop paying attention after about three sentences.
Every political opportunist / vampire with an axe to grind or a position to prop up will use tearing down the dome as a way to frame the current administration as incompetent and wasteful of taxpayers money. While incompetency and wastefulness may both be there, the Dome is not a valid example of either.
What you do is you plan something for that land before hand. A residential tower or some town homes or whatever. Then you have to just explain that the Dome must come down for this to happen.
I don't remember you saying it, but if you did I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have lynched you for such a good idea.
I did.
And you did.
You questioned me on where the money would come from to build a mix use/mix economy neighborhood in its place. Where the upper middle class and lower class could live and go to the coffee shop. etc.
You and Das Texan said it'd be stupid to tear the Dome down.
I probably blasted your idea of a upper middle class neighborhood in its place... now that is just silly.
Why?
Show me the economics for such a project, and I'll admit you are right.
Ill sum up the rest of the board in a
who in cares.
Comic relief has arrived.
I think that is a wonderful idea.I would support that completely.
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