New $300 million arena for DePaul?

[brianstl]

Yeah, I don't see this happening at all. $100 million in public money in this environment and getting another $100 million in naming rights for an arena where the main tenant would be the DePaul Blue Demons?

http://www.suntimes.com/20088232-761/exclusive-rahm-to-announce-300-million-depaul-stadium-plan-for-mccormick-place.html

[kmbilliken]

How close is that to campus?

Is that even a consideration?

[brianstl]

Depending on traffic, anywhere from a 10 to 20 minute drive.

[JMM28]

This plan explains why Reinsdorf and company at the United Center were offering free rent. Less competition for their building.

The $300 million is for the arena and hotels, if I am understanding correctly. I still don't see them getting $100 million in public money, but I don't think the naming rights would have to be that much. I would think they could get between 1 and 2 million a year over 20 years for naming rights. Maybe more depending on the scope of the project.

[Pistol]

How close is that to campus?

Is that even a consideration?

No, it's not that close. Brian's 10-20 minute estimate might be true if you're in a speeding police car at 3:30 in the morning. Even then, probably not. Parking near DePaul or McCormick Place alone takes 10-20 minutes on either end. Crossing downtown Chicago at any point of the day is a nightmare traffic-wise. Students would take the red line from Fullerton to Cermak-Chinatown, and it's a bit of a hike from there to the convention center; not sure where exactly on the McCormick Place footprint the arena would go.

Would it be better than the current situation in Rosemont? Yeah, probably. But worth $300 million? That's insane. Even more insane is this:

"Earlier this year, DePaul turned down a 10-year, rent-free offer to move Blue Demons basketball to the United Center in favor of pursuing Emanuel’s plan to build a new basketball arena near McCormick Place."

Absolutely ridiculous. DePaul should just go with that.

[SLU_PT_2k11]

Depending on traffic, anywhere from a 10 to 20 minute drive.

No way it's 20 mins unless it's a wednesday at 1030am and you are driving 85. I live right next to depaul and anytime a game would be, you are looking at an hour from campus.

[RUBillsFan]

Would it be better than the current situation in Rosemont? Yeah, probably. But worth $300 million? That's insane. Even more insane is this:

"Earlier this year, DePaul turned down a 10-year, rent-free offer to move Blue Demons basketball to the United Center in favor of pursuing Emanuel’s plan to build a new basketball arena near McCormick Place."

Absolutely ridiculous. DePaul should just go with that.

I would be curious about the terms of the rent-free lease. My guess is that DePaul would not get any of the parking, concession, or other auxiliary revenues associated with the team playing in the United Center. I also wonder how some of the expenses associated with getting the facility read for games and hosting the game would be covered. On first glance, rent-free looks great, but without knowing the specifics, it is impossible to know if it is really a good deal or a lousy deal.

[Pistol]

I would be curious about the terms of the rent-free lease. My guess is that DePaul would not get any of the parking, concession, or other auxiliary revenues associated with the team playing in the United Center. I also wonder how some of the expenses associated with getting the facility read for games and hosting the game would be covered. On first glance, rent-free looks great, but without knowing the specifics, it is impossible to know if it is really a good deal or a lousy deal.

Anything beats Rosemont. At least playing at the United Center creates the possibility of fans showing up at home games.

SLU didn't play at Scottrade rent-free, that's for sure.

[Clock_Tower]

Anything beats Rosemont. At least playing at the United Center creates the possibility of fans showing up at home games.

SLU didn't play at Scottrade rent-free, that's for sure.

Correct about Scottrade and it not be "rent-free". At the same time, playing in an empty 22,000 venue a long way from campus is not very smart either. At least Rosemont is relatively closer and much smaller. Therefore, while United Center is much more "first class", it might actually be worse for DePaul.

Also, isn't McCormack Place by or the same as the United Center/Convention Center. Also located downtown by Soldier Field?? If so, then yes, that's a long way from campus. I do recall the SLU students (I was one years ago) bitc% about the 5 minute bus ride from campus to Kiel/Savvis/Scottrade. If DePaul students today are like SLU students then, this would be terrible plan. DePaul needs a true "on-campus" arena and if it won't, despite being the Big East all those years (and now the new Big East), then this doesn't say much for them.

[Pistol]

I don't know where you people are getting your maps and information about Chicago.

Allstate Arena: 16.4 miles from DePaul's student center.

United Center: 4.1 miles from DePaul's student center.

And no, McCormick Place is at the southern edge of the South Loop neighborhood, on the lake. It doesn't really feel like it's "by" anywhere. It's about a mile south of Soldier Field. United Center is not by Soldier Field.

DePaul has a super nice practice gym that seats a couple thousand and that the women use for home games. The men play an exhibition game there each year, usually. There is no room for a Big East-worthy arena near DePaul's campus. They're landlocked way more so than SLU ever was and - more importantly - the surrounding neighborhood is too nice to force people out for gentrification or the University's purposes.

[SLU_PT_2k11]

Correct about Scottrade and it not be "rent-free". At the same time, playing in an empty 22,000 venue a long way from campus is not very smart either. At least Rosemont is relatively closer and much smaller. Therefore, while United Center is much more "first class", it might actually be worse for DePaul.

Also, isn't McCormack Place by or the same as the United Center/Convention Center. Also located downtown by Soldier Field?? If so, then yes, that's a long way from campus. I do recall the SLU students (I was one years ago) bitc% about the 5 minute bus ride from campus to Kiel/Savvis/Scottrade. If DePaul students today are like SLU students then, this would be terrible plan. DePaul needs a true "on-campus" arena and if it won't, despite being the Big East all those years (and now the new Big East), then this doesn't say much for them.

Well, an on campus place is not happening. Depaul is located smack dab in the middle of Lincoln Park, a yuppie neighborhood in Chicago. My 1BR apt is 1500, and small studios go for around 1k. There is literally no space to build. Chicago's North side is not like STL. It is a major city with houses upon houses upon buildings. It takes about 20min to drive to the United Center from Depaul(30 with heavier traffic-I do it twice every day). The united Center is not close to Mccormick place. UC is on west side at basically Ashland/Madison; Mccormick is down by soldier field. It might look relatively close on a map...it is not.

Rosemont is a joke. It is not closer. If you say use the blue line, well Depaul is a 15 min walk from the blue line and then you have to wait and then get up there. I wouldn't go to games if that was the situation. Driving up would be a nightmare, too...Nobody want's to take the Kennedy at that hour if they want to get where they are going with any piece of soul left.

[SLU_PT_2k11]

"They're landlocked way more so than SLU ever was and - more importantly - the surrounding neighborhood is too nice to force people out for gentrification or the University's purposes."

Yes. Nobody in Chicago gives a about Depaul. I'm not even sure Depaul students give a about Depaul, they just like living in Lincoln Park and getting a decent(yet overpriced-just like SLU) education

[cgeldmacher]

I don't know where you people are getting your maps and information about Chicago.

Allstate Arena: 16.4 miles from DePaul's student center.

United Center: 4.1 miles from DePaul's student center.

And no, McCormick Place is at the southern edge of the South Loop neighborhood, on the lake. It doesn't really feel like it's "by" anywhere. It's about a mile south of Soldier Field. United Center is not by Soldier Field.

DePaul has a super nice practice gym that seats a couple thousand and that the women use for home games. The men play an exhibition game there each year, usually. There is no room for a Big East-worthy arena near DePaul's campus. They're landlocked way more so than SLU ever was and - more importantly - the surrounding neighborhood is too nice to force people out for gentrification or the University's purposes.

Thank God that Biondi acquired all that land over all those years before he mysteriously and abruptly became inept and a tyrant.

[JettFlight5]

Wow, now Depaul will have a new facility to finish last in.

[SLU_PT_2k11]

Thank God that Biondi acquired all that land over all those years before he mysteriously and abruptly became inept and a tyrant.

That's a little misguided. Chicago is an actual major city, and specifically the Depaul area has been very nice for a long time. You can't buy up space in Lincoln Park like you can in a ###### Midtown area of STL. I love St. Louis and I understand the inferiority complex it has with Chicago, but you gotta open your eyes. I would've said the same thing as you a year ago before I moved here, so that's not a personal attack.

Also: Biondi stepped down..come to grips, dude. He made great improvements to SLU and STL, but that's a specific example in a specific city where his vision worked.

[Pistol]

Wow, now Depaul will have a new facility to finish last in.

I wouldn't be so sure. This plan is awful.

Then again, I can't believe cities are still looking at 9-figure burdens for stadiums. I am not aware of an example of where that's working out well.

[SLU_PT_2k11]

I wouldn't be so sure. This plan is awful.

Then again, I can't believe cities are still looking at 9-figure burdens for stadiums. I am not aware of an example of where that's working out well.

The Marlins are thriving

[MusicCityBilliken]

I wouldn't be so sure. This plan is awful.

Then again, I can't believe cities are still looking at 9-figure burdens for stadiums. I am not aware of an example of where that's working out well.

Stupid Atlanta doing the same thing. Build Falcon Stadium and demolish the Georgia Dome which is just 30 years old. Will get the Falcons 8 home games and probably mighty Georgia State will play its home games in the new stadium also.

No one wants it and everyone says the Georgia Dome is just fine. They claim much of the funding is going to come out from a hotel tax (Atlanta already has one of the highest rates). In directly this will potentially still hurt the public coffers if conventions (which Atlanta depends on dearly) goes elsewhere and Atlanta is stuck with a lot of empty hotel rooms.

Only if these cities would learn.

[Pistol]

Hamilton County is bleeding money and the Bengals actually draw pretty well. The stadium deal here is considered the worst in the NFL- not that other cities aren't trying to top that as we speak.

I don't think anyone in and around STL can argue the Dome deal was worth it.

It's truly mind-boggling.

[JettFlight5]

I wouldn't be so sure. This plan is awful.

Then again, I can't believe cities are still looking at 9-figure burdens for stadiums. I am not aware of an example of where that's working out well.

I thought you were debating the Depaul part.

[Pistol]

I thought you were debating the Depaul part.

Absolutely not. They seem to have a stranglehold on last place.

[bbtds]

The good thing about McCormick Place's location is that it is on the very end of I-55 where it empties into Lake Shore Drive. There is a exit to the left off I-55 directly into parking for McCormick Place. Obviously there are traffic issues going south on the Kennedy (I-94) and crossing the Ike (I-290) or getting there by LSD during rush hour but for weekend games it's an excellent location.

Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah's Lake Shore Drive is very calming when stuck in those traffic jams on the Damn Ruined Excessway, the Ike, the Kennedy or even escaping town on LSD.

[bbtds]

Also I learned something interesting for you Chicago people. Tom Skilling, the WGN weather guru, anonymously paid for the greater part of the meteorology school at Valpo and the doppler radar next to the Valpo campus. Valpo now appears on almost all ChicagoTV weather maps due to Skilling's personal affinity for the area.

One graduate of the Valpo meteorology school is Good Morning America weather lady, Ginger Zee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_Zee

[SLU_PT_2k11]

Also I learned something interesting for you Chicago people. Tom Skilling, the WGN weather guru, anonymously paid for the greater part of the meteorology school at Valpo and the doppler radar next to the Valpo campus. Valpo now appears on almost all ChicagoTV weather maps due to Skilling's personal affinity for the area.

One graduate of the Valpo meteorology school is Good Morning America weather lady, Ginger Zee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_Zee

Yowza. she's the hottest woman to ever go to Valpo i'm sure

[Billiken Rich]

Also I learned something interesting for you Chicago people. Tom Skilling, the WGN weather guru, anonymously paid for the greater part of the meteorology school at Valpo and the doppler radar next to the Valpo campus. Valpo now appears on almost all ChicagoTV weather maps due to Skilling's personal affinity for the area.

One graduate of the Valpo meteorology school is Good Morning America weather lady, Ginger Zee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_Zee

That's some GOOD TRIVIA but you can do better. What's Tom Skilling's wife's name? Where is his dog groomed?