Old rusty arena being built

It's Corten steel. What makes you think he was being sarcastic?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering_steel

There's no accounting for taste, I suppose. I happen to like it, and I'm glad no "official" has a say in anyone's aesthetics outside of a historic district.

"Official" aesthetics, now that would be something. Shudder.

as per wikipedia:

"The former Omni Coliseum, built in 1972 in Atlanta, Georgia, never stopped rusting, and eventually large holes appeared in the structure. This was a major factor in the decision to demolish it just 25 years after construction. Weathering steel's normal surface weathering can also lead to rust stains on nearby surfaces."

This states Aloha Stadium was built in 1975.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Stadium

One council member has said that if immediate repairs are not made within the next seven years, then the stadium will probably have to be demolished due to safety concerns. In May 2007, the state alloted $12.4 million to be used towards removing corrosion and rust from the structure.

Whynot_31 states 4 related facts:

-2007 minus 1975 = 32 years

-he has immediate family in Hawaii, who he visits pretty often.

-It reportedly never has to be painted, despite the salt air. Not much that is made of steel, painted or not, lasts long in HI.

- The flea markets held in the stadium parking lot are pretty cool.

Madison Sq Garden is often torn down, moved and/or renovated.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_Square_Garden

Is Barclays planning for obsolescence in 40 years? Is this a bad thing?

I am a firm believer in the adage: If you didn't pay for it, you have no right to complain about it.

News flash: We paid for it.

Therefore, we have every right to dislike it. Over the life of this arena, we have every right to measure actual accomplishments to promises.

....But at some point, we need to focus on making sure that public money is spent well in the future. We must do this while using the knowledge gained from the past.

In the past, snake oil salesman had to always be on the move to find people who weren't wise to their scam. Have times changed?

LETS GO NETS!

You might be able to convince the arena to allow high schools and other low paying "community access" if you are lucky, and it gets them good press.

GoodProspect - are you not aware of the proximity of Prospect Park and Fort Greene Park to the space now occupied by Barclays Center? I get that there's something unfair about Ratner using city funding for the building, but it's going to generate tons of revenue for him AND the city, whereas a park? Who pays for that? How does that drive revenue?

also, Chekhovian, one of Forest City Ratner's own analysts, before being hired by Forest City Ratner, concluded that arenas are a net loss financially.

threecee said:

in fact, one of the benefits touted by Forest City Ratner would be that the arena would host "community events". soon we'll get to see what that actually means.

Without substantial pressure, I fear it will be a broken promise.

People and organizations rarely do things that cost them money unless they have to.

Chekhovian: i'd argue that "community services" were already coming to the neighborhood before Atlantic Yards. And the new "community services" that are being sparked by the arena will primarily be targeting arena patrons, which aren't necessarily the the services that the local community wants or needs.

I'd say the big gain will be to commercial real estate owners who are able to capture some of the $$ that arena patrons don't spend inside the arena. As for the local residents, our "gain" will be increased traffic, noise, litter, etc, etc, as well as more sports bars and athletic gear stores.

Lastly, it's not like it had to be Atlantic Yards and an arena. This costs us the opportunity of doing anything else at the site for decades, as well as the subsidies spent on the arena and whatever "affordable" housing that may or may not get built. i think we could have gotten a much better bang for our buck than this. (doesn't it seem unfair that billionaires are getting 100s of millions of our tax money to build an arena? and they get to pocket the naming rights money for "our" arena?)

whynot: completely agree. we're trying as best we can to keep the pressure up, and we can use all of the help we can get.

Are you arguing that Chuko, R&D, Branded, The Vanderbilt, Ample Hills, Inaka chose to locate here because of Atlantic Yards? I doubt it. Sure, some businesses are locating here because of Atlantic Yards, but clearly the trend of new businesses/residents moving in was well underway before Atlantic Yards.

I never said that business wouldn't be happy about arena patrons. I was talking about the people who live here and will have to deal with the influx of thousands of people on more than 220+ nights a year.

Also, proving my point indirectly with Triangle Sports, commercial property owners are probably going to be happy about any development that brings them more potential customers and/or increases their property value or what they can charge in rent.

And, I'll bet any amount of money that the number of athletic gear stores within 5 blocks of the arena will increase within 1 year. I have nothing against sports gear stores and sports bars generally. But considering that there are 20+ liquor license applications for the immediate neighborhood, I'm definitely concerned about quality of life here.

As for what could or could not have been done with the site, who said that it had to be one developer for the entire 22 acres? Why was Ratner's proposal the only proposal even considered? I never said that it should be a "park for everybody" but there are alternatives.

I'm arguing that Barclays hasn't put an end to all the momentum on Vanderbilt and, if anything, it has probably attracted a lot of businesses (yes, many who want to sell liquor) to the area. Brooklyn is an urban center, so that is better news than dormant real estate.

I wasn't as bothered by the stadium idea at that site as many people were, but this stadium looks hideous and is an insult to the community that paid for it.

"Do Basketball Arenas Spur Economic Development?"

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/08/do-basketball-arenas-spur-economic-development/2804/