This Week in the Mercury
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Media / News "They were both essentially suburban cities..."
Posted by Matt Davis on Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 7:53 PM
Oregonian arts blogger Barry Johnson has been digging further into developments by proposed Rose Quarter developer Cordish in Kansas City and Louisville.
1
During the late 90's I could really see something like this take off and be successful. Even if it was gaudy and perfectly corporate.
But retail is dying right now, and we have lots of bars already in Portland. I'm trying to see the draw in this environment to such an event. I suspect things are still on the downward spiral, and we have a ways to go. Seems like a risk that is not appropriate right now.
But retail is dying right now, and we have lots of bars already in Portland. I'm trying to see the draw in this environment to such an event. I suspect things are still on the downward spiral, and we have a ways to go. Seems like a risk that is not appropriate right now.
2
Yeah, and our downtown is anything but dying. The suburbanites already have Old Town (and parts of downtown) in which to pub-crawl and vomit. If it's unsafe, it certainly isn't driving them away (go look at 3rd and Burnside on any weekend night).
So after the west side of the river has been revitalized with Urban Renewal-- from the Pearl District to the South Waterfront and now the PGE Park neighborhood, we need to install a new "entertainment district" to attract suburbanites to the Rose Quarter? What, is this the "other" downtown? If so, it's not exactly dead-- though parts of it ain't pretty.
If you people-watch on the night of a Blazers game you'll notice plenty of folks taking MAX (or walking across a bridge) to and from downtown sports bars, restaurants, etc. But now we need a second, closer entertainment district? One with less personality?
So after the west side of the river has been revitalized with Urban Renewal-- from the Pearl District to the South Waterfront and now the PGE Park neighborhood, we need to install a new "entertainment district" to attract suburbanites to the Rose Quarter? What, is this the "other" downtown? If so, it's not exactly dead-- though parts of it ain't pretty.
If you people-watch on the night of a Blazers game you'll notice plenty of folks taking MAX (or walking across a bridge) to and from downtown sports bars, restaurants, etc. But now we need a second, closer entertainment district? One with less personality?
3
Consider the Cordish (or other developer) entertainment Disneyland inside a hollowed out Memorial Colosseum, akin to NY-NY in Las Vegas. It could be a year round Rose Festival fun center drawing suburbanites and kids, transported by light rail from East, West and Vancouver. Rides! Corporate owned and secured, it wouldn't be as messy as civic downtown, maybe throw in a Concept Entertainment/ Barracuda-like nightlife venue. Or build a Northwest-flavored Downtown Disney® District (http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland…), somewhat like Vancouver's Heathman Lodge, a local abstract of Timberline Lodge. Or that weird water park resort in Washington. How about Indian gaming? There is no shame in drawing people from suburbs to spend money in town. It's the other diversity.
Actually what would rock (though not as much as an indoor velodrome) would be indoor ski slopes and a beach with a surf wave in the Colosseum. There could even be ironic hipster theme nights with bands! Sponsored by this paper. Think big - the WW realized long ago that their real demographic was in the suburbs.
Actually what would rock (though not as much as an indoor velodrome) would be indoor ski slopes and a beach with a surf wave in the Colosseum. There could even be ironic hipster theme nights with bands! Sponsored by this paper. Think big - the WW realized long ago that their real demographic was in the suburbs.
4
If they could attract a largish corporation to build its headquarters right there I could see something like this being really popular. I would hope they put a Portland flair on whatever it is. We can argue about it all day long but the Allen group gets to use whichever group they want because they have development rights.
5
Paul Allen does not have the URA money unless we give it to him. Sam Adams should not give the money to Paul Allen and Cordish. Simple.
6
"Yeah, and our downtown is anything but dying. The suburbanites already have Old Town."
Actually, a lot of your so-called "suburbanites" are actually from, and live in, Portland. They're just not suburban-raised transplants attempting to be hip "urbanites". That said though, they can still be pretty irritating.
I don't know about the district in Louisville, but I've been to the one in KC, and while their downtown was (and still is, for the most part) pretty dead, it's a pretty lame, manufactured place.
Great idea Sam! Or paul!
Actually, a lot of your so-called "suburbanites" are actually from, and live in, Portland. They're just not suburban-raised transplants attempting to be hip "urbanites". That said though, they can still be pretty irritating.
I don't know about the district in Louisville, but I've been to the one in KC, and while their downtown was (and still is, for the most part) pretty dead, it's a pretty lame, manufactured place.
Great idea Sam! Or paul!
7
The Cordish compound is downtown Baltimore is a cesspool of manufactured blandness populated by yups and suburbanites. The relationship to the rest of the city is parasitic, at best. The best part about it is that it doesn't have a neighborhood nearby to ruin.
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