Proposed Sports and Event center in Antlers Park (Denver, Colorado Springs: low income, apartment complexes)

[Vision67]

Colorado Springs City Council doesn't rule out sports and event center in Antlers Park

Colorado Springs City Council doesn't rule out sports and event center in Antlers Park | Colorado Springs Gazette, News

Colorado Springs City Council members left the door open Monday to an ambitious proposal to build a roughly 10,000-seat downtown sports and event center in city-owned Antlers Park, saying they'll explore legal ramifications of the plan as a prelude to perhaps studying it in greater detail.

Council members face a key deadline late this year. Unless the city launches work on a sports and event center by mid-December, it risks forfeiting nearly $28 million that the state had set aside for the project.

"Boy, I'd hate to lose this opportunity," said Council President Richard Skorman, adding he still wants to know more about funding, parking and traffic concerns before he'd support the proposal.


I think this would be a good idea.

Antlers Park has become a hangout for transients who've trashed the park and used it as a public outhouse. A sports and event center would clean up the park, create an amenity that would help attract tourists to the nearby Olympic Museum and allow the city to hold on to its state funding.



Park location:

https://www.google.com/maps/search/a...!3m1!4b1?hl=en

What do you think?

[abcdefg567]

I think it would be great - although I wish they would get the, "transients," at least out of the parks with playgrounds.

Nearby there is the, "Premier Sports Complex," Wich appears to be just for soccer - kiddo was having his soccer lessons there. But, the owners or whoever have let them pretty much take over the median in between buildings and the last time we went in December was the last straw - needles, a man smoking from a crack pipe at 10 am, fighting with other homeless, broken glass wanted then a homeless man came in to the kids soccer area with all his trash bags. He seemed nice enough - but I'd he afraid that the city would just let it turn into a situation like the above and like waist many businesses downtown are facing.

For $28 million though, maybe they'd care more.

Sad how so many parks have been made unusable. Especially in low income areas with children who could benefit from using them.

Anyone see any negatives?

Hopefully they don't have fireworks all summer like Sky Sox...it will be enclosed though, right?

[hollyt00]

I don't see any negatives either, maybe only the fact that the Early Connections daycare would have to be moved... but that's not a big deal (imo). My son went there and it was always disconcerting that there would be young children playing next to so many homeless people. We know that not all homeless are drug users but even just one, so close to a daycare, should worry more people.

[BornintheSprings]

I think its a terrible idea and a waste of money for the city or state. Colorado Springs shouldn't try to copy Denver we should try our own thing to make downtown interesting. I like the private developments of new businesses and apartment complexes in the downtown area but I think this particular project would actually be a detriment to the neighborhood.

[hollyt00]

Out of curiosity, what neighborhood are you referencing? If I recall correctly, that area of town does not have any residential houses nearby.

[StarrySkiesAbove]

I live in the downtown area and I think it would be a good solution for that park. Although I am all for green space, this spot is really a blighted toilet. It was a run down park even back in the early 80’s and it is really dicey and unusable now. I think this could help revitalize the whole old train depot area where Giuseppe's restaurant used to be, which is a very cool property and also help expand the neighboring arts district. As a Colorado Springs native I don’t want to see us turn into a Denver by any means, however I do think thoughtful revitalization of this area is a benefit to our downtown. A vibrant central buisness and entertainment district is vital to the health of any size city.

[BornintheSprings]

Originally Posted by hollyt00

Out of curiosity, what neighborhood are you referencing? If I recall correctly, that area of town does not have any residential houses nearby.

Not right next to the area no but there are neighborhoods in close proximity who would be effected. Also using public money to build stadiums is misguided they are rarely money makers unless its a big NFL team or something and Colorado Springs doesn't have the clout to attract a big team to make a stadium profitable.

[Mike from back east]

Perhaps the downtown could best be revitalized if that plot were a 30-story residential tower to create a base of local residents who could live, work, eat, shop and be entertained within walking distance of downtown.

Building a small stadium to be used maybe a couple times per week, for a few hours, just adds to the in/out flow of event traffic and not much else.

The area will be a ghost town most of the time and a magnet for rowdy, drunk sports fans when in use which really does nothing to revitalize the area. Sports venues and churches are used very little and mostly sit empty.

Seems to me that making the downtown vital, or re-vitalized, requires people be there every day, every evening, every week, every month and you only get that with permanent full time residents. It needs to be livable space and not a place where locals drive in from their homes in the sprawled-out suburbs.

Putting higher density vertical living in that location makes it attractive should we ever see rail transit up/down the Front Range. Imagine how nice to walk out of such a high-rise and just cross the street to catch a train to Denver. Such living in the DC area commands top dollar.

I've been against C4C since the start, it was a boondoggle by a former developer-turned-mayor who wanted to reward his backers in the development community. In the recent past the dorks have even thought about putting an aircraft museum downtown by relocating it from Peterson AFB. I hope the people of COLO SPGS put their foot down and stop this silly stuff that just smells bad from the start.

[abcdefg567]

Originally Posted by hollyt00

I don't see any negatives either, maybe only the fact that the Early Connections daycare would have to be moved... but that's not a big deal (imo). My son went there and it was always disconcerting that there would be young children playing next to so many homeless people. We know that not all homeless are drug users but even just one, so close to a daycare, should worry more people.

Yes!

I was reading yesterday that they had to give more shelter room and priorities to homeless families with children, hence the opening of the warming shelter for the rest.

I feel bad for the homeless who are in between jobs and have pets/kids want to work, are disabled, etc.

It sucks they get lumped in with the drug users.

But, here and in Denver there seems to be a lot of transient drug using under 30s who have no intention of moving/changing.

[BornintheSprings]

Originally Posted by abcdefg567

Yes!

I was reading yesterday that they had to give more shelter room and priorities to homeless families with children, hence the opening of the warming shelter for the rest.

I feel bad for the homeless who are in between jobs and have pets/kids want to work, are disabled, etc.

It sucks they get lumped in with the drug users.

But, here and in Denver there seems to be a lot of transient drug using under 30s who have no intention of moving/changing.

Yea those scary poor people really are an eyesore!