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High Point city council moving on with Stadium project without county support. The county commissioners put off a vote for 90 days but because if the tight deadline with securing the baseball team, basically supporters are saying we dont need the county's help and we are moving forward anyway.
Interesting. So if High Point could have just moved forward without the approval in the county in the first place, why didn't they just do that? What happens if the county says in 90 days that this is a no go?
I would assume a lot of (if not most of) the work that is being done is work that would likely need to be done for just about any development to occur on this property. But why was county approval so vital 24 hours ago and suddenly we can just move on without the money?
Interesting. So if High Point could have just moved forward without the approval in the county in the first place, why didn't they just do that? What happens if the county says in 90 days that this is a no go?
I would assume a lot of (if not most of) the work that is being done is work that would likely need to be done for just about any development to occur on this property. But why was county approval so vital 24 hours ago and suddenly we can just move on without the money?
From what I understand, plan A was to get the county to help support the stadium financially. But apparently they have a plan B. I guess they assumed the county would be on board with it. While I am for it, some opponents do have a point. If $60 million can be raised for much of the entire project, why can't the rest be privately funded? Greensboro found out quickly they had to privately fund it using the Memphis model. I know High Point doesnt have numerous foundations with deep pockets like Greensboro but they did raise $60 million pretty quickly and a stadium that size would cost between $20 and $30 million.
So it appears that High Point has approved "Plan B" and will essentially be looking on taking on the whole debt themselves should Guilford County choose not to assist. I understand the urgency of the situation, but I do wonder if things are moving a tad faster than they should.
The stadium looks like its a go but the housing and built out development will likely take several years. It took Greensboro almost 10 years to start seeing development around its stadium and while there are plans around Winston-Salem's ballpark. They have yet to break ground over there. Now the planned hotel and Childrens museum and events center in High Point will likely be built around the time the stadium is built. It will be interesting to see what the hotel flag will be.
Paywall link. But it looks like High Point's ballpark will also have an office building overlooking the field. Don't know how many stories it will have.
High Point to hold groundbreaking for downtown ballpark Dec 1st. A four story office building will overlook the field along with a hotel being developed by Roy Carroll.
Other than feeling bad for the Hi-Toms (I think it will be tough for them to compete with the new HP team, at least initially), I'm really looking forward to this.
I think its amazing High Point was able to pull this off so quickly. It took Greensboro 5 years from idea to opening day. and Winston-Salem is still trying to come up with development around its ballpark. It took 10 years to finally see development around Greensboro's ballpark and in 2019 High Point is going to have a new ballpark and maybe a 4 story office building and hotel by then.
I think its amazing High Point was able to pull this off so quickly. It took Greensboro 5 years from idea to opening day. and Winston-Salem is still trying to come up with development around its ballpark. It took 10 years to finally see development around Greensboro's ballpark and in 2019 High Point is going to have a new ballpark and maybe a 4 story office building and hotel by then.
Here's my opinion (which is certainly open to other interpretations) on the reason for this:
In High Point, it seems that things tend to get done behind the scenes with the town power brokers more quickly & quietly than Greensboro and they're either for something and it gets done or against something and it gets squelched quickly and quietly. In Winston-Salem and even more so in Greensboro, it seems like there are so many more interest groups who are involved and while this be a more democratic, inclusive process, the downside is that it also allows more opportunities for things to get bogged down and take longer. Progress is political in all these places; it simply takes a somewhat different from from place to place.
Here's my opinion (which is certainly open to other interpretations) on the reason for this:
In High Point, it seems that things tend to get done behind the scenes with the town power brokers more quickly & quietly than Greensboro and they're either for something and it gets done or against something and it gets squelched quickly and quietly. In Winston-Salem and even more so in Greensboro, it seems like there are so many more interest groups who are involved and while this be a more democratic, inclusive process, the downside is that it also allows more opportunities for things to get bogged down and take longer. Progress is political in all these places; it simply takes a somewhat different from from place to place.
You are right. It's like the complex deal with the two planned parking decks which involves a number of parties in Greensboro. Construction on the ballpark tower in Greensboro was suppose to start immediately after baseball season ended and now it's almost December and construction hasn't begun. There is a reason for this delay. The tower is dependent on the deck planned across the street. Votes on both decks in city council have been table twice due to wording in the contract and the fact that they want the new council which takes office in December to vote on it. The city is also trying to work out an easment issue with another property owner in regards to the Westin deck.Council will vote after the two new city council members take office and until that vote takes place, the tower developers will wait until after the vote. All of the city council members support the decks so even if the two new city council members were against it, which is not likely, council will vote to build the decks. Once council votes on the decks, construction will likely begin on the ballpark tower and we'll probably hear and see details on the Westin hotel that will sit on top of the other deck. I imagine it will be some time next year when Roy Carroll will announce his tower project above the other deck which will include the Aloft.
High Point seems to keep things more tight lipped until they are just about ready to begin construction. The only reason the Westin and Aloft projects in Greensboro discovered was because of the listing on Starwood's hotel website.
High Point is finalizing funding for its stadium project because it has to be complete by the 2019 baseball season.
Last edited by gsoboi78; 11-24-2017 at 09:44 PM..
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