Virginia Beach Arena (Cancelled)

[jeffconn]

On 12/25/2015 at 2:42 PM, BFG said:

I imagine the trailer park across from the convention center will be torn down in the next couple years...

That trailer park is one of the proposed routes of the Tide, if i recall correctly.

 

[urbanvb]

The developers of the arena say it will be a slam dunk even without a team. 

http://pilotonline.com/inside-business/developers-say-beach-arena-will-be-slam-dunk-success-without/article_4712ea3e-cd70-5838-8512-8b946a6ea9ca.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HRVT]

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/16203078/nhl-settles-las-vegas-quebec-city-expansion

So one possibility of this area landing a major league team (NHL in this case) is out the window with Las Vegas being chosen as an expansion site for the league. I would assume that they will choose another though so perhaps there's still hope. If that falls through, I would imagine that the Hurricanes relocating would be the best bet for the area to get a major league team. 

Speaking of which, has anyone heard anything new on the arena?

[BFG]

I always figured Vegas and QC would be the expansion candidates, so this doesn't surprise me.

Earlier this year, Harry Minium wrote a Pilot editorial that mentioned the Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and Phoenix Coyotes as possible relocation candidates. With an arena in place, this region still stands a chance there, esp. since two of those teams are on the East Coast. If the arena committee is to be believed, the NHL likes HR's potential.

Last I checked, they're working to secure the funding, and should start groundbreaking around the end of the year.

[HRVT]

11 hours ago, BFG said:

I always figured Vegas and QC would be the expansion candidates, so this doesn't surprise me.

Earlier this year, Harry Minium wrote a Pilot editorial that mentioned the Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and Phoenix Coyotes as possible relocation candidates. With an arena in place, this region still stands a chance there, esp. since two of those teams are on the East Coast. If the arena committee is to be believed, the NHL likes HR's potential.

Last I checked, they're working to secure the funding, and should start groundbreaking around the end of the year.

I would agree that expansion wasn't a realistic option. The three candidates you mentioned are all relocation candidates. Carolina is going to relocate at some point, it's just a matter of when. But I'm not sure if they're going to want to essentially just move a few hours up the road. And while I know there's a huge difference between the major leagues and minor leagues, I can't imagine that the attendance that the Admirals have gotten is encouraging. Even when in the AHL, they were drawing somewhere around lower-middle of the pack. This past year in ECHL, they were towards the bottom of attendance in the league, coming in at 20th. Then again, maybe as the only major league option in the area the new NHL team would do well. I fail to see how Virginia Beach would fare better than Raleigh over the long term though.

[Virginia City]

Most people seem to forget that we had an NHL team 20 years ago we just need the arena and it didn't happen so the new expansion franchise became the Predators and the Whalers moved to Raleigh instead of Norfolk. If we were good enough back then then VB will be good enough now.

[BFG]

"So they agreed to a 30-year non-compete clause with the amphitheater’s private operator in 1995 that barred the city from participating in “any show, performance or event which could reasonably be performed at the amphitheater,” according to the parties’ lease."

I would think that, when this agreement was drafted in 1995, concerts were a lot different, and didn't require the various stage effects you see in big name arena concerts nowadays. Since it says "could be reasonably performed", I imagine we could still see Beyonce or P!nk at the new arena.

Edited June 24, 2016 by BFG

[BFG]

Oops...I misread that part. Carry on.

[757Duke]

New article with updates on the arena. They hope to close the deal on the loan by the end of summer and start construction before the end of the year.

http://pilotonline.com/news/government/virginia-beach-city-council-will-hear-from-developers-about-m/article_bef1baa3-ad04-5442-a3c4-f32fe848404a.html

[varider]

(WAVY) With a September deadline looming, it now appears the developers hoping to build a $200 million arena at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront have found new financial backers — this time from the United States and not from China.

http://wavy.com/2016/06/27/sources-say-new-financing-for-virginia-beach-arena/

 

[BFG]

http://pilotonline.com/news/government/local/developers-plan-to-borrow-m-from-chicago-bank-to-build/article_f3c1a536-62cb-5d86-9a63-7cd1effd950d.html

The bank is B.C. Ziegler out of Chicago...but, the last line confused me.

A public hearing is scheduled for July 5 and the council could vote as soon as July 12.

Is this a vote to officially move forward? I thought that was why they voted last December?

[vdogg]

9 hours ago, BFG said:

http://pilotonline.com/news/government/local/developers-plan-to-borrow-m-from-chicago-bank-to-build/article_f3c1a536-62cb-5d86-9a63-7cd1effd950d.html

The bank is B.C. Ziegler out of Chicago...but, the last line confused me.

A public hearing is scheduled for July 5 and the council could vote as soon as July 12.

Is this a vote to officially move forward? I thought that was why they voted last December?

Perhaps the terms have changed since it's a new bank? I'm confused by this as well. 

[urbanvb]

Here is a photo and story timeline.

http://pilotonline.com/inside-business/photo-timeline-virginia-beach-arena/article_eaa06507-47df-54ee-a774-0a9fd2743a37.html#utm_source=pilotonline.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Finside-business%2Ffriday%2F&utm_medium=email

[vdogg]

Well this is a positive sign. Arena suites have already gone on sale.

[BFG]

Interesting that they're already selling suites with no primary tenant. Is that the norm for a soon-to-be-built arena?

[vdogg]

I could've sworn I included the link, but basically they've opened up sales to their biggest supporters first. Sales to the public come later this year. 

[BFG]

Found this article...

http://pilotonline.com/business/want-to-own-a-suite-in-the-virginia-beach-arena/article_e0335ed3-6525-52dd-ac92-857c065e3a72.html

[tallguy81"]

The fact that companies don't want to buy suites just for concerts and only the chance of pro and/or college sports teams playing at an arena/stadium and the fact that quebec city is interested in a relocation  team (Carolina  hurricanes), Las Vegas having been awarded an expansion team in June, and Seattle not being courted much and Virginia beach as the only other city showing interest tells me one thing.  Virginia beach is the other expansion city or one of the expansion cities if more than 2 expansion  teams. (nhl).  IMO.

Edited August 19, 2016 by tallguy81"

[BFG]

I'm surprised VB approved arena terms before Seattle. From what my friends out there tell me, that whole situation is a cluster****.

[HRVT]

35 minutes ago, tallguy81" said:

The fact that companies don't want to buy suites just for concerts and only the chance of pro and/or college sports teams playing at an arena/stadium and the fact that quebec city is interested in a relocation  team (Carolina  hurricanes), Las Vegas having been awarded an expansion team in June, and Seattle not being courted much and Virginia beach as the only other city showing interest tells me one thing.  Virginia beach is the other expansion city or one of the expansion cities if more than 2 expansion  teams. (nhl).  IMO.

I think it's VERY doubtful that Virginia Beach will get the NHL's 32nd team. And there won't be any further expansion. There are a few teams that are rumored to be eyeing relocation and if VB gets a team, it won't be the Hurricanes (why would they move 3 hours up the road to a smaller metropolitan area with less money that doesn't support the ECHL team they have?).

As far as expansion/relocation goes, after Las Vegas, next is probably Quebec, Seattle, Kansas City, and then probably Houston. I've even seen speculation that Toronto could get a 2nd team. But Virginia Beach is WAY off the radar at this point.

IMO, if Hampton Roads lures a pro team, it'll be basketball.

[tallguy81"]

Houston and Kansas city don't actually have enough of a hockey fan base and have already missed deadlines and quebec is not yet allowed to put in an application yet for an expansion team.  They can only lure a relocation team right now. Governor McAuliffe also was in touch with the developers here and put a call into the commissioner of "a certain league" last year.  The Florida Panthers r looking at a move as well.  So we could have a relocated team. But companies don't want to buy suites at an arena that has not yet started construction unless there is confirmation of a pro team.  Concerts will not be enough to interest companies looking to buy a suite.

I never said vb is getting the hurricanes.

Nba is not considering relocation/ expansion for a long time.

Edited August 19, 2016 by tallguy81"

[tallguy81"]

There is either a team that has committed or is highly interested and that is the reason why they are trying to sell suites before the arena gets built. Imo

 

Hampton roads is also much larger than raleigh.

[BFG]

Keep in mind that not having an adequate arena was part of the reason the "Rhinos" didn't come to town in the late-90s. That was when the NHL courted smaller markets, with Nashville, Raleigh and Columbus, Ohio (the first two of which are smaller than HR) each getting teams. Norfolk would've ended up with what became the Hurricanes. I think the other thing that hurt them was George Shinn's game plan wasn't very solid. He talked a good game, but no one knew what to expect.

I know the Admirals' AHL/ECHL attendance is lackluster at times (depending on how well the team plays), but this area has supported hockey over the years. I think they could do well with an NHL team, esp. with players like Sidney Crosby or Ovechkin coming to town. I know the market ranked pretty high in a feasibility study a few years ago...it's up to the fans to keep things consistent, hypothetically speaking.

I'd love to see NBA, but with Sacramento and Milwaukee getting new digs, I think every team is now covered on a modern venue, except for maybe the Knicks at MSG. And don't hold your breath on them leaving The Big Apple. I think the league will wait until if/when Seattle gets its arena situation together to consider expansion, and even then, the 32nd team is between HR, Louisville, KC and Pittsburgh. Maybe even Vegas. Our best shot at the NBA was probably in the early-2000s, when Norfolk couldn't pull the trigger on a (different) arena deal.

Edited August 19, 2016 by BFG

[urbanlover568]

I new to the area. what's this i hear about a headquarters hotel? 

[tallguy81"]

Quebec city has been a concern geographically.

The developer wants to sell suites as an early bird special to companies only on the hrcofc as a way to thank them for their arena support but I think there is more to it and they r not telling these companies that they have interest from a pro team NBA or nhl imo.

Edited August 19, 2016 by tallguy81"