I hope Paducah LOSES the quilt show... (Owensboro: section 8, leases)

[Davart]

Originally Posted by sweetana3

I have never liked the Executive Inn but when you are a tired vendor, access is all and they will put up with a lot. Has it ever been remodelled?

Not that I'm aware of and there is a firestorm around the E about how it needs to be torn down and replaced or remodeled. It's owned by a guy in California name Sighn (or something like that) and he's made tons of promises and done little to nothing. The full story would take to long to tell. The short of it is the city tried to buy it, the owner wouldn't sell, so the city is going to build a $30+ million complex with a Hyatt and new convention center. Meanwhile he claims he going to fix it up now ... I don't think anyone believe him.

Anyway as you can tell from these thread if you read it all, some folks are all for it and others, well aren't for it.

[paducah native]

I don't know much about paducah as a whole and the number of condos on the market, but i do know lowertown. my parents moved to 333 n 7th st. No, it's not the type of housing that is affordable to everyone, but there are people who can and do buy the places. The condos serve a niche of people who are nearing retirement. The kids are gone and they are tired of keeping the yard. THey are tired of keeping the pool. They are tired of general maintenance.

They want something that is less of a hassle. And they want enjoy years of hardwork and sacrifice. Most of the country is in a housing crisis. Lowertown condos are still selling. I don't know where you get your information, but units are selling. And its not just the filthy rich who are buying.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by kentuckydad95

I would like to know just who in their right mind would be willing to live downtown in a condo in Paducah? Let's see...no gas stations, no grocery stores, you have to drive through the slums to get to the nearest hospital. Will there be covered parking or do you have to risk parking your car on the street all night? Will the cost be as out the wazoo as the present condos for sale downtown? I mean $350,000 for a condo (332 N 7th Street Unit 101)??? That place costs $134.63 per square foot. Do you know what kind of home you could build (even in this economy) for that price per square foot? How about the lowertown courtyard homes? 1,553-2,085 sq ft homes priced from $329K-$350k. Now you tell me where exactly people in this area are going to afford those condos? The people who can afford it already live in nice houses with a big yard and actually live close to gas, grocery stores and the such. In fact, their houses probably cost less then these condo's. Remember...Paducah has 22% of their population living below the poverty level. I guess I am asking, why build more overpriced condo's when they aren't selling what they have? I could see condo's being built in cities who's population is actually going up, but not in a city in population decline. Someone else said this on here, but Paducah has champagne tastes with a beer budget. Paducah will NEVER be the big metropolis they want it to be.

What is funny is you cant touch a condo in downtown Louisville for that price. The average condo is 250 a square foot, and may go for upward of 400 a aquare foot or more. Paducah is a nice twon trying to build urbanity....nothing wrong with that. One thing I have noticed is that KY has smaller towns full of naysayers, and many of them move to Louisville where they do the same. If I had a dollar for every guy who said those same things about downtown Louisville, I'd be rich, but not as rich as the downtown developers or those hapy people living in downtowns across the country from small towns like Paducah trying to create a niche, to the midsized Louisville's to the mega cities like NYC which have always had thriving downtowns.

That is fine you think the condos are a rip off...but can't you see they are good for the town? A vibrant downtown is like having a house with a nicely painted front door and curb appeal. For example, all the visitor's to the quilt show will likely judge it based in downtown, the front door to your town....

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by paducah native

I don't know much about paducah as a whole and the number of condos on the market, but i do know lowertown. my parents moved to 333 n 7th st. No, it's not the type of housing that is affordable to everyone, but there are people who can and do buy the places. The condos serve a niche of people who are nearing retirement. The kids are gone and they are tired of keeping the yard. THey are tired of keeping the pool. They are tired of general maintenance.

They want something that is less of a hassle. And they want enjoy years of hardwork and sacrifice. Most of the country is in a housing crisis. Lowertown condos are still selling. I don't know where you get your information, but units are selling. And its not just the filthy rich who are buying.

Amen. The rants I see in Paducah are similar to ones I see in Louisville. Why can't downtown be nice? Why do people always want downtown condos to fail in KY? I just don't get it. Mark Twain had it right:

"when the end of the world comes I want to be in Kentucky, because there it will come 20 years later."

[kygman]

Originally Posted by sweetana3

I have never liked the Executive Inn but when you are a tired vendor, access is all and they will put up with a lot. Has it ever been remodeled?

They are in the process of reworking the Executive Inn now. Mr. Singh took on partners to help get the building up and going again. According to Tom Green, one of the partners and an engineer overseeing construction, (according to the July 9 Paducah Sun) they have plans to have 100 rooms nearest to the convention center ready for renovations within two weeks.

[kentuckydad95]

Please do not try and compare condo's in Louisville or NYC to condo's in Paducah. Hell, don't try to compare condo's in Louisville to the condo's in NYC. It is like comparing apples and socket wrenches.

Now I don't recall ever saying anything was bad about owning a condo. I did say that $350K for a condo in Paducah is crazy. I stand by that remark. I wouldn't pay over $150K for a condo in Paducah. IT IS PADUCAH!!! It is NOT the center of the culture universe. Like I said, downtown Paducah has no grocery store, no gas station, etc. And the downtown area of Paducah is a wonderful place to visit. My family enjoy's the summer fest, downtown after dinner, etc.

[kentuckydad95]

Originally Posted by paducah native

I don't know much about paducah as a whole and the number of condos on the market, but i do know lowertown. my parents moved to 333 n 7th st. No, it's not the type of housing that is affordable to everyone...

You're right. It's not affordable to at least 97% of the residents of McCracken County. However, since people in this country like to be what I call "$100 millionaires", I see people everywhere with places in which they can't stay afloat. That is one reason why our economy is failing. And before you spout off, I am not saying your parents can't afford their condo and I don't care how much money they make.

Average salaries are shown on the U.S. Census for a reason.

[Hey_Hey]

Originally Posted by kentuckydad95

Please do not try and compare condo's in Louisville or NYC to condo's in Paducah. Hell, don't try to compare condo's in Louisville to the condo's in NYC. It is like comparing apples and socket wrenches.

Now I don't recall ever saying anything was bad about owning a condo. I did say that $350K for a condo in Paducah is crazy. I stand by that remark. I wouldn't pay over $150K for a condo in Paducah. IT IS PADUCAH!!! It is NOT the center of the culture universe. Like I said, downtown Paducah has no grocery store, no gas station, etc. And the downtown area of Paducah is a wonderful place to visit. My family enjoy's the summer fest, downtown after dinner, etc.

You can make that very same argument about houses on Kentucky Lake. Because of the multiple inlets and bays, it takes a while to get to grocery stores, gas stations, doctors' offices, etc (much more time than downtown Paducah). Yet people are still willing to pay twice the price of a similarly sized house 5 miles away. No one thinks they're crazy, or that the houses are overvalued. By definition, a piece of real estate is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. People are willing to pay $350,000 for a condo in downtown Paducah. People are willing to pay $400,000 for a 2000 square foot house on Kentucky Lake. They are both worth that since there is someone there to buy that property.

By the way, Paducah will be (or maybe it has opened by now) getting a general store downtown that will carry many of the necessities as far as food goes. It's on Broadway between 1st and 2nd I believe. Even without that grocery store if you drive 5 minutes you could probably be at any of a handful of grocery stores. (And what percentage of people in Kentucky live within 5 minutes of a grocery store? It's probably less than you think.) Downtown living in Paducah is good for Paducah because it brings capital into the city. Downtown living is good for Louisville for the same reason. For most cities, downtowns were neglected during the 70s, 80s, and much of the 90s. Now they're coming back. Part of that puzzle is having people live downtown.

[Jamie40829]

there are some people who post on this board who post nothing but negative or pessamistic comments about everything. lol i would HATE to see the world thru those dingy scratched up glasses

[JefferyT]

Im glad I read this as I was planning on a vacation to Paducah over labor day weekend and was thinking of getting a room at the Executive Inn.

Are there any other hotels in downtown Paducah? I want a downtown location so I can be withing walking distance of things, like Lowertown and the quilt museum and such.