| Ten key elements for those involved
in stadium and arena construction decision making: - Combined basketball
and hockey arenas get the most use and have the potential, if integrated properly,
to create pre and post-event consumer activity in the surrounding area, compared
with other sports facilities. Arenas can be less expensive to construct, take
up less space than ballparks and stadiums, and host a wide range of non-sporting
events including circuses, concerts, and auto shows.
- Baseball parks, which
host at least 81 home games per year, have also served as successful vehicles
for generating consumer activity within cities. The most illustrative examples
are in Baltimore, Cleveland and just this past season in Houston and San Francisco.
- Football
stadiums, which require more land and may host as few as eight home games per
year, tend to generate less frequent activity. However, usage is often underestimated.
With a college team, a professional soccer franchise and other events sharing
the venue with a professional franchise, stadiums may host upwards of forty events
per year. The irony is that NFL franchises are generally better financially situated
to pay for these projects than are Major League Baseball franchises.
- Multipurpose
football/baseball facilities are attractive from the construction-cost perspective
but user-friendly designs are a problem, and arguably, do not exist. This is evidenced
by the longstanding dissatisfaction of fans of the cookie cutter stadiums of
the 1970's such as Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.
- Location, preferably
downtown, does matter. Whatever pre and post-game spending does occur, probably
occurs near the venue. The return on a downtown location must be measured against
the higher land acquisition costs. This is the issue that both Philadelphia and
Boston are currently grappling with both are studying inner city ballparks that may
cost as much as $700 million.
- The most successful projects will be just
a part of a city's broader development plans. Development will not necessarily
come to the venue.
- Accessibility by public transportation, limiting parking
and promoting foot traffic, is key. This must be measured against parking revenues
that will be lost if fans are discouraged from driving.
- Concessions should
be made to city dwellers residing adjacent to facilities. This goes beyond the
basics of handling parking, traffic and trash. The key is to insure that some
direct benefits are provided to those taking on the burden of hosting a facility in their
neighborhood.
- There exists a difficult to measure psychic benefit to a
city that gains or retains a sports franchise. Don't bother trying to place a
monetary value on this benefit. Additionally, not every individual in the city receives
it.
- If a city cannot afford a sports facility project and private funds
are not forthcoming, the facility should not be built with public dollars.
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