PPL Center: Difference between revisions
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* '''Two parking decks''' to be owned by the city. One five-story parking deck with 640 spaces is to be built on Linden Street, behind the hotel. A second parking lot, this one 120-spaces, is to be built under the office building on Hamilton Street. Estimated cost: $19 Million Dollars.<ref name="cost"/> |
* '''Two parking decks''' to be owned by the city. One five-story parking deck with 640 spaces is to be built on Linden Street, behind the hotel. A second parking lot, this one 120-spaces, is to be built under the office building on Hamilton Street. Estimated cost: $19 Million Dollars.<ref name="cost"/> |
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* An additional $22.4 million for debt service, loan and professional fees. Yet another $5.5 million is being spent for planning costs of the hotel and office building, bringing the total tally to about $272 million.<ref name="cost"/> |
* An additional $22.4 million for debt service, loan and professional fees. Yet another $5.5 million is being spent for planning costs of the hotel and office building, bringing the total tally to about $272 million.<ref name="cost"/> |
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* Two additional structures, '''One City Center''' and '''Two City Center''' are planned. One City Center is a $50 million office complex that would include a 570-space underground parking garage with an estimated capacity of more than 700 mostly white-collar office workers. Demolition has started for One City Center in October 2012. Two City Center is still in the planning stage.<ref>[http://articles.mcall.com/2011-12-14/news/mc-allentown-arena-reilly-20111214_1_allentown-hockey-arena-neighborhood-improvement-zone-downtown-allentown-development Developer unveils $50 million office complex]</ref> |
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==Background on Phantoms== |
==Background on Phantoms== |
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Revision as of 18:43, 14 October 2012
 | |
| Location | Corner of Hamilton and 7th St, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18102 |
|---|---|
| Owner | City of Allentown |
| Operator | Comcast Spectacor |
| Capacity | 8,500 for hockey, 10,000 for concerts |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 3, 2012 (site demolition)[1] |
| Opened | September 13, 2013 (expected)[2] |
| Construction cost | $272 million (Estimated) |
| Architect | Sink Combs Dethlefs Elkus Manfredi |
| Project manager | Hammes Company Sports Development, Inc. |
| General contractor | Alvin H. Butz Jr.[3] |
| Tenants | |
| Lehigh Valley/Allentown AHL team | |
Allentown Arena is an arena under construction in Allentown, Pennsylvania scheduled to open in Fall 2013, whose primary tenant will be the Phantoms, an American Hockey League team.
Overview
The arena is part of a larger redevelopment project of the central business district of Allentown. The project encompasses a 5-acre square square block area, in which several new structures are planned to be erected:[4]
- An 8,500-seat arena, including sports bar and retail shop. Estimated cost: $177.1 Million Dollars.[4]
- An eight-story office buiding for Lehigh Valley Hospital's sports medicine center, which will occupy floors two through six. The first floor will be retail space and a sports bar, with floors seven and eight open for a yet-to-be-signed lease. The building will be a "finished shell" that will require what could be tens of millions of dollars more to customize it. Estimated cost: $24.5 Million Dollars.[4]
- A 180-room hotel, restaurant and banquet center. The building will need millions of dollars more in finishing touches by a yet-to-be-determined national chain. Estimated cost:$23.5 Million Dollars.[4]
- Two parking decks to be owned by the city. One five-story parking deck with 640 spaces is to be built on Linden Street, behind the hotel. A second parking lot, this one 120-spaces, is to be built under the office building on Hamilton Street. Estimated cost: $19 Million Dollars.[4]
- An additional $22.4 million for debt service, loan and professional fees. Yet another $5.5 million is being spent for planning costs of the hotel and office building, bringing the total tally to about $272 million.[4]
- Two additional structures, One City Center and Two City Center are planned. One City Center is a $50 million office complex that would include a 570-space underground parking garage with an estimated capacity of more than 700 mostly white-collar office workers. Demolition has started for One City Center in October 2012. Two City Center is still in the planning stage.[5]
Background on Phantoms
The final games for the Philadelphia Phantoms were April 16–24, 2009 in the 2009 Calder Cup playoffs against the eventual Calder Cup champions Hershey Bears where they were swept in four games. After that season, the Spectrum, their home arena since the formation of the team in 1996, was scheduled to be demolished to make way for Xfinity Live!. On April 28, 2009, it was announced that the Phantoms would be moving to the 4,806 seat Glens Falls Civic Center (built in 1979) in Glens Falls, New York.[6] The Philadelphia Phantoms were renamed the Adirondack Phantoms.
When the decision was made to close the Spectrum, Comcast Spectacor, the owner operator of the team, sold ownership to The Brooks Group, based in Pittsburgh, PA. The initial contract with Glens Falls was for two years, but on March 2011, the Brooks Group signed for another two years (with a third year option) to remain in Glen Falls and chipped in $50,000 toward the cost of installing video boards and a new arena sound system.[7] As the Glens Falls Civic Center is one of the smallest arenas in the AHL, the desire was to have a larger permanent arena near Philadelphia.
Competition on Building Sites
Rebuilding an arena on the site of Spectrum in Philadelphia was rejected in favor of the more profitable Xfinity Live! project and a new 300 room hotel. The competition to build a new arena for the Phantoms in 2008 was primarily between Allentown and Camden NJ,.[8] While Camden was closer, Allentown had a more elaborate proposal which helped secure Allentown's bid for the team.
Plans to build the Allentown Arena at the corner of 7th and Hamilton Streets in downtown Allentown were announced in late 2009. For much of 2009 and 2010, the focus of the project was on securing funding. The project took a major leap forward when in 2011, several properties were purchased by the city to help clear the way for the project to begin. The buying and relocation of businesses caused mixed reviews. By the end of January 2012, all of the properties had been purchased with final demolition of all buildings occurring in early February 2012.
Controversy
Construction on the site had been at a standstill pending litigation on the legality of the financing of the Arena, putting the future of the entire project in doubt.[9][10]
Much of the current concern about the Allentown Arena is centered on the huge cost of the arena relative to the cost of other dedicated American Hockey League arenas in the country. Some experts feel that the Allentown hockey arena benefited from funding a plan with no cap.[11]As of October 2012 $224.3 million in bonds have been sold.[12][13][4]
In addition to the funding issues, there has been much debate about the economic feasibility of the project, which is in an urban, high crime area that has limited parking available as well as the limited seating capacity of the arena. Also, concerns have risen that the project may not generate enough revenue to cover the cost of construction, which has more than doubled from its initial estimate.
References
- ^ McEvoy, Colin (January 3, 2012). "As Allentown Hockey Arena Demolition Begins, New Business Announces Office Opening". The Express-Times. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Kraus, Scott (March 5, 2012). "More Details of Phantoms' Allentown Arena, Hotel, Offices Emerge". The Morning Call. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- ^ Lash, Devin (April 4, 2012). "Allentown Zoners Approve Butz's $10M Expansion Downtown". The Morning Call. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Allentown's arena block to cost $272 million
- ^ Developer unveils $50 million office complex
- ^ Dougherty, Pete (April 28, 2009). "`This Is a Very Exciting Announcement for Glens Falls'". Albany Times Union. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Thompson, Maury (March 4, 2011). "Phantoms Staying in Glens Falls for at Least Two More Seasons". The Post-Star. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Blockus, Gary R. (September 6, 2008). "Faceoff for Minor League Hockey Team?". The Morning Call. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Kraus, Scott; Assad, Matt (May 22, 2012). "Hanover Rejects Allentown's Arena Settlement Offer". The Morning Call. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ Assad, Matt (May 21, 2012). "Bethlehem Township Officials Reject Arena Deal". The Morning Call. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ Kraus, Scott; Assad, Matt (February 4, 2012). "Allentown Hockey Arena Costs Adding Up". The Morning Call. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Kraus, Scott (July 11, 2012). "Arena on Track to Rise in Fall With Pennsylvania Steel". The Morning Call. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Allentown completes bond sales, receives funding for hockey arena project
External links
