[ILUVSAT]

Ferris wheels have been around for 130 years. They are nothing new. They are a gimmick. Nobody says: "I'm going to Vegas for the high roller" or "I'm planning my family vacation to Orlando for the Eye."

And, a gimmicky ferris wheel will never be built in Austin. Period. There are a myriad of reasons why - including:

-Size of land. A 400' tall ferris wheel would require at least one full city block. Most of downtown Austin blocks are roughly 300' x 300' with a diagonal of approximately 400'. I don't have any current sales figures - but, based on sales over the past few years made public, a full city block would be around $100 million just for the land. Oh, and if more than a city block is required, good luck at getting an okay to perminantly close a roadway and/or allyway to complete the project.

-City would do everything in its power not to "ok" a ferris wheel on an unencumbered piece of prime, downtown, taxable land. They should be looking out for the highest and best use of the land. And, a very good argument could be made that affordable housing on an entire block is a better use of urban core property than a ferris wheel.

-CVC issues

-Forget trying this south of the river. Period. I'd love to see a developer fight Bill Bunch and his cronies over a 400'-500'+ ferris wheel in their back yard.

-No local developer I know would even entertain the idea. Austin, luckily, does not rely on tourism to bolster its economy (unlike Vegas, Orlando, etc...).

-Placing this thing in a rural setting (i.e., Long Park), is just ignorant. And, again, good luck with battling Bill Bunch and SOS with any idea of placing a tourist attraction in a city park.

-etc., etc., etc...