Residents voice concerns over proposed convention center, hotel

[Harry]

A neighborhood meeting on the city’s proposed convention center woke a sleeping giant Wednesday night, as residents poured into the Denton County Courthouse on the Square to learn more.

More than 100 residents turned out for the two-hour meeting that included a question-and-answer session on the public-private partnership that would bring a 100,000-square-foot convention center and upscale, full-service hotel to Denton.

The meeting was organized by the Denton Neighborhood Alliance, a group perhaps better known for its annual city candidate forum each spring. The group organized the meeting after the Denton City Council agreed June 17 to create a tax-increment reinvestment zone to help pay for a convention center on University of North Texas land next to Apogee Stadium.

read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20140709-forum-draws-crowd.ece

[the green rokemi]

Here we go again

[UNT90]

I was wondering when this would happen.

[Travis]

As expected.

[Harry]

The only difference between this and Denia is now you have the small hotels and restaurants prodding on the neighborhood groups.

[Ben Gooding]

Getting this thing built is just one more step closer of ridding Denton of the hippy mentality. Go big or go home.

[Green P1]

Getting this thing built is just one more step closer of ridding Denton of the hippy mentality. Go big or go home.

GTFO

[greenit]

GTFO

Hippy

[Censored by Laurie]

GTFO

Go To Frisco, Over-developer?

[Ben Gooding]

Hippy

haha, js. Keep the square mom & pop, cool. Development of Denton is inevitable. Why not have North Texas be the start of it? It's a win win and whoever doesn't like it too f'n bad bc it's happening. Convention center or not, Dallas is on the verge pouring over into Denton and continuing up 35. North Texas better get in while the getting is good.

[Green P1]

Go To Frisco, Over-developer?

Whatevs. Just GTFO

[Keith7]

haha, js. Keep the square mom & pop, cool. Development of Denton is inevitable. Why not have North Texas be the start of it? It's a win win and whoever doesn't like it too f'n bad bc it's happening. Convention center or not, Dallas is on the verge pouring over into Denton and continuing up 35. North Texas better get in while the getting is good.

Denton needs more strip malls. Development is inevitable!!!

[oldguystudent]

Develop the hell out of the edges of town. Put a chili's at every freeway exit on 35 and in every strip mall on 288 and west university. But leave the center of Denton alone. I have no desire to drink Cadillac margaritas at Applebee's on the square.

Edited July 10, 2014 by oldguystudent

[Travis]

YEAH! Turn us into Frisco!

Best Small Town in America be damned! 35Denton be damned!

Smh.

I'll be outta this town faster than you can count if it becomes another nameless suburb. So will most people. Why can't you just keep it in whatever suburb you live and leave Denton be? It ain't changing, stop trying to force it.

Whoa! Let's put you on simmer.

[Cougar King]

Lol, glad we don't have this problem.

[oldguystudent]

Whoa! Let's put you on simmer.

Meh. I'll retract what I said.

Edited July 10, 2014 by oldguystudent

[CMJ]

Fighting over the culture of Denton -- a offseason favorite since 2001.

[Green P1]

Lol, glad we don't have this problem.

Gagreed... No one would ever complain about losing any part of Houston.

[UNTLifer]

So this has gone from discussing a hotel/convention center to how that development will ruin Denton. Funny. The project is needed in Denton and it won't change a thing. Build it, but fund it correctly.

[GreenBat]

I want the convention center. It'd be great for everyone involved. I don't support the rest of this conversation.

You don't support the Hotel?

[Censored by Laurie]

So this has gone from discussing a hotel/convention center to how that development will ruin Denton. Funny. The project is needed in Denton and it won't change a thing. Build it, but fund it correctly.

I don't think that any reasonable person is saying that utilizing the old Radisson space for a convention center and hotel would be a bad thing.

It seems from the article that most of the 100 or so people (of a town of over 100,000...so let's let sink in how significant a voice this is) were far more concerned with their tax burden (I mean, of course, it's all anyone is concerned with) and the manner in which the city is proposing funding of the project.

And from just the numbers given in the article, it seems a reasonable concern. The city needs to do a better job of driving home the benefits...especially fiscally...to the residents, lest they're only think myopically about their own tax ramifications.

The conversation devolved when ol' Ben Gooding did his best Daniel Plainview joins the Ohio National Guard interpretation and started making allusions to Denton becoming just like another one of those shitty, shitty suburbs of Dallas.

[MeanMag]

I'm going to say this and then duck for cover.

I like having empty space there, and wouldn't mind seeing it left that way.

BUT... if it's inevitable, I hope it looks real nice and still leaves room for the kids to drink their pabst.

[Christopher Walker]

Ben Gooding = Cougar Queenie confirmed.

[Ben Gooding]

I said leave the square alone, as is, but growth is going to happen. We can bitch & moan all we want but Dallas is growing quickly and it's going to pile over onto us in a matter of time. Get on 35E and head south, can't tell when one town ends and the next starts. Head north on 35E and there is nothing for about 30 miles unttil Gainesville. I think managed growth is a good thing and will only bring good things to the university.

[Rudy]

Lol, glad we don't have this problem.

Yeah, Houston has high crime, school is in an unsafe area, and the weather is worse than it is here. You have enough to deal with.