Quote Originally Posted by emu steve View Post
As far as the what the community gets back from their $ for sports facilities.

Many of these were dumped into suburbia to get them out of the city and there was NOT any plan to use them as a catalyst for urban development. They were DESIGNED [[stupidly) as a place where suburbanites drove to, parked, watched and drove home. Man, I can remember the arena built in early 70s in Richfield, Ohio [[think it was 25 miles from Cleveland and near NOTHING).

If that is what you want, then one should not expect anything greater.
And you expect that Ilitch's new ice palace *will* somehow be greater? There's nothing to indicate that it will be little more than "a place where suburbanites drive to, park, watch, and drive home".

Since you mentioned Cleveland, it's worth noting that the blocks surrounding Quicken Loans Arena are some of the quietest in all of downtown, save for the hours before and after a game. Sure, there's a new high-rise that will be constructed across the street, but the 21-year-old arena was not the cause of that. There are many livelier parts of downtown Cleveland that don't have any sporting arenas, and didn't cost nearly as much in taxpayer dollars.