Why raising taxes is nessecary

[notyoueither]

The point I was trying to make earlier.

Making the city livable for the residents should be the goal. The money spent on this new arena could have been better spent on that task.

That is possible, but how many private businesses are lining up to join ~$500 MM developments in the City? My guess is not many.

The money could be spent a lot worse as I believe the City and State have amply demonstrated over time.

[giblets]

The point I was trying to make earlier.

Making the city livable for the residents should be the goal. The money spent on this new arena could have been better spent on that task.

The state of Michigan doesn't care too much about the welfare of Detroit and they probably just don't want to see any sports teams leave the state.

[Wezil]

That is possible, but how many private businesses are lining up to join ~$500 MM developments in the City? My guess is not many.

Buy them their facilities as well and I bet you'd get a lot of takers.

The money could be spent a lot worse as I believe the City and State have amply demonstrated over time.

Detroit can always find ways to waste money (I think this is one of them).

They just blew a wad of cash on fireworks for the holiday. Priorities don't ya know.

[Colon™]

Livability is overrated. People have been known to move to quite a few hellholes because the money was there.

[Wezil]

The state of Michigan doesn't care too much about the welfare of Detroit and they probably just don't want to see any sports teams leave the state.

You're probably right.

[Wezil]

Livability is overrated. People have been known to move to quite a few hellholes because the money was there.

I'm an example of that (living where I would rather not be) but the Detroit Hellhole is some sort of unique. This is urban decay on a level that needs to be seen to be believed.

[Colon™]

That's confusing cause and effect. People aren't going to move from Houston or wherever, because there are freshly painted benches.

[notyoueither]

Maybe not many, but people may decide to locate in the City instead of in the burbs. I think that's what can be influenced to a large degree.

[notyoueither]

One of the best arguments against public funding of stadia seems to be that you are moving activity from one area to another.

That has its weaknesses, but in a case such as Detroit that is eactly the point and what is desired by the State and the nation as a whole.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Lets be honest though, just about every single economic study on public funding of stadiums has shown that the city will NEVER make back what it spent to build the stadium. The benefits simply aren't high enough.

[notyoueither]

Most studies look at buildings of the past, like UFOs dropped on a sea of concrete.

The Columbus district had a large positive impact on revenues for that City. Ironically it was financed nominally privately. None-the-less, Columbus and LA show that an area of a city can be dramatically improved by a development centred on a stadium. When a city is in a position of competing with surrounding jurisdictions for activity (LA, Columbus, Detroit) and quality of life for residents (just about every city outside of London and New York) a city can win from such developments. Keep in mind that in a busy facility for hockey or Bball sports will be less than 50% of the dates (maybe close to half if dual use for both sports).

The bottom line is that there can be a lot more going on around a building than the sports teams that serve as anchors, but it has to be built right.

[Imran Siddiqui]

LA? Are you talking about the Staples Center?

That was also financed privately. It is interesting your example are private funded stadiums .

Also you do realize that in 2000, Detroit opened Comerica Park (for the Tigers) and in 2002 they opened Ford Field (for the Lions) in Downtown Detroit? That didn't really help with the situation in downtown.

[notyoueither]

Yes, both LA and Columbus were private money. LA's Staples is owned by a huge entertainment group and is part of a large entertainment district. Columbus's Nationwide was built by a huge financial company with a real estate arm.

Both are sucessful examples of a stadium being part of a redevelopment that adds to the tax base of the municipality.

We'll soon have a case of a partially publicly funded arena as part of a district when Edmonton's arena and district are complete, but there is already a rush to build in the area. Edmonton, like LA, Detroit, and Cbus competes for dollars and citizens with surrounding municipalities.

[notyoueither]

"Also you do realize that in 2000, Detroit opened Comerica Park (for the Tigers) and in 2002 they opened Ford Field (for the Lions) in Downtown Detroit? That didn't really help with the situation in downtown."

It's not the building by itself, its the activity and what is built around it (the district).

[regexcellent]

Arenas are ****ing worthless, they are stupid subsidies for things that by all rights should be insanely profitable on their own. They are prestige projects.