New Arena Location Revealed?

[GOO]

There is a better chance of the "mall" surviving now than 2 months ago. I imagine only the boston store part gets torn down and they try to revive the beautiful part of the mall/shops. The sad part about the mall is the state that it is in now.

Yep, that would be great.  The Plankinton building connected to a new arena would create some real nice real estate with some potential for great shops, restaurants/bars in a beautiful building.
Nice location for MU.  We can only hope that this happens.

[Johnny B]

Hope Bucks stay,the team they have now looks interseting.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

"What the hell are you worried about? This is 1884... you'll be able to sue her."

Blazing Saddles never gets old!

[jficke13]

Hope Bucks stay,the team they have now looks interseting.

They need another solid tanking this year to try to find the last piece in the lottery. I hope they lose every game by one point while developing solid growth out of Jabari and Giannis.

They won't though, the East is so bad they'll stumble their way into the 8 seed and a first round sweep at the hands of the Cavs and it's be as if Herb never left.

[Eldon]

"What the hell are you worried about? This is 1884... you'll be able to sue her."

Her?

[Litehouse]

I guess I'm not sure why the area around the arena will skyrocket in value... if that's what you're suggesting. Has the area around the current Bradley Center exploded?

The Bradley Center was very poorly placed to spur nearby development.  Development was blocked by MATC to the West, the Arena/Auditorium to the south, the Park East freeway to the north, and the Journtinel building taking up an entire block kiddie-corner which would be the prime location for development between the BC and downtown.  The only available space for development were the bars on Old World 3rd, and those have definitely developed over the past 20 years.  It was just one of many short-sighted decisions when building the BC.

[willie warrior]

Not sure I would aspire to be Memphis...

But wait...Beale Street does have BB King's Place.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Grand ave would be an interesting move...

I just hope the city planners have something in mind for the BC neighborhood... otherwise, it's going to look like Grand Ave mall without the cool t-shirts.

[Benny B]

Lasry said they didn't buy it.

https://twitter.com/danshaferMKE/status/527149244013359107

The area a little southeast of there (2nd and Michigan) is gaining some support. Still west of the river, and close enough to tie in to the Third Ward.

Lasry: "We didn't buy it."

Key word is we.  An astute reporter would have asked the following as a follow-up: "Do you have any ownership in, affiliation or business arrangement with the entity who is funding the winning bid for the Grand Avenue mall."

Lasry: "We didn't buy it."

[GOO]

Grand ave would be an interesting move...

I just hope the city planners have something in mind for the BC neighborhood... otherwise, it's going to look like Grand Ave mall without the cool t-shirts.

Don't worry, Frank Gimbel has the UWM arena and the Theater to take care of that area of the city    Frank has it covered. 

[Texas Western]

Now people might start to understand why Lasry-Edens overpaid for the Bucks... there was a real estate venture involved here that had minimal value to anyone except for them.

In other words, they buy the Bucks knowing that Grand Avenue can be purchased dirt cheap. They move the arena there, and the ancillary real estate - of which they own a good portion - skyrockets in value.

It's a classic lesson in Hedly Lamarr Land-Snatching.

These guys will be lucky to make a return that beats treasuries. They are in it for the Ego trip of owning a sports franchise just like any one else in their shoes.

[source?]

Where will I be able to buy stencil-sprayed t-shirts and printer ink when I want to pay twice as much as everywhere else?


On a serious note, it would be really cool if they could build in a food court / roster of restaurants that made it a lunchtime destination for the downtown crowd and gave solid food options for games at night.   

There's already a food court on the third floor. It has a Qdoba, Subway, Culvers, Panda express, Jake's Deli (my favorite sandwich in the city), a generic cajun joint (similar in setup to Panda), a generic Greek place, and some panini place.  There's an Applebees on the first floor as well as a bakery. There's also a Crepe shop on the second floor. I used to live in an attached building and tons of people stop by for lunch.I suspect that without it the mall would have already closed down.

[GOO]

In all seriousness, I think the UWM arena site is the top site.  Maybe the politics make it not worth the extra negative publicity, but it is the most logical location.  

For MU the site on 4th and Wisconsin/Boston Store sure would be nice.  Almost too good to be true.  If the Bucks owners did not buy the Grand Avenue, which it appears they do not, then that site would not have much interest for them.  They can't build out around it if they want to benefit from secondary real estate.  

[chapman]

There's already a food court on the third floor. It has a Qdoba, Subway, Culvers, Panda express, Jake's Deli (my favorite sandwich in the city), a generic cajun joint (similar in setup to Panda), a generic Greek place, and some panini place.  There's an Applebees on the first floor as well as a bakery. There's also a Crepe shop on the second floor. I used to live in an attached building and tons of people stop by for lunch.I suspect that without it the mall would have already closed down.

Yep, and it's not terrible (also stop by Jake's whenever I'm in the area).  Just something an arena could really capitalize on if they were to take control.

[4everwarriors]

Y'all want Jake's? Man up and go to the original on 16th and North. Corned beef to die for, hey?

[dgies9156]

Not sure I would aspire to be Memphis...

Memphis is to Nashville as Buffalo is to New York City.

No one in their right mind aspires to be Memphis. Except hillbillies living in Western Virginia!

[real chili 83]

"Right now the university buses its students to Golden Eagles games at the Bradley Center,..."  What!   In the "old" days, we walked to the games.  Up hill both ways, barefoot in the snow!

Yep, froze our a$$ off.  That's why we stopped off at Good Time Charlie's, there and back.

'Never wants to know if the new place is a longer walk to Art's Performing Center.

[muhoosier260]

#Donedeal

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Don't worry, Frank Gimbel has the UWM arena and the Theater to take care of that area of the city    Frank has it covered. 

That's not good.

I'm dead serious BTW.


A new arena is not a "growth plan", it's a redistribution plan. The old neighborhood will be in trouble.

The city will be a donut with a hole in the middle.

The Pabst is a nice development, and Schlitz park is continuing to come along... but without the BC, I'm not sure what "fits" in that area. I guess there is room for major commercial & residential tower/sky scraper type stuff... but I don't know if there is a demand for it.

A soccer stadium would make some sense, but again, I don't really want taxpayers on the hook for that, so there would have to be enough demand and private money to make that work.

In theory, MU/UWM/MSOE?/MU Lacrosse and a MLS team could all use the facility. Maybe even an annual outdoor hockey game as well.

But, I'm not sure if there is enough demand or private funds to pull it off.

[GOO]

That's not good.

I'm dead serious BTW.


A new arena is not a "growth plan", it's a redistribution plan. The old neighborhood will be in trouble.

The city will be a donut with a hole in the middle.

The Pabst is a nice development, and Schlitz park is continuing to come along... but without the BC, I'm not sure what "fits" in that area. I guess there is room for major commercial & residential tower/sky scraper type stuff... but I don't know if there is a demand for it.

A soccer stadium would make some sense, but again, I don't really want taxpayers on the hook for that, so there would have to be enough demand and private money to make that work.

In theory, MU/UWM/MSOE?/MU Lacrosse and a MLS team could all use the facility. Maybe even an annual outdoor hockey game as well.

But, I'm not sure if there is enough demand or private funds to pull it off.

Understood and agreed.  Obviously the BC area would set up really well for a major development, corporate relocation... but as you mentioned, what is the demand and who is looking if anyone.  There is a lot of vacant land with the freeway area, Journal building and now the BC.  Short of a major corporate relocation, it is a redistribution, but the new arena if done right and a better Bucks team will draw more fans to games, so it maybe a redistribution with some added benefit.  On the other hand, if there is no new arena, the BC sits empty a lot more often anyway.

It seems to me that the funds that come from the tax payers will be the net tax loss without the bucks at the state level and probably the typical infrastructure at the local level and land.  Really not a terrible deal if done properly and if 300M or more comes from private parties and naming rights.  If the "tax loss" of not having the Bucks can fund 150M to 200M in bonds, this deal can get done.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Understood and agreed.  Obviously the BC area would set up really well for a major development, corporate relocation... but as you mentioned, what is the demand and who is looking if anyone.  There is a lot of vacant land with the freeway area, Journal building and now the BC.  Short of a major corporate relocation, it is a redistribution, but the new arena if done right and a better Bucks team will draw more fans to games, so it maybe a redistribution with some added benefit.  On the other hand, if there is no new arena, the BC sits empty a lot more often anyway.

It seems to me that the funds that come from the tax payers will be the net tax loss without the bucks at the state level and probably the typical infrastructure at the local level and land.  Really not a terrible deal if done properly and if 300M or more comes from private parties and naming rights.  If the "tax loss" of not having the Bucks can fund 150M to 200M in bonds, this deal can get done.

If done correctly, it could be a great plan.

At it's core, its redistribution. Doesn't make it wrong, but they need to come up with a good plan for the old neighborhood. Without a plan, that neighborhood is going nowhere fast, and any perceived growth will have to be balanced with the death of the old neighborhood.

It's not a great spot as it is, and if you remove the BC, there is zero economic draw. Took almost 20 years from something to happen with the Pabst property.

[MUfan12]

That's not good.

I'm dead serious BTW.

What gives me some hope is they delayed the vote on re-electing Gimbel as chairman. Hopefully someone viable steps up.

[Litehouse]

Now Frank "The Obstructionist" Gimbel wants a separate new 8,000 seat arena built for UWM and $200M to expand the convention center a couple hundred feet in exchange for allowing the new Bucks arena to be built on the MECCA/Theatre block.
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/2014/11/what-frank-gimbel-requires-to-drop-anti-demolition.html

[mu72warrior]

If they build it no one will come

[MuMark]

http://journaltimes.com/sports/basketball/bucks-beat-owners-closing-in-on-arena-site-funding/article_e3825515-e7b2-5581-ba13-8825c38bc713.html