Monday, January 21, 2008
Lessons in Alberta Politics, 101
"I think Edmontonians won't hear a peep about a downtown arena until after the provincial election. The feasibility study must still be completed. But the thing will be kept under wraps until after the next government is elected.
The last thing arena proponents want is for their plans to become part of the campaign discussion. Candidates and party leaders could get boxed in by the debate to the point of making promises to oppose public funding of a new arena."
--Scott McKeen, Edmonton Journal
Boxed in? You mean publicly accountable, right? Yeah, God forbid that ever happening. How could our democracy function if politicians were actually forced to formulate and defend opinions on issues before election day? Or make public policy commitments based on the will and desire of the citizens they are suposed to represent? I mean, why would anyone want to garner the public's approval in spending the public's dollars to support a private enterprise? That's just inconceivable.
Oh, and that's two days in a row now where stories in the Journal have mentioned the use of public dollars for the arena. Just saying.
Labels: New Arena
# posted by andy grabia @ 8:34 am 
Comments:
Wasn't the arena feasibility report due in December? By my count, they're either stalling or we're on the 52nd day of December 2007 today.
As much as I hate communists, I gotta believe there's at least one NDP mole in city hall who would be ready and willing to leak a pro-arena feasibility study during a provincial election. Calgarians aren't going to want to pay for it. A significant percentage of Edmontonians won't want to pay for it (myself included). I don't know what the farmers want.
I think "boxed in" is my new phrase.
Wife: Honey, why didn't you take out the trash when I first asked you to do it?
Husband: Sorry dear, I just didn't want to get "boxed in" to doing it all of the time...
It could well be very little will be asked of any government in building the arena, but Katz/Butler will ask for master planning status in the area, the right to redevelop the arena and the blocks around it. I'm not exactly sure how this would work, and how much say the city would have if it granted this status to Katz/Butler.
In any case, if/when we see an arena development, it's pretty clear we will also see condos, theatres, parks, retail.
To me, this whole thing comes down to the details, which we don't yet know.
How smart will this redevelopment be?
Will it just blow down old buildlings, or will it incorporate them into the new structures, as happening at Petco park, where an old brick warehouse became part of the stadium?
Will it help transform the area around it into a lively area or a deadzone when there are no hockey games?
As a taxpayer, I'd be willing to trade some of my tax dollars for some say in what gets built, rather than have some deadzone bunker get erected. That said, I'm not taking a position on the arena issue until I see details, and those had well better come out before any decision is made. If the public is going to be asked for anything here from the developer, the decision must be made in public, and the public must get something important in return.
So it's good you're on this issue with such passion Andy.
P.S. When we look at Katz's house, we see a man with grand ambitions, to say the least. I suspect this arena will be some kind of monument, but the key issue is how it is going to add to or detract from the neighborhood where it is built.
As long as they get rid of the zombie drug addicts I'm all for it.
Also having seen the amazing Candyland carnival surrounding Rexall I can see how this development will make Edmonton's downtown one that will be envied in urban centres everywhere.
Plus its not my money.
"As a taxpayer, I'd be willing to trade some of my tax dollars for some say in what gets built, rather than have some deadzone bunker get erected."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the proposed downtown site pretty much the land of the living dead right now? By comparison, a deadzone bunker would look like the Louvre.
BTW - congrats to both Matt and Andy!
Andy, are you going to the arena conference? It would seem to right up your ally--some of the biggest names in sports economics discussing your favorite issue. I hear there may be a simulcast as well.
My guess is the deal is done. Just watching the presser and Butler looks pretty much totally defeated.
Ahhhhh-hahahahaha!
Andy, are you going to the arena conference? It would seem to right up your ally--some of the biggest names in sports economics discussing your favorite issue. I hear there may be a simulcast as well.
Couldn't do it. Too much other stuff to do today.
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Wasn't the arena feasibility report due in December? By my count, they're either stalling or we're on the 52nd day of December 2007 today.
# posted by 
: January 21, 2008 9:34 am
: January 21, 2008 9:34 am As much as I hate communists, I gotta believe there's at least one NDP mole in city hall who would be ready and willing to leak a pro-arena feasibility study during a provincial election. Calgarians aren't going to want to pay for it. A significant percentage of Edmontonians won't want to pay for it (myself included). I don't know what the farmers want.
# posted by : January 21, 2008 11:09 am
: January 21, 2008 11:09 am I think "boxed in" is my new phrase.
Wife: Honey, why didn't you take out the trash when I first asked you to do it?
Husband: Sorry dear, I just didn't want to get "boxed in" to doing it all of the time...
It could well be very little will be asked of any government in building the arena, but Katz/Butler will ask for master planning status in the area, the right to redevelop the arena and the blocks around it. I'm not exactly sure how this would work, and how much say the city would have if it granted this status to Katz/Butler.
In any case, if/when we see an arena development, it's pretty clear we will also see condos, theatres, parks, retail.
To me, this whole thing comes down to the details, which we don't yet know.
How smart will this redevelopment be?
Will it just blow down old buildlings, or will it incorporate them into the new structures, as happening at Petco park, where an old brick warehouse became part of the stadium?
Will it help transform the area around it into a lively area or a deadzone when there are no hockey games?
As a taxpayer, I'd be willing to trade some of my tax dollars for some say in what gets built, rather than have some deadzone bunker get erected. That said, I'm not taking a position on the arena issue until I see details, and those had well better come out before any decision is made. If the public is going to be asked for anything here from the developer, the decision must be made in public, and the public must get something important in return.
So it's good you're on this issue with such passion Andy.
P.S. When we look at Katz's house, we see a man with grand ambitions, to say the least. I suspect this arena will be some kind of monument, but the key issue is how it is going to add to or detract from the neighborhood where it is built.
As long as they get rid of the zombie drug addicts I'm all for it.
Also having seen the amazing Candyland carnival surrounding Rexall I can see how this development will make Edmonton's downtown one that will be envied in urban centres everywhere.
Plus its not my money.
"As a taxpayer, I'd be willing to trade some of my tax dollars for some say in what gets built, rather than have some deadzone bunker get erected."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the proposed downtown site pretty much the land of the living dead right now? By comparison, a deadzone bunker would look like the Louvre.
BTW - congrats to both Matt and Andy!
# posted by : January 21, 2008 4:16 pm
: January 21, 2008 4:16 pm Andy, are you going to the arena conference? It would seem to right up your ally--some of the biggest names in sports economics discussing your favorite issue. I hear there may be a simulcast as well.
My guess is the deal is done. Just watching the presser and Butler looks pretty much totally defeated.
Ahhhhh-hahahahaha!
# posted by : January 21, 2008 6:19 pm
: January 21, 2008 6:19 pm Andy, are you going to the arena conference? It would seem to right up your ally--some of the biggest names in sports economics discussing your favorite issue. I hear there may be a simulcast as well.
Couldn't do it. Too much other stuff to do today.
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