Quote:
Originally Posted by PHXFireBirds
Honestly, stuff like this really ANNOYS ME. The fact that they agreed to preserve the original building, makes it even more frustrating. I didn't even know Phoenix had a Chinatown at one point? Not that it matters, but I'm born and raised in Phoenix and of Asian descent.
This project would've been a game-changer. It would probably get the ball rolling for further development on the Barrister building lot. The arena would kind of look like LA Live. Imagine the outside shot on a national televised game on TNT and ESPN?
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They weren't going to preserve the building, they would have gutted the interior entirely. I was there for the debate, and a LOT of old Asian people were there in opposition to it. My position on facadomies has loosened somewhat but they did have the capability of cantilevering over the thing which they completely ignored. Also, it was never going to be a thing--they needed "flex space" for it to pencil out which basically means the project is trash--despite the hoopla it never seemed all that legitimate.
If they did any of the following the project would have had that aura of legitimacy but literally nothing happened:
- extended the expired hotel franchise agreement
- waited out the lawsuit in court rather than get their ass handed to them on a platter by a small time lawyer
- oh, I dunno, built or even proposed something on the block they own across the street rather than make a parking lot out of those old boarding houses
- had another proposal in the last 13 years.
Colangelo or Sarver haven't done anything without massive public concessions in some way or another. If Aspirant can sprout up towers when literally nobody heard about them five years ago or that partnership with Mitsubishi Real Estate can give us Link out of the blue there's no reason to be still depending on chain-yankers that blew out a dozen or so blocks downtown for what are two mediocre sports franchises today.