Thursday, September 12, 2013

The Channelside Deal and Stadium Non-Deal

Bonus points to the Times' Jamal Thalji for his coverage of the stadium speculation at Tampa's Channelside district:
Buckhorn envisions the Channel District becoming the entertainment corner of downtown. A new Channelside could be the missing piece to making the Florida Aquarium, the Times Forum and the Tampa Convention Center a unified, walkable waterfront. Add the mythical downtown Tampa baseball stadium, and Buckhorn's vision would be complete.

But the mayor's vision would have to align with Vinik's vision. Vinik and his partners own 12 empty acres across from the Times Forum. The mayor has called it the ideal site for a baseball stadium. (Ideal funding has yet to be discovered, however.)
Thalji acknowledges the elephant(s) in the room: the "mythical" stadium and "yet-to-be discovered" funding.  The subtle nods the the unknown provide proper perspective, as well as underscore just how far we are from any sort of Stadium Saga resolution.

2 comments:

  1. I've "called my shot" a long time ago on here, and slowly but surely it's coming together! Though like I believe, there's no confrontation in "visions", they're ALL on the same page. Though what makes the "vision" more possible then the "elephants" is all the thousands of condos built (and to-be-built) along Meridian Ave.!

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    1. Also, the "vision" isn't just to be the "entertainment corner of downtown", it's to become the entertainment corner of Florida (Disney aside)...

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