A development company has floated the idea of building an aquarium/IMAX/science museum thing where the convention center was supposed to go in downtown Albany, JCE reports. That's not going over well with the convention center authority. [TU] [Biz Review]
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Comments
The convention center authority should be dissolved. An aquarium would be a huge boost to downtown, and Albany in general, not to mention a true IMAX theater.
The Omni group wouldn't be proposing this unless they had a strong belief in turning a profit.
... said jamband on Jun 19, 2013 at 8:59 PM | link
Gotta love the pissy tone from the convention center folks...
... said Gina on Jun 19, 2013 at 9:16 PM | link
Taxpayers should be outraged by how much of our money this convention center authority has been burning up since 2004.
... said Ron on Jun 20, 2013 at 9:30 AM | link
It's already known that convention centers do not bring revenue to cities. We already have two here, one in the concourse, and the Times Union Center.
... said mg on Jun 20, 2013 at 9:33 AM | link
I think it is unwise for the Authority to quickly dismiss this idea at the outset, especially given the lack of true public input throughout this process. Given the new reality that a grand convention center may just not be in the cards, and the fact that there has been lukewarm support for this over the past decade, I think it is critical that the Authority open the doors to some transparency and allow the public, especially the residents of Albany to step up to the table about what they would desire. From there, you study the concepts to see if they are workable and appropriate to our city and region.
To put it out there, I’ve always been soft on the convention center idea and most recently have been real sour on it. As a resident of the City, I just don’t see it being an asset I could utilize on a frequent enough basis to warrant all the tax payer dollars going into. Not that it wouldn’t help businesses downtown, which would benefit by the events brought in and provide some revenue to the city. However, I see the events hosted at this convention center chiefly benefiting a target audience that would stop in Albany, spend some money and be gone.
At the end of the day, I feel that we need a more comprehensive and holistic plan for this critical parcel of property in the heart of downtown, and the proposal float by Omni, despite some selfishness on their part, would offer the City several tangible assets for the community, including: several options that could truly build upon the “entertainment†district theme downtown beyond bars; educational and cultural institutions that would expand on the NYS Museum, Albany Visitor Center and soon to come South End Campus (we’d have a museum mile of our own); and mix-use residential and commercial property, bringing more folks and foot traffic downtown. This proposal, in my mind, would help build significantly off of the recent residential expansion downtown and put fuel into a fire for more growth and development downtown. As a resident of the city, this would allow me to bring my family and friends more frequently downtown, further enhancing our quality of life and embracing a truly undervalued, underappreciated, and underinvested urban asset.
... said Rich on Jun 20, 2013 at 9:39 AM | link
The aquarium will bring in tens of thousands of tourists to Albany every year bringing majorly needed revenue for the city.
The only reason the convention authority doesn't like the aquarium idea is because they didn't come up with it. Put your egos aside people and do what's right for the city!
... said Albany Resident on Jun 20, 2013 at 10:02 AM | link
The convention center was a bad idea; the aquarium is worse. I say it is "worse" because it offers a way to dress up the convention center project in new clothing: BIG project that saves the day!
Just look at some of the comments to see the effect the *idea* of an aquarium is having on the minds of folks. What a brilliant sleight of hand by Omni; they almost deserve the project for this maneuver alone.
Look at the first comment by "jamband," and you will see the heart of the matter: "The Omni group wouldn't be proposing this unless they had a strong belief in turning a profit."
Let's not confuse that what is good for the goose is good for the gander: Omni is proposing this to profit by it, as I would expect them to. But just because they would profit does not mean that we, the citizens and taxpayers, would profit, to speak nothing of the opportunity cost of building such a thing.
Let's try and be intelligently self-interested and think about what profits us first and foremost, shall we?
... said Cincinnatus on Jun 20, 2013 at 12:43 PM | link
This is such a great idea!!! Aquariums have been a great attraction for Boston, San Diego, Baltimore and Atlanta. I am curious if this would boost our museum/ visitor sites traffic. Albany also needs to thing seriously about parking issues before giving this serious consideration. But I hope it happens!!!!
... said LittleE on Jun 21, 2013 at 11:00 AM | link