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^ Quite. Let us dedicate ourselves to being fab -- let's do a perpetual Chirsto installation, starting with a new Gates. The Gates. This time in purple, I was always uncomfortable with saffron. The Gates! Made me a more perfect imperfect person, and forged a perfectly imperfect bond with all the glory that Manhattan (once) stood for.
For as you say, Sir, this is Providence. There's only one; let us rejoice in it: daily, hourly, minute by minute, and forever.
Not being a baseball fan growing up in RI, I did know the heartache of being a Red Sox fan from family and friends..........and the institution the Paw Sox were to Rhode Islanders.
It is crazy how sports teams can wield more power than companies trying to relocate, San Diego, Oakland and St Louis are just a few teams to be holding their respective cities over the provobial money barrel.
Here in Jacksonville Florida our downtown has been in dire straights for better than 35 years.........but to keep our continually losing Jaguars happy the city has given up naming revenue (stadium) to the team, installed wifi in the stadium for a tune of 1 mil and shelled out 60 mil for a state of the art largest video screens in the NFL.
The team is currently asking for city partnership in order to develop River front property that is estimated to run in excess of 35 mil...............a proposed state of the art ELAVATED PRACTICE FIELD for the Jags is one of the teams wants.
Hate to see McCoy lose out........but who knows what new seeds will bring...........the 60 mil for a new ballpark seems like a steal in comparison to our 60 mil video boards
Just wanted to weigh in a bit as a former Providence resident, current MA resident, huge baseball (Red Sox) fan, and someone who grew up going to McCoy.
There's a part of me that initially felt disappointed that the Pawtucket Red Sox may be moving to Providence. There are two big reasons I felt that way. First is, like many of you here, nostalgia. I grew up going there. As a college kid and an adult, I've gone down to McCoy to watch the new talent, have a few beers and relax for reasonable money. The other reason is that I feel for Pawtucket. Pawtucket is a city that could use a few breaks. While I know Providence isn't exactly a boom town, it still has something of a "rich get richer" feel to it.
That being said, I don't know that it's a bad thing. For starters, McCoy is not Wrigley or Fenway. We're not talking about a building that's irreplaceable or even particularly remarkable beyond the nostalgia we may have when it comes to going there as children. To be honest, it's what I would call the definition of nondescript. I'll miss the memories there (even though I'll always have them), but I won't miss the building.
The neighborhood around McCoy isn't what Wrigleyville or the area around Fenway is. It's not home to landmark baseball bars and taverns, restaurants, etc. It's a quiet, middle/ lower-middle class neighborhood. The setting is certainly unique in that you won't find it many places, but it's also fairly unremarkable. It's hard to say that McCoy is vital to the survival of the neighborhood and businesses there in the same way that Wrigley or Fenway is to their respective neighborhood. If anything, the neighbors may appreciate the lack of traffic cars jamming the tiny residential streets on game nights. As a visitor to McCoy, I won't miss the neighborhood that much. There wasn't much there.
A riverfront site in Providence is actually pretty appealing. A comfortable modern park would be welcome in a region where the MLB and AAA ballparks average age is 89 years old (Fenway 1912, McCoy 1940). And if you have to choose one of the two (McCoy or Fenway) to abandon, it's going to be McCoy. Fenway is a temple to the game. It's a cathedral of baseball and a shrine for sports fans. McCoy is an old stadium that people in RI and Southern MA feel nostalgia for in spite of the fact that it's been "renovated" into relative mediocrity.
Beyond that, downtown Providence has teetered on the brink of booming for close to two decades. It has a nice skyline, an excellent riverfront, great urban bones, and stunning architecture. With all due respect to Jacksonville (which was mentioned above), Providence has a fantastic downtown area that's oozing with potential. A Triple-A stadium won't be the single catalyst in sparking the next stage of Providence's Renaissance, but it's a nice piece of the puzzle. A big piece. If it's done right, it can be a great venue for fans (nice skyline, College Hill and River views), and the grounds around it can double as a great public space (think AT&T park in San Francisco, or PNC Park in Pittsburgh) for when events aren't happening in the stadium (and even when they are).
Beyond that, it'll provide a nice boost for retail, dining, and restaurant businesses in the area. When we used to go to McCoy we'd stop to get a bite to eat in Seekonk or somewhere closer to home since there was nothing around the stadium. McCoy is within walking distance to a bunch of Providence restaurants and bars. The Providence Bruins and the PC Friars fill booths and barstools in nearby establishments before and after they fill seats in their own stadium. The same will be true with the baseball stadium. Maybe even more so considering the fact that baseball is played in the summer and basketball and hockey are winter sports. People are more inclined to walk around a bit when the weather is nice. Of course, events at the stadium aren't limited to AAA baseball. State championship high school events could be played there. There's potential for a partnership with PC or Brown for college games at the stadium. There will certainly be concerts during the warmer months. It'll be a center of activity from April-October. Moreover, it'll be a landmark on Providence's evolving riverfront. A baseball stadium on the site does not mean public space or open space is no longer an option. The grounds around the stadium can easily be an part of the Riverwalk park system. San Francisco's AT&T park is an integral part of the Bay Trail system. Pittsburgh's PNC Park is a big part of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail System. I don't buy the argument that a stadium is going to take away from any recreational potential that the area may have. If anything, it enhances it.
The traffic argument doesn't hold much water with me either. It'll be better than at McCoy. The proposed site along the river is pretty close to and easily accessible from I-195 and I-95. Far more so than McCoy's location. Moreover, the streets around the stadium site and the ramps are designed to handle much higher traffic volumes than the residential streets and dated ramps in Pawtucket. Since there's a lot more to see/do in downtown Providence than in Pawtucket, people will be more inclined to park further away at various garages and lots (and on the street) throughout the city. Families may park at Providence Place, get lunch or dinner at the Cheescake Factory and then walk along the river to the stadium. Some may have a drink on Thayer and walk downtown. You won't have the same crush on the few blocks around the stadium that you do in Pawtucket. Finally, the location in downtown Providence puts it within walking distance of Rhode Island's public transit hub at Kennedy Plaza. It's also within walking distance to the train station. A much higher percentage of the fans will be arriving via transit than they ever did at McCoy. Game times during the week are usually around 7pm. 2 hours after the end of the work day. You're not intermingling much of the workday crowd with the ballgame crowd. This works fine in more congested cities like Boston, why wouldn't wit work in Providence?
Our downtown areas are intended to be hubs for the region's business and entertainment. Providence needs more people and activity downtown. It's ridiculous to complain that the stadium will create too much traffic. There are 72 regular season home games during the International League season. Plus all of the other events (non AAA games, concerts, etc.). Businesses in the area will salivate at the thought of 10,000+ people in the area 72 nights per year.
In the end, it's sad for Pawtucket, but it's a good thing for Providence. It really is. It's a great piece for the I-195 lands and it's great for business and recreation.
My grandpa owned a house near McCoy for 60+ years and I spent some summer nights of my childhood going to games so like others have said for the nostalgia of it alone I don't like this plan. I know RI families that attend games because it is easy and affordable. Hopefully (ha!) that will remain if there is a new park.
I really want to see a soccer specific stadium for the Revs. Have no idea if the Revs are going to explore moving at some point but selfishly I'd much prefer that in the area
Location: Earth, a nice neighborhood in the Milky Way
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It's possible they could get around it given adequate time to petition the relevant authorities in the Fed. Gov't, if they set aside some other portion of the I-195 land for a park. It certainly creates another hurdle that is likely to make an already unrealistic two year timeline even more unrealistic.
But the ownership group said from the get-go that piece of land was but one option. They could locate elsewhere. They just started with the choicest spot first. Cianci wants them to locate somewhere near the scrap yards and strip clubs of Allens Ave, that is if they can't be coaxed to stay in Pawtucket.
I heard Worcester is trying to draw the team up there.
I'm no native of RI, so I don't think I'm qualified to make this statement, but this is just my opinion. I feel that Providence being the capital and largest city in Rhode Island, it might make sense to have the AAA affiliate of the Red Sox to be in Providence.
Location: Earth, a nice neighborhood in the Milky Way
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mp775
Out of fourteen International League teams, only two play in the state capital. Heck, North Carolina has two teams and neither one is in the capital.
If it goes on Allens Avenue in the scrapyards, it's no longer a downtown stadium and may as well stay in Pawtucket.
You're right, it's not downtown. And I'm not advocating it go on Allens Ave. It's just an area that Cianci has expressed an interest in changing for a long time now--including back when he was still mayor, according to local news sources--and this story has given an opportunity to pipe up again. During the recent mayoral campaign, when he was pitching the Allens Ave area be re-purposed, I heard a rumor that he owns land over there, but I don't know if that is true or just an instrument of political opposition.
There are clearly other options, and possibly some downtown.
The ownership has done a really good job of staying on message that Pawtucket is not on the table. You are in Pawtucket; would you rather have them in Rhode Island, or see them go out of state? Does it depend on the price tag for you?
You're right, it's not downtown. And I'm not advocating it go on Allens Ave. It's just an area that Cianci has expressed an interest in changing for a long time now--including back when he was still mayor, according to local news sources--and this story has given an opportunity to pipe up again. During the recent mayoral campaign, when he was pitching the Allens Ave area be re-purposed, I heard a rumor that he owns land over there, but I don't know if that is true or just an instrument of political opposition.
There are clearly other options, and possibly some downtown.
The ownership has done a really good job of staying on message that Pawtucket is not on the table. You are in Pawtucket; would you rather have them in Rhode Island, or see them go out of state? Does it depend on the price tag for you?
The Cianci idea may be worth consideration. The Allens Av. area has always been blighted and a stadium there may be one of the only ways to ever get rid of the mess. The unsightly area is also very visible from the highway and is waterside.
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