Arena Construction - Make pitch for ASG in 22/23. pg 95

[EastSideBucksFan]

Zoning committee has been meeting all morning.

Look on Peter Feigins face while listening to solar arguments

[MadBlueEdwards]

So the full council votes on it next week and then we're done right? Next step is breaking ground next month?

[EastSideBucksFan]

So the full council votes on it next week and then we're done right? Next step is breaking ground next month?

Yep

Common Council approval 5/24 is final approval for plans for 6/18 groundbreaking

[MickeyDavis]

A year ago we were all nervous about getting the votes to finance the project. Now it's just tweaks here and there. No doubt there will be aspects of the arena and surrounding complex I won't love but the bottom line is this project is moving forward and every game we go to the next two years we'll be able to see the progress of the new arena.

[EastSideBucksFan]

A year ago we were all nervous about getting the votes to finance the project. Now it's just tweaks here and there. No doubt there will be aspects of the arena and surrounding complex I won't love but the bottom line is this project is moving forward and every game we go to the next two years we'll be able to see the progress of the new arena.

The news about the Seattle council voting down new arena plans came the day of or before the forum last week.

Besides the rust exterior panels that I don't like, I just kinda sat there in awe of what we're talking about and then finding myself not really caring about most of the minute details people are griping about. I'm just damn thankful and happy this is really happening and in quick order.

Sacramento fans were going to meetings for 7 years before ground was broken
Seattle is coming up on 10 years of losing their franchise, fans fought before and are still fighting

Milwaukee got perfectly lucky and the stars all aligned.

[MickeyDavis]

Definitely. "debating" design issues is a lot better than debating financing issues. There is no design that would please everyone. Hell even the so called "experts" are all over the place on what they consider to be good/bad with this design. I remember watching the BC go up and how exciting it was. And this is going to blow that away.

[drew881]

Definitely. "debating" design issues is a lot better than debating financing issues. There is no design that would please everyone. Hell even the so called "experts" are all over the place on what they consider to be good/bad with this design. I remember watching the BC go up and how exciting it was. And this is going to blow that away.

Just be patient with the surrounding stuff. Hopefully the surrounding light block is good enough to float the area for at least 5 years before the BC comes down and some of the surrounding buildings move in.

[EastSideBucksFan]

Definitely. "debating" design issues is a lot better than debating financing issues. There is no design that would please everyone. Hell even the so called "experts" are all over the place on what they consider to be good/bad with this design. I remember watching the BC go up and how exciting it was. And this is going to blow that away.

Just be patient with the surrounding stuff. Hopefully the surrounding light block is good enough to float the area for at least 5 years before the BC comes down and some of the surrounding buildings move in.

The BC is required to be torn down within 12 months of new arena opening

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

Was in Grand Rapids this weekend and saw the Devos center. Thought the design was ugly and outdated for a rather new building. I'm not a fan of the design.

That said, designs, seats layouts, food stands, skywalks, etc may have a 2% impact on my game day experience. Those items are for the casual fan to care about. I could watch the bucks in the Mecca and I would only really care about the game. All I know is the bucks are guaranteed here for at least another fifteen years.

[MickeyDavis]

The detailed design plans for the new Milwaukee Bucks arena, parking structure and training facility are heading to final city approval after being endorsed Tuesday by a Common Council committee.

The Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee voted 5-0 to recommend design approval for the arena and training facility, and 4-1 to endorse the parking structure.

The only opponent was Ald. Nik Kovac, who opposed the parking structure plan because it doesn't include details about future apartments that the Bucks say will be built as part of that development. The apartments are part of the parking structure's general plan, which the council approved in January.

The council will vote on the detailed proposals at its May 24 meeting, with the Bucks planning to break ground on the project in June.

The arena will be built just north of the BMO Harris Bradley Center, the basketball team's current home. It is to be completed by the start of the 2018-'19 season, with the parking structure and training facility to open earlier.

The zoning committee's votes felt anti-climactic.

There was little discussion by committee members before the votes. Those came after two and one-half hours of presentations by the Bucks and Department of City Development officials, questions from committee members and comments from city residents.

Some of the public comments were from people wanting a larger solar energy presence in the development. The training facility, which will be built west of N. 6th St. and north of W. Juneau Ave., will include solar panels.

However, there weren't many comments on the arena's overall design, including its distinct curved roof and brown rust-colored zinc exterior.

One critic was resident Jerry Papa, who called the arena "a mess."

Kovac said the N. 6th St. side of the arena, which includes the loading docks and back entrance, is "sort of a jumble."

Project architect Brad Clark, senior principal of the Kansas City-based Populous firm, said the arena was designed with large windows to emphasize its transparency.

Clark said other design elements help break up the arena wall that faces W. Juneau Ave.

Those include plans for a public statue, akin to the Michael Jordan statue outside Chicago's United Center. The Milwaukee statue will likely feature a former Bucks player.

The parking structure will be built north of the arena, east of N. 6th St. between W. Juneau Ave. and W. McKinley Blvd. It will connect to the arena by a skywalk.

The parking structure also is to include 70 apartments on its five upper levels, along with 14,000 square feet of street-level commercial space, overlooking N. 6th St.

Bucks President Peter Feigin told committee members the club believes it will be able to develop the apartments at the same time the parking structure is built. The basketball club has been talking to prospective developers about that project.

"We're trying to accelerate this as much as possible," Feigin said.

The $524 million arena and parking structure will include $250 million in public financing. The $30 million training center is being financed entirely by the Bucks.

[MickeyDavis]

If the statue will be of a former player I don't know who it would be. Kareem was great but played a lot longer in LA than here. Oscar was one of the all-time greats but only played here 4 years after 10 in Cincinnati. McGlocklin has been here since day 1 but if we have to pick one former player to honor with a statue outside the new building should it really be him>? I can see him being honored in some way, it will be 50 years when the new arena opens. Ray Ray? Nope. Lanier, nope. Winters? Dandridge, Marques? None of these guys rise to statue level.

Hell we've only had one title so who the heck do you honor with a statue?

[drew881]

Definitely. "debating" design issues is a lot better than debating financing issues. There is no design that would please everyone. Hell even the so called "experts" are all over the place on what they consider to be good/bad with this design. I remember watching the BC go up and how exciting it was. And this is going to blow that away.

Just be patient with the surrounding stuff. Hopefully the surrounding light block is good enough to float the area for at least 5 years before the BC comes down and some of the surrounding buildings move in.

The BC is required to be torn down within 12 months of new arena opening

Yeah, my sentence above combines the two events. Even when it is torn down, there is going to be massive tracts of land that won't be filled in for years, and that is completely normal. But once the arena is built, people on this board are going to move to the next issue they find that they can gripe about.

[Gianstoppable]

Was in Grand Rapids this weekend and saw the Devos center. Thought the design was ugly and outdated for a rather new building. I'm not a fan of the design.

That said, designs, seats layouts, food stands, skywalks, etc may have a 2% impact on my game day experience. Those items are for the casual fan to care about. I could watch the bucks in the Mecca and I would only really care about the game. All I know is the bucks are guaranteed here for at least another fifteen years.

I dont really agree with this, the seating at BC is terrible, its like they didnt know how obese Wisconsin is when designing the layout. Its sad and frustrating to see elderly people have to navigate to their seat through a very tiny isle that people need to literally stand straight up to let someone pass. Food stands are whatever but having more choices is always nice and skywalks just make sense when starting new. I get that you could care less where they play but I would venture to say its a heck of a lot more than "2%"

[EastSideBucksFan]

Yeah, the statue thing is a tricky thing to pin down. It'd almost be better if they did Oscar & Kareem because putting up a statue of just Kareem seems weird to me. And if you do those two, you should just put McGlocks up there too.

You could say Kohl, but I think he specifically said he doesn't want one.

[Badgerlander]

If the statue will be of a former player I don't know who it would be. Kareem was great but played a lot longer in LA than here. Oscar was one of the all-time greats but only played here 4 years after 10 in Cincinnati. McGlocklin has been here since day 1 but if we have to pick one former player to honor with a statue outside the new building should it really be him>? I can see him being honored in some way, it will be 50 years when the new arena opens. Ray Ray? Nope. Lanier, nope. Winters? Dandridge, Marques? None of these guys rise to statue level.

Hell we've only had one title so who the heck do you honor with a statue?

Moncrief has really been our best player over the longest stretch but I dont know that I'd put up a statue of him

[bucksfansince88]

If the statue will be of a former player I don't know who it would be. Kareem was great but played a lot longer in LA than here. Oscar was one of the all-time greats but only played here 4 years after 10 in Cincinnati. McGlocklin has been here since day 1 but if we have to pick one former player to honor with a statue outside the new building should it really be him>? I can see him being honored in some way, it will be 50 years when the new arena opens. Ray Ray? Nope. Lanier, nope. Winters? Dandridge, Marques? None of these guys rise to statue level.

Hell we've only had one title so who the heck do you honor with a statue?

Herb Kohl or Donnie Nelson

[KidA24]

Yeah, the statue thing is a tricky thing to pin down. It'd almost be better if they did Oscar & Kareem because putting up a statue of just Kareem seems weird to me. And if you do those two, you should just put McGlocks up there too.

You could say Kohl, but I think he specifically said he doesn't want one.

That's the only statute I can think would be worthy.

[JayMKE]

Kareem and Oscar or just Kareem, it's pretty simple. We played in 2 finals, won 1, Kareem won 3 MVPs here and Oscar is an all time great. Who cares if they played more somewhere else? We should want to associate our franchise with the best, the legends of the game and Jon McGlocklin as much as I love him is not that. Kareem played here, Oscar played here, we need to take ownership of that as a franchise. The Lakers can pound sand, Kareem played his best years here anyways!

[MickeyDavis]

That sky hook is iconic no doubt. I like the idea of Kareem, Oscar and McGlocklin. Moncrief was fantastic but not statue worthy.

Kind of sucks that we have no one that really stands out. Speaks to the futility of this damn franchise.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

I hope the bucks do a brick path like at lambeau. I'll drop 50-100 bucks for people to walk on my name.