Alright, regarding the title, let me just get a few things out of the way, first....
1. Yes, I do know there's a 12,000 seat horse arena planned somewhere near WRMC. So I'll just stress the "ideas and suggestions for projects" here.
2. I know I'm replacing the TWC, Railroad Commission of Texas, and Nathan Frankel Electric Supply Co. Well I have different location plans for them. TWC and Railroad Commission are now housed in a building I made , and Nathan Frankel moving down West 7th in either the older warehouses or part of the "Left Bank" development.
3. Of course, the main reason why I chose this location was because of it's position on Lancaster. The secondary reasons being the development already planned for Lancaster Corridor and this is the other part of downtown (besides the east side lots near the ITC) that needs a face lift.... badly.
4. I chose 15 to 17 thousand seats instead of 12,000 because I think I city this size needs something a lil' bigger than that as far as a multi-purpose arena goes, and I thought the range of 15-17 thousand was enough. Not too small, not too much. Not saying we'll get the 32nd NBA franchise in 2022 or anything, but I'm thinking of other events, like big time concerts, NCAA Tournament rounds / Women's Final Four, RNC's & DNC's.... stuff like that.
Now, with all the above said, here's the overall plan:
The "front door" of the arena would face Lancaster, of course. The planned developments along the corridor would be great compliments to it, especially the one on the same block as the ZIpper Building. Having a building right next to the zipper mural could make a nice alley way for visitors, with the mural on one side and sports bars or stores on the other.
Obviously, there's PLENTY of parking, even outside this selected viewpoint if downtown, so that shouldn't be an issue at all. All the surface lots pictured here are already existing, so (outside where the arena would be) I didn't tear down any buildings. Well... sort of. That Higginbotham building is cut in half. One part being the lengthy 4 level garage facing Burnett St. and the other half being converted into a 2-3 story, loft style sports bar & grill facing the arena.
I'll have more on it (including designs) later.