Funny, the answers are all around us and yet no one wants to see. At least, no one with the power to make change. Had Mayor Perkins and the GPAC Task Force been playing with smart money they would have looked no farther than Revolution Mill on Yanceyville Street, former home to the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship where even when the Nussbaum Center was located there, the vast majority of the old mill and 100% of the nearby Proximity Printworks Mill remains empty.
*Parking? Acres of empty land that was once used for parking thousands of workers.
*Access? Four lanes to Wendover Avenue. Four lanes to Cone Blvd. It doesn't get much better.
*Cost? Less than a third of the projected cost of GPAC. The building is already standing.
*Historic? It's already over 100 years old.
*Environmentally friendly? No new building can ever be greener than retrofitting an existing building. The hauling away of the old YWCA alone did more environmental damage than any amount of LEEDs certifications can ever undo and anyone working in the green building industry will agree.
*Increased Greensboro property values? That's a given anywhere but the Coliseum.
*Lower crime? The Maple St Police station on one side, Irving Park on the other side.
*Nearby shopping? Golden Gate Shopping Center, State Street Shops and plenty of room inside the old Revolution Mill for restaurants, bars, shops, etc, even after building the GPAC there.
Could it work? It worked just fine for the Haw River Ballroom built in the old Dye House of Saxapahaw’s Historic Cotton Mill. And that building is tiny compared to Revolution Mill. But then Greensboro's "movers and shakers" have never been known for their intelligence. Too many years of money handed down through too many generations seems to lower intelligence and creativity for some unknown reason. Or maybe, it just reduces their honesty? You decide.
And with dinky little communities like Saxapahaw (population 1,418) getting 5 star reviews in the New York Times does Greensboro (population 273,425) even stand a chance? Face it, this city is dying. Seriously Folks, if you think Robbie Perkins represents leadership then you need to have your heads examined.
By the way, I like dinky little communities like Saxapahaw because generally you meet fewer stupid people there so if you happen to be from Saxapahaw please don't be offended.
You see, we all know the truth is it only had to be downtown so that Mayor Perkins and his cronies could realize profits on properties they already owned. Yes, the Greensboro Performing Arts Center will most likely be a success but it could have been a success for 1/3 the cost while generating 3 times the profit. Oh wait, that's not right, GPAC is projected to lose money every year it operates.
*Parking? Acres of empty land that was once used for parking thousands of workers.
*Access? Four lanes to Wendover Avenue. Four lanes to Cone Blvd. It doesn't get much better.
*Cost? Less than a third of the projected cost of GPAC. The building is already standing.
*Historic? It's already over 100 years old.
*Environmentally friendly? No new building can ever be greener than retrofitting an existing building. The hauling away of the old YWCA alone did more environmental damage than any amount of LEEDs certifications can ever undo and anyone working in the green building industry will agree.
*Increased Greensboro property values? That's a given anywhere but the Coliseum.
*Lower crime? The Maple St Police station on one side, Irving Park on the other side.
*Nearby shopping? Golden Gate Shopping Center, State Street Shops and plenty of room inside the old Revolution Mill for restaurants, bars, shops, etc, even after building the GPAC there.
Could it work? It worked just fine for the Haw River Ballroom built in the old Dye House of Saxapahaw’s Historic Cotton Mill. And that building is tiny compared to Revolution Mill. But then Greensboro's "movers and shakers" have never been known for their intelligence. Too many years of money handed down through too many generations seems to lower intelligence and creativity for some unknown reason. Or maybe, it just reduces their honesty? You decide.
And with dinky little communities like Saxapahaw (population 1,418) getting 5 star reviews in the New York Times does Greensboro (population 273,425) even stand a chance? Face it, this city is dying. Seriously Folks, if you think Robbie Perkins represents leadership then you need to have your heads examined.
By the way, I like dinky little communities like Saxapahaw because generally you meet fewer stupid people there so if you happen to be from Saxapahaw please don't be offended.
You see, we all know the truth is it only had to be downtown so that Mayor Perkins and his cronies could realize profits on properties they already owned. Yes, the Greensboro Performing Arts Center will most likely be a success but it could have been a success for 1/3 the cost while generating 3 times the profit. Oh wait, that's not right, GPAC is projected to lose money every year it operates.
