You don't build out an arena for maybe hosting one NCAA tournament game over the next decade. You build it based on the market and the funds available.
Let’s have another downtown arena chat
- Thread starter unihorn
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So what is the current market saying? Does El Paso *need* or *want* an arena? San Antonio built the Alamodome to attract a NFL team. It never got one though Red McCombs almost had the Vikings at one point. The dome is now an aged and shitty venue with the most awful parking situation imaginable.
What, exactly, does El Paso expect to do with a new arena? The answer to that question should then guide the size, seating, location, etc.
Right now, families go see Disney on Ice at the Coliseum which is a dump. Right now, modern shows bypass El Paso because there at not modern loading docs, electrical systems, and acoustic requirements to accommodate some 21st shows. Right now, you have about $180 million left from the 2012 bond authority to build something. El Paso does not have an acceptable venue for modern shows or athletic events. The Coliseum was built in 1942 to host rodeos. The DHC opened in 1977 as a basketball specific venue not built to handle modern shows. That's all the 21st largest city in the county has for event/show venues. If you want El Paso to be competitive, amenities like an arena matter.
Bad Bunny is a huge star now and he held a show here recently.
J Balvin is coming to the DHC. He had his own McDonalds meal.
Wiz Khalifia, Iron Maiden, Shawn Mendes, and Pitbull also have shows lined up at the DHC.
So if you’re saying, it’s not built to hold modern shows, it’s only true for SOME acts. Maybe it’s not modern enough to hold Katy Perry or Justin Timberlake, but that doesn’t mean they would come here if it was.
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME. Kidding, but, the people without vision, commitment, and fortitude allowed our city to rot for decades. Decades. And now we're catching up to Albuquerque, Tucson, etc. but we still have naysayers and wannabe cultural-hero's railing against anything and everything that's making El Paso awesome...again. It's easy to bitch and moan but really, really hard to step up and invest in the future. I support the downtown renaissance with my money, time and love.
Specifically what venues does Albuquerque and Tucson have that are new and getting “top acts”?
I do not agree with Max Grossman and his thinking that Durangito can be a tourist attraction. However, he and his group have given the city other sites downtown that would be fine with the city building their “arena” on. While he can take some blame for the delay on its existence, the city also messed up by leaving “loopholes” in their wording of the “arena”.
If the city had been “straight forward” with their intentions, we are probably not in this situation right now.
Yes, it would be great if UTEP and the city could “tag team” on an arena. It’s not going to happen though.
If the city had been “straight forward” with their intentions, we are probably not in this situation right now.
Yes, it would be great if UTEP and the city could “tag team” on an arena. It’s not going to happen though.
1. It’s not happening in Duranguito. The city will probably sell that property.
2. $180M isn’t enough — they need at least double that.
3. I seriously doubt voters will approve spending more with property taxes sky high.
2. $180M isn’t enough — they need at least double that.
3. I seriously doubt voters will approve spending more with property taxes sky high.
The acts are coming through right now but for how much longer. DHC is about to be 50 years old and hasn't received any major upgrades. Eventually the city will need a new arena or to invest in the DHC.
Nobody is arguing that the DHC doesn’t need to be replaced/upgraded “soon”. The city is wants an arena downtown to attract visitors to that area. One can assume that UTEP would not want to move their basketball games downtown on a permanent basis. Even if they paid a nominal amount of rent to do so.
So the city isn’t going to help UTEP with DHC upgrades and UTEP isn’t going to give the city events. It’s all about money. UTEP wants to keep theirs and the city wants more.
We have to wonder what UTEP does with the profits from all the events they hold. Seems like they don't invest much if anything back into the building.
I agree with you, neither has an interest in helping each other out and the only one's that suffer is the public.
Public/Private partnership:
https://www.athleticbusiness.com/fa...licprivate-partnership-built-uts-moody-center
Des Moines, Iowa, which has a smaller population than El Paso, has the Wells Fargo Arena that seats upwards of 16,000 people. That's the venue El Paso should use for its model.
They've hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tourney twice in the last decade and will do so again in 2023. They have also hosted the first and second round twice for the women's NCAA Tourney and have hosted the NCAA National Championship for wrestling (to be fair, wrestling is a big deal in Iowa and would not be a big draw in El Paso, unless you're talking about the WWE type).
I'm not sure how successful a G-League team would be in El Paso (it would always play second-fiddle to UTEP), but I think an AHL team would do very well. If MountainStar can secure an AHL team as a tenant, that alone would be enough to justify it.
El Paso is a large city with a small town mindset, which is why other cities their size have nicer things.
Who would want to buy it? That property is worthless. You're not allowed to do anything with it.
NBA isn’t coming here. Seattle and Las Vegas don’t even have teams. The NHL isn’t coming here either. Not sure who you think “they” are?
Des Moines is the largest city and capital of Iowa. Which El Paso is neither of Texas. Des Moines is the epicenter of entertainment for Iowans.
What makes you think El Pasoans would support an AHL team?
It’s on campus very near the FE Center and DKR Stadium — on UT property.
North of downtown, but not far.
Yeah, I got that from the article. My question is, is UTs campus and this arena “downtown”?
Aside from the collaboration of this arena, it’s safe to say there isn’t room in downtown Austin to build one, yes?
Downtown Austin is fully developed. It’d be crazy expensive to buy and tear down.
That’s what I figured. El Paso has the option of not working with UTEP because they have space. If space were limited, maybe they could work together. Oh well
Yeah, in Austin, the fact that UT already owned the land made this Moody price tag pretty reasonable.
Gimnasio Universitario UACJ - Wikipedia
It’s a shame the city, county, and UTEP, don’t have a better relationship. If those three would work together El Paso we be a far better place..
Question is: who’s doing the study? This has “fat payoff to a buddy” written all over it.
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