Post by Gene on Dec 12, 2011 10:11:03 GMT -5
West Carrollton wants to lure minor-league teams with proposed arena
By Lawrence Budd, Staff Writer
Updated 10:04 AM Monday, December 12, 2011
WEST CARROLLTON — The $52 million events center in Allen, Texas, sounds a lot like what West Carrollton city officials envision as the anchor for the proposed Miami Bend entertainment district near Interstate 75, south of Dayton.
Opened in 2009 with a concert by country star Reba McIntire, the Allen Event Center near U.S. 75 north of Dallas is home to minor-league hockey and football teams and surrounded by stores, restaurants and hotels.
Now West Carrollton hopes to lure minor-league hockey, soccer and football teams, potentially joining communities from Gwinnett County, north of Atlanta, to Lincoln, Neb., as minor-league sports meccas.
“Happens all the time,” said David Broughton, research director for Sports Business Journal, in an email.
“Varying degrees of success.”
West Carrollton’s plan
West Carrollton will be working with Kent Oelkers, a consultant involved in developing the Allen Event Center, to decide whether to pursue the development of an events center west of the city’s new I-75 interchange.
While pointing to the Allen center, as well as facilities in Dodge City, Kan., and Independence, Miss., as successes, Oelkers cautioned against too much early optimism.
“It’s not a good fit for all communities,” he said. “In the past we’ve walked from projects.”
West Carrollton Mayor Jeff Sanner said city officials were excited by the prospect of Dayton Gems hockey, Dayton Silverbacks indoor football and Dayton Dutch Lions soccer being played at an events center in their city.
“They’re all people that could use a facility like this,” Sanner said. “Whether it’s a key aspect is yet to be determined.”
The sports teams, in combination with concerts and other events, could help make West Carrollton a “destination location,” according to local officials.
Early next year, Oelkers will complete the first phase of a multipart study designed to measure, among other things, whether there is sufficient demand for an events center, where it should be located and how it would be financed.
“It’s going to have to be a public-private partnership,” Sanner said.
The Texas example
The Allen Americans won a Central Hockey League conference championship and a trip to the finals in 2010. In March, the center becomes home to the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Concerts and rodeos fill other dates on the center’s calendar.
Still, there have been problems. The city and Global Entertainment, the consultants group that built and was managing the center, split in a dispute. Litigation continues, while the city has taken over the center’s management.
“Overall the city council’s goal was to make Allen a regional tourist destination,” said assistant city manager Wes Pierson. “It’s done a lot to put Allen on the map.”
Rather than financed directly by Allen, about $40 million in debt on the center is being paid off by the MGHerring Group, the Dallas-based developer of the retail around the arena, through sales and ticket taxes, Pierson said.
“We’re not scrambling to make debt payments,” he said.
Much like development at the Austin Boulevard I-75 interchange, south of West Carrollton, the Allen center and commercial developments around it were financed through different economic development funding sources.
Since the Allen center opened, plans for a major mall another exit north on U.S. 75 were abandoned.
“In Allen, the arena was the tie-breaker,” said Robert Winningham, former director of an economic development corporation set up to help finance the project. ”The hockey team came with the arena.”
Development plans north in McKinney also stalled, while stores at a mall south in Plano, moved to the arena district.
“That’s competition,” said Winningham, now running for Congress in southern Indiana. “Communities are always going to compete with one another.”
What was the difference in Allen?
“It takes a city council to be progressively minded. You’ve got to kind of think outside the box,” Winningham said.
Will teams move?
The Dutch Lions, which already plans to move its games and youth academy to West Carrollton, was ready to play an indoor season there.
“Not only to keep our professional players with us year-round, but also to give our fans more games to watch,” Mike Mossel, team owner and president, said in an email. “A new indoor location in West Carrollton would be ideal since we want to make West Carrollton our home, not only for our youth academy but in future years also for our pro teams.”
The Dayton Gems continue to invest in their current home, Hara Arena. Still the team would be interested in moving to West Carrollton, provided enough fans came to the games, team President Joe Greene said.
Attendance this season has been below preseason goals.
“We continue to improve,” Greene said. “Early in the season is sometimes tough.”
Officials with the Dayton Silverbacks football team expressed doubts about the West Carrollton plan.
“We did the suburban thing. We were in Troy (in Miami County) for three years,” general manager Mike Lause said. “If I’ve got to pay more, I’ve got to get a piece of the concessions.”
Read more: www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/west-carrollton-wants-to-lure-minor-league-teams-with-proposed-arena-1297627.html
By Lawrence Budd, Staff Writer
Updated 10:04 AM Monday, December 12, 2011
WEST CARROLLTON — The $52 million events center in Allen, Texas, sounds a lot like what West Carrollton city officials envision as the anchor for the proposed Miami Bend entertainment district near Interstate 75, south of Dayton.
Opened in 2009 with a concert by country star Reba McIntire, the Allen Event Center near U.S. 75 north of Dallas is home to minor-league hockey and football teams and surrounded by stores, restaurants and hotels.
Now West Carrollton hopes to lure minor-league hockey, soccer and football teams, potentially joining communities from Gwinnett County, north of Atlanta, to Lincoln, Neb., as minor-league sports meccas.
“Happens all the time,” said David Broughton, research director for Sports Business Journal, in an email.
“Varying degrees of success.”
West Carrollton’s plan
West Carrollton will be working with Kent Oelkers, a consultant involved in developing the Allen Event Center, to decide whether to pursue the development of an events center west of the city’s new I-75 interchange.
While pointing to the Allen center, as well as facilities in Dodge City, Kan., and Independence, Miss., as successes, Oelkers cautioned against too much early optimism.
“It’s not a good fit for all communities,” he said. “In the past we’ve walked from projects.”
West Carrollton Mayor Jeff Sanner said city officials were excited by the prospect of Dayton Gems hockey, Dayton Silverbacks indoor football and Dayton Dutch Lions soccer being played at an events center in their city.
“They’re all people that could use a facility like this,” Sanner said. “Whether it’s a key aspect is yet to be determined.”
The sports teams, in combination with concerts and other events, could help make West Carrollton a “destination location,” according to local officials.
Early next year, Oelkers will complete the first phase of a multipart study designed to measure, among other things, whether there is sufficient demand for an events center, where it should be located and how it would be financed.
“It’s going to have to be a public-private partnership,” Sanner said.
The Texas example
The Allen Americans won a Central Hockey League conference championship and a trip to the finals in 2010. In March, the center becomes home to the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Concerts and rodeos fill other dates on the center’s calendar.
Still, there have been problems. The city and Global Entertainment, the consultants group that built and was managing the center, split in a dispute. Litigation continues, while the city has taken over the center’s management.
“Overall the city council’s goal was to make Allen a regional tourist destination,” said assistant city manager Wes Pierson. “It’s done a lot to put Allen on the map.”
Rather than financed directly by Allen, about $40 million in debt on the center is being paid off by the MGHerring Group, the Dallas-based developer of the retail around the arena, through sales and ticket taxes, Pierson said.
“We’re not scrambling to make debt payments,” he said.
Much like development at the Austin Boulevard I-75 interchange, south of West Carrollton, the Allen center and commercial developments around it were financed through different economic development funding sources.
Since the Allen center opened, plans for a major mall another exit north on U.S. 75 were abandoned.
“In Allen, the arena was the tie-breaker,” said Robert Winningham, former director of an economic development corporation set up to help finance the project. ”The hockey team came with the arena.”
Development plans north in McKinney also stalled, while stores at a mall south in Plano, moved to the arena district.
“That’s competition,” said Winningham, now running for Congress in southern Indiana. “Communities are always going to compete with one another.”
What was the difference in Allen?
“It takes a city council to be progressively minded. You’ve got to kind of think outside the box,” Winningham said.
Will teams move?
The Dutch Lions, which already plans to move its games and youth academy to West Carrollton, was ready to play an indoor season there.
“Not only to keep our professional players with us year-round, but also to give our fans more games to watch,” Mike Mossel, team owner and president, said in an email. “A new indoor location in West Carrollton would be ideal since we want to make West Carrollton our home, not only for our youth academy but in future years also for our pro teams.”
The Dayton Gems continue to invest in their current home, Hara Arena. Still the team would be interested in moving to West Carrollton, provided enough fans came to the games, team President Joe Greene said.
Attendance this season has been below preseason goals.
“We continue to improve,” Greene said. “Early in the season is sometimes tough.”
Officials with the Dayton Silverbacks football team expressed doubts about the West Carrollton plan.
“We did the suburban thing. We were in Troy (in Miami County) for three years,” general manager Mike Lause said. “If I’ve got to pay more, I’ve got to get a piece of the concessions.”
Read more: www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/west-carrollton-wants-to-lure-minor-league-teams-with-proposed-arena-1297627.html