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Did Columbus blow it on the Casino relocation?

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Started 1 year ago by RoundTowner
Latest reply from JonMyers

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RoundTowner
Miranova
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Today the Casino near downtown Toledo broke ground. Studies show this will have a huge impact on nearby businesses and create new ones downtown.
Also, HarrahÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s was named as the Operator for the Cincinnati casino to be built at Broadway Commons, they are promising a new urban design, utilizing lots of glass and street level retail. This type of design would have worked in well in DT Columbus.

Even though the Arena District was not the best location for the Casino, other Downtown locations could have accommodated it, mainly the City Center/Greyhound site.

Instead of the City spending millions on the City Center site, the city could have made millions on the sale of it. Another blunder from City leaders.
Unfortunately, it looks like Downtown may have missed one of the largest opportunities ever and one that is not likely to come along again.

Posted 1 year ago #
chaptal
West Side
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Posted 1 year ago #
Core_Models
Columbus
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Did Columbus blow it on the Casino relocation?

IMO, yes.

Posted 1 year ago #
Snarf
How Do I Delete My Account
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Casinos are creepy and dirty and attract an unsavory element, that said it fits right in on the West side.

eta: i'm allowed to poke fun at the west side bc i also live in the hood. ;)

Posted 1 year ago #
Core_Models
Columbus
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Snarf wrote >>
Casinos are creepy and dirty and attract an unsavory element

You sure you're not thinking of bike night at Bodega?

Posted 1 year ago #
Snarf
How Do I Delete My Account
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i've not been to a bike night there, but i can imagine the similarity.

i actually haven't been to bodega in over a year, i'd ought to get reacquainted with their beer menu soon.

Posted 1 year ago #
joev
Merion Village
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Yes. It should have been in New Albany.

Posted 1 year ago #
futureman
Grandview Heights
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hurray! another casino thread!

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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RoundTowner wrote >>
Today the Casino near downtown Toledo broke ground. Studies show this will have a huge impact on nearby businesses and create new ones downtown.
Also, HarrahÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s was named as the Operator for the Cincinnati casino to be built at Broadway Commons, they are promising a new urban design, utilizing lots of glass and street level retail. This type of design would have worked in well in DT Columbus.
Even though the Arena District was not the best location for the Casino, other Downtown locations could have accommodated it, mainly the City Center/Greyhound site.
Instead of the City spending millions on the City Center site, the city could have made millions on the sale of it. Another blunder from City leaders.
Unfortunately, it looks like Downtown may have missed one of the largest opportunities ever and one that is not likely to come along again.

I think the situations in Toledo, Cincinnati and Columbus are all different enough that a direct comparison isn't very accurate.

We're not getting a Harrah's, we're getting a Hollywood Casino. Personally, I don't think a Hollywood Casino would be a good fit Downtown.

I've not seen anything showing that the City Center mall building was able to be re-purposed for a Casino by Penn, so it's not really accurate to say that scenario could have worked.

Both the City Center site and Arena District site are valuable properties, and I'd be willing to bet that we'll see infill development in both sites within the next 5-10 years. So I don't really think an opportunity was lost here.

On the flip side, I'm skeptical that anything would have been done with the Delphi site for the next 25 years. While I'm all for new development Downtown, there are other parts of the city that need improving as well, so I think it's a bit unfair to say that redeveloping the West Side is a "missed opportunity" for the City of Columbus.

Posted 1 year ago #
Roland
Victorian Village
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I'm also of the opinion that Columbus blew it. Before the vote, and after the vote.

Posted 1 year ago #
RoundTowner
Miranova
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Walker wrote >>

RoundTowner wrote >>
Today the Casino near downtown Toledo broke ground. Studies show this will have a huge impact on nearby businesses and create new ones downtown.
Also, HarrahÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s was named as the Operator for the Cincinnati casino to be built at Broadway Commons, they are promising a new urban design, utilizing lots of glass and street level retail. This type of design would have worked in well in DT Columbus.
Even though the Arena District was not the best location for the Casino, other Downtown locations could have accommodated it, mainly the City Center/Greyhound site.
Instead of the City spending millions on the City Center site, the city could have made millions on the sale of it. Another blunder from City leaders.
Unfortunately, it looks like Downtown may have missed one of the largest opportunities ever and one that is not likely to come along again.

I think the situations in Toledo, Cincinnati and Columbus are all different enough that a direct comparison isn't very accurate.
We're not getting a Harrah's, we're getting a Hollywood Casino. Personally, I don't think a Hollywood Casino would be a good fit Downtown.
I've not seen anything showing that the City Center mall building was able to be re-purposed for a Casino by Penn, so it's not really accurate to say that scenario could have worked.
Both the City Center site and Arena District site are valuable properties, and I'd be willing to bet that we'll see infill development in both sites within the next 5-10 years. So I don't really think an opportunity was lost here.
On the flip side, I'm skeptical that anything would have been done with the Delphi site for the next 25 years. While I'm all for new development Downtown, there are other parts of the city that need improving as well, so I think it's a bit unfair to say that redeveloping the West Side is a "missed opportunity" for the City of Columbus.
Of course this debate could go on and on, however, you are right about the Delphi site. I seriously doubt that any type of development of that scale would ever occur in that area. The Casino will be a huge plus for the Westside.

Being from Boston, I sorta have a thing for inner city development first and also have a problem with lazy politicians with no vision. It seems as though anything City leaders decide on here, everyone agrees and do not question the status quo.

I am not sure why people think downtown is not a good fit for a Casino, downtown should be fit for any business (well most) and should be everyoneÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s neighborhood, not just for the few who live here, it seems like downtowners are just as big NIMBYÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s as suburbanites.
Why is an Arena or Museum fit for downtown and a Casino not. Sounds snobbish to me.

But, it has been decided, so now we may just have to wait 10 years for the south part of downtown to develop.

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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RoundTowner wrote >>
It seems as though anything City leaders decide on here, everyone agrees and do not question the status quo.

Are you saying that because the public vote was not your preferred outcome or are you saying that because you didn't think enough debate took place about the issue? I thought there was pretty healthy debate about the Casino. There was here on CU anyway:

http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/issue-2-casino-relocation

http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/channel-6-says-penn-national-building-casino-on-the-west-side

http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/dispatch-says-no-to-casino

http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/effort-to-move-columbus-casino-begins

RoundTowner wrote >>
I am not sure why people think downtown is not a good fit for a Casino, downtown should be fit for any business (well most) and should be everyoneÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s neighborhood, not just for the few who live here, it seems like downtowners are just as big NIMBYÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s as suburbanites.
Why is an Arena or Museum fit for downtown and a Casino not. Sounds snobbish to me.

I can only speak for myself, but I wouldn't mind a multi-story Vegas-style Casino/Hotel development Downtown with the right financial deal and sustainability. I think that would be a good fit in terms of density. What was proposed was a single-story rural-style slot machine parlor. I didn't think that was a good fit for Downtown.

"Snobbishness" has nothing to do with it, so please don't cast that kind of personal insult or judgment on me or anyone else just because they disagree with you. Thanks.

Posted 1 year ago #
Roland
Victorian Village
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It seems like Columbus was so certain that it couldn't have possibly passed that no one bothered to get arrangements lined up for a better option.

I think Columbus leadership should have had a better option on the ballot. That's the big fail in my mind. No foresight.

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Roland wrote >>
I think Columbus leadership should have had a better option on the ballot. That's the big fail in my mind. No foresight.

Did Toledo, Cincinnati or Cleveland do that?

Posted 1 year ago #
NEOBuckeye
Ohio At-Large
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Walker wrote >>

I can only speak for myself, but I wouldn't mind a multi-story Vegas-style Casino/Hotel development Downtown with the right financial deal and sustainability. I think that would be a good fit in terms of density. What was proposed was a single-story rural-style slot machine parlor. I didn't think that was a good fit for Downtown.
"Snobbishness" has nothing to do with it, so please don't cast that kind of personal insult or judgment on me or anyone else just because they disagree with you. Thanks.

+1

My biggest problem with the proposed casino for the Arena District is that it did not do Columbus any justice at all. A cheesy, one-story, suburban-style "Hollywood" format was the best that they could come up with for a reviving Downtown Columbus? Seriously, WTF?? In all honesty, they probably could have gone with a "Big Apple Casino" theme, or even a "Cowtown Casino" theme, but more than anything, the design itself was offensive and insulting to Columbus' Downtown revitalization efforts. Despite everything else positive going on here in the center of the city, including all of the new high-density development in the Arena District, it illustrated that Columbus was still but a mere afterthought to Penn National and Dan Gilbert. This is the main reason why I opposed it here, and why I'm glad the original proposal didn't happen.

Posted 1 year ago #
RoundTowner
Miranova
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Walker wrote >>

RoundTowner wrote >>
It seems as though anything City leaders decide on here, everyone agrees and do not question the status quo.

Are you saying that because the public vote was not your preferred outcome or are you saying that because you didn't think enough debate took place about the issue? I thought there was pretty healthy debate about the Casino. There was here on CU anyway:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/issue-2-casino-relocation
http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/channel-6-says-penn-national-building-casino-on-the-west-side
http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/dispatch-says-no-to-casino
http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/effort-to-move-columbus-casino-begins

RoundTowner wrote >>
I am not sure why people think downtown is not a good fit for a Casino, downtown should be fit for any business (well most) and should be everyoneÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s neighborhood, not just for the few who live here, it seems like downtowners are just as big NIMBYÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s as suburbanites.
Why is an Arena or Museum fit for downtown and a Casino not. Sounds snobbish to me.

I can only speak for myself, but I wouldn't mind a multi-story Vegas-style Casino/Hotel development Downtown with the right financial deal and sustainability. I think that would be a good fit in terms of density. What was proposed was a single-story rural-style slot machine parlor. I didn't think that was a good fit for Downtown.
"Snobbishness" has nothing to do with it, so please don't cast that kind of personal insult or judgment on me or anyone else just because they disagree with you. Thanks.
Sorry if I ruffled your feathers, but I don't buy your argument, but that is my opinion. You actually sound like Mayor Coleman. Thanks

Posted 1 year ago #
Roland
Victorian Village
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Walker wrote >>

Roland wrote >>
I think Columbus leadership should have had a better option on the ballot. That's the big fail in my mind. No foresight.

Did Toledo, Cincinnati or Cleveland do that?

Why was Columbus the only city after the vote to have a problem requiring a special election?

Cleveland and Cincinnati look like they've got a good deal here with Gilbert and Hannahs. They always appeared to have a more attractive option then Columbus did through the entire ordeal.

Posted 1 year ago #
MFRONE
Lakewood
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Dan Gilbert owns the Cavs...dude could have proposed a one room casino with 3 slot machines and him not having to pay any taxes and had it would have won in a landslide.

Columbus had the extra vote to move the casino because the amendment that was passed state-wide was defeated in Columbus.

Posted 1 year ago #
JonMyers
Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand
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I'm guessing that Clevelander Michael Ruhlman's attitude towards Columbus isn't an isolated case.

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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RoundTowner wrote >>
Sorry if I ruffled your feathers, but I don't buy your argument, but that is my opinion. You actually sound like Mayor Coleman. Thanks

No worries... I'm not ruffled at all. Just asking for a civilized debate that is insult-free.

Anyway... if you're implying that my honest opinion on this topic is some sort of lie, well then... I really don't see any reason to discuss anything with you.

Posted 1 year ago #