7 Comments so far

1. mainstream on April 15, 2008 11:42 am

   Good point. No TIF needed.

   The Crossroads is the hottest real estate district in this city.

2. Alan Birch on April 15, 2008 12:18 pm

   First TIF in the Crossroads? Aren’t some of those condos down at SW Blvd and Broadway TIF’d? What about that moronic Accardo condo tower? (Or is that project thankfully dead?)

   I guess another question is why does the PAC need offices across the street in the first place? Why didn’t they plan in adequate offices into their brand spanking new facility?

3. mainstream on April 15, 2008 2:35 pm

   This will be an interesting test of the Mayor’s political courage. Barnett & Shirley were among the premier endorsements of the campaign and among the top (and I mean top) financial backers of Funk’s campaign.

   By top I mean they were responsible for maximum contributions individually, and even more important they asked their friends to financially support Funkhouser.

   Helzberg influence in this town is not anything to sneeze at.

4. Chris on April 15, 2008 2:58 pm

   The performing arts center’s garage only has 1000 spaces. On an evening when both the opera house (1800 sets) and the symphony hall (1600 seats) are being used there is a high probability of the garage being full before all the patrons can even get a space. A typical symphony concert has 80 to 100 performers on stage, plus support staff (10 or more people) and an opera production has even more people (orchestra, cast, choir, etc..). The city’s 1000 space parking garage is not nearly enough parking and the more anyone can do to help this upcoming problem the better.

   And to respond to Alan’s comment:
   The Symphony and the PAC are two different organizations. The PAC will have some offices in the building. Putting the symphony office space in the PAC would have been wonderful, however it is much cheaper to put it across the street in another building. With the cost of the hall ballooning, instead of cutting out some of the great features the hall will offer, they felt it was a better idea to put the office space somewhere else.

5. Alan Birch on April 15, 2008 3:16 pm

   OK, fine, but I’m still having a problem understanding why I have to pay for yet more parking for yet another facility that I will not be able to afford to use.

   When will this stop? I could give two sh!ts about Helzberg’s power lines in front of her precious building, I’ve got a pothole in front of my house and I’m not getting the city to take care of THAT for me. Heck, she even knew the power lines were there before she bought the building, when I bought my house, the street was fine (until the water dept tore it up for sewer “improvements”).

   If Helzberg doesn’t like the power lines, she should either sell the building to someone who doesn’t care or else pay to relocate them herself. Should work the same for her as it does for the rest of us.

   The other thing not mentioned is that they say its going to be 110 spaces in two stories on the south side of the building. I don’t see how that is physically possible. The existing surface lot there only has room for maybe 24-30 spaces. I don’t see how 110 spaces are going to fit on two levels, unless it’s just bicycle parking…

6. mainstream on April 15, 2008 9:29 pm

   Chris, I may be missing something, but the TIF’d building will be used 8-5 weekdays, and the new perfroming arts center will be used in the evenings and weekends.

   The two uses are complimentary, so no new parking is needed.

7. bahua on April 18, 2008 11:40 am

   Is the Symphony being chased out of its offices across from the Lyric? Why is this being proposed?