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Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Dallas convention center hotel opponents doomed to fail

By Shawn Williams of Dallas South

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Strong Mayor - Failed

Not so strong Mayor - Failed

Trinity Toll Road - Failed

Three referendums put forth to the Dallas voters and three big NOs. Now they’re getting the crew back together for another comeback tour.

I don’t doubt that opponents of the Convention Center hotel will get their 20,000 signatures, but I hope that they are looking realistically at whether or not this has a chance of passing. Since Laura Miller caused the Great Southern Dallas Awakening, conventional wisdom has changed with these sort of things. You remember The Awakening right? When it was assumed that people in Southern Dallas would fall for anything, even giving Laura Miller more power.

Since then, there has been a shift in the political landscape and voting patterns in Dallas. Getting 20,000 signatures is easy. You could probably get 20,000 people to agree to changing the name of Dallas to Pluto. But to think that a majority of citizens will vote against their councilpersons on this particular issues is…arrogant. The fact of the matter is that this is a popular mayor and even a (gulp ) popular council.

Opponents of the CCH talk about Dallas occupancy rates, and yes, they are low. But part of the reason is too many hotels that are poorly located. The hotels that are on the Stemmons Corridor chose to locate there. I’ve read Trammell Crow: Master Builder, I know why most of them did.

But this is a new day, and people want to be downtown. If many of these poorly run, ill-conceived, poorly-located hotels were to close, then you’d be looking at higher rates.

It’s kind of like the airline industry that we continue to support even though they have a poor business model. In Dallas I guess we are now supposed to compensate for hotels who are located away from…(wait for it)…people.

So round up your 20,000 signatures Mrs. and Mr. Convention Center Hotel opponent. With Jack Matthews on the project, a man who took an even bigger gamble with Southside on Lamar, I’ll take my chances.


Pegasus News content partner - Dallas South
Shawn Williams publishes Dallas South Blog; his e-mail address is shawn@dallassouthblog.com.

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Comments

Travis Bush

Travis Bush Verified

"Since Laura Miller caused the Great Southern Dallas Awakening"

So that's why Arlington has a new stadium!

1 year, 1 month ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

alexander troup

alexander troup Verified

Dallas has always been a super place, even if the dream or vision is out of place or out of focus, while timming is an impotant element of the best laid plans for mice or man then again, to build one more building in Dallas, really...........what is that going to acheive right now after Black Monday, September 2008,you know the guy with the white tie, has never worn a T shirt, so why should we allow him to build another Hotel for the city of, what did they call it Atlantis...Alexander Troup Historian.

1 year, 1 month ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Travis Bush

Travis Bush Verified

It has always seemed to me to be a bit backwards. Why build a new hotel before downtown is fully revitalized? What exactly will the conventioneers do downtown at night? I know there are some clubs and some good restaurants downtown, (not talking about Deep Ellum), but just look at the West End. There is so much potential there, but alas, it just sits there unused.

It is almost manic or bi-polar the way Dallas leaders scurry around looking for that ONE thing that will somehow fix Dallas. A convention center hotel won't do that IMO.

1 year, 1 month ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

alexander troup

alexander troup Verified

Say anonymous,this is A.T the urban archaeologist, and when you dig into a City that has paved away its future and brought in a new one, then what is the point.while the old downtown is not full of new people, or new suckers......as it was told to me 20 years ago by some Richardson folks, and they asked me, who is running this town, some out of state honk.ies... No this town is run by people who will stay and stay behind the scene and realize the bad guy is doing the same, kind of a Spy vrs Spy city, if you know what I mean. oh well let them build their hotel , I wont tell anyone anthing anymore about a town with out real Texas style or poor judgement and lots of bad taste... then again it is not my buck they are spending, it is our kids vison and future they are polluting.....until then a.t the Urban Archaeologist.

1 year, 1 month ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

alexander troup

alexander troup Verified

It was a doomed peice of land in the beginning, dating to the 1850s when the Trinity would flood that part of town, then the hookers and brothel owners payed heavy for the plumbing that the outhouses would over flow with, they would snif and sip in the old out houses, while someone would take...and so theft was a big problem in that part of town, one case did go too court, where 3 women were arrested for ridding a horse nude one German Beer Garden evening in an 1890s Hearld article...all of this of course is taboo information, because the D.N.A of land is how much is it really worth, not the history, or who lived on it or threw their panties on the ground...the whole concept, i feel...... pushing out the old cemetery, that really needs rest....and then you have the tin cows from China, and last a large Convention Center, I cant get lost in.. which is still too small with white longhorns on top....no the D,N,A of land and how it was used, 19th century condums...and maybe some wild oats might make it fun again, but at what price and whos choosing, until then A. T ,Urban Archaeology.

1 year, 1 month ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Clay213 Anonymous

So if some hotels closed.. the vacancy rate would be lower? Wow. Genius.

What does that have to do with tax dollars being used to build a hotel?

This town is officially retarded.

1 year, 1 month ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

alexander troup

alexander troup Verified

Clay, all Dallas needs is another Hotel and homeless without a Hotel...And so I agree with you and Travis the T Rex, whos running the common sense show here....the STEVE WYNN EMPIRE OF VEGAS......Alexander Troup, Hotel Historian.p.s the first hotel in Dallas as a village was the Crutchfeild House over on Houston street, c.1849.

1 year, 1 month ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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