In yesterday’s News & Record, Ed Cone explained in his column how and why he will vote “against” the ordinance to ban stadiums in Greensboro’s relatively small and compact Central Business District.
Ed says that, “I fume at the inept marketing of the project and the lack of leadership that got us to this point in the first place.” And I agree. I have outlined many of the events, decisions and out-of-the-public-eye deals that brought us to this point. The seediness of the process that brought the new stadium this far involves more than simple ineptitude in my opinion.
While I appreciate Ed’s take on this I must take exception with his contention that the stadium will be a “net positive” for Greensboro.
The demolition of the Old Burlington Headquarters building will be an undeniable and irreplaceable net loss to Greensboro. We have lost too much of our heritage already, surely there is a place to put a new stadium (if we must have one) that won't destroy more of our historic and important achitecture. (How's about South Elm Street)
Constructing a new stadium on the Bellemeade property, instead of originally planned mixed-use development as proposed by Landmark Assets LLC (this offer to purchase was out-right shunned by AG and the County), will be a huge net loss to Greensboro’s merchants in terms of both money and customers.
And finally, it appears that the move from War Memorial Stadium to the new stadium will be a net loss to the Bats organization based on calculations gleaned from public information and realistic projections that I assembled last year. Keep in mind when reading the bottom line that the Bats stated that they finally broke even in 2002.
Please feel free to question my calculations in the above links but until something credible to refute them comes along I stand by this adage: In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
I will vote “for” the ordinance for reasons I have outlined above in addition to my contention that doing so will send a clear message that this city should never be subjected to such heavy-handed tactics again in the future.
12:52:05 AM 
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