Wichita's new arena
Tulsa new arena
In other good news, proposals have been made to the city concerning the new arena, two of which contained 420+ room hotels as part of the development. One proposal even specified a 22-story tower. That's a skyscraper in my book! With 12-foot floors, that translates into a 264 foot building. Add some parking to the structure and large ceilings in the first two floors with retail and such, we could be talking about the city's second 300 foot building. I'm trying to contain my enthusiasm. The reports also specified that Hilton and Westin were named for the developments. Westin would be a major land for the city as its reputation is quite prestigious, usually locating in large cities or major resorts. The third proposal was said to be lacking a hotel because the developer did not believe in a need for any hotel rooms near downtown. I have to question the motivation, however, seeing as at least one study has been completed that stated the city needs more hotel rooms in the city center in order to attract conventions that we have no chance of landing due to our inability to host. Currently, we have less than 1,000 hotel rooms in the city center. This magic number is holding us back. I say toss out their proposal and give us a new skyscraper!
According to the Business Weekly, a new developer is looking to spend money in Albuquerque in a big way. His last name is Barrenchea and, yes, he's from California. His vision is for buildings up to 4 stories tall in Upper Nob Hill in several buildings with a total of 181 units plus ground floor retail along Central Ave. I already like this guy. He is also talking about adding 200 units to the Sawmill development near Old Town. All that new housing is bound to increase activity along Mountain and in Old Town. I'm curious to know how business is going in Old Town ever since they extended hours into the evenings and allowed alcohol to be served with meals. Alas, I have a feeling we'll begin to hear more Mr. Barrenchea soon.
And last but not least, a survey was completed concerning the perception of downtown. The number one reason why people never visit is because "there is nothing to do." But on the bright note, the survey also revealed that "safety" is down to #5 as the biggest reason to avoid downtown. Guess there's only one thing to do: build that arena! More people = safety and arena = events.
For 2007: Here's hoping for that arena, streetcar, 1,000 housing units, and a 1,000 new jobs for our downtown. (That arena and hotel, alone, would create a couple hundred jobs and a quarter billion dollars in construction)
