Have at it. A lot of the points are pretty shallow. I have no idea how a suburban family is going to get lost with roughly 20,000 people all on their way to the stadium. Somehow I think the signage is gonna be pretty good as well.
Let's face it--until the first sellout in 2010 at the home opener, "dangerous Chester" is going to be an oft-repeated refrain. Someone with newspaper search capabilities should check and see if Oriole Park At Camden Yards was hit with all kinds of "dirty and dangerous downtown Baltimore" hype prior to opening. Of course, we all know how that went...
Plus the oft-repeated example of Camden. It's going to be hard to get lost when there's going to be ramps practically into the stadium parking lot.
Funny that the article mentions the league not doing thorough research, yet the author couldn't even get the size of the stadium correct . Also, I came down from northern Montgomery County on Thursday. The drive couldn't have went better, and by using the Ridley Park exit off of 95, I had a very pleasant ride down Rte. 291, and I actually thought the area along the waterfront was very nice. I can't wait to see what another $500 million will do over the next 2 years for the area!
Also, the writer incorrectly stated that Philadelphia is the fourth largest city in the country. The league has been more careful to state that the city and surrounding area is the fourth largest market in the country. While that is just a small non-substantive issue with the article, it goes along with your point about lack of research for someone critical of another entity for not doing their research.
I wouldn't exactly say Camden is a great city to visit either but the Camden waterfront went through the same revitilization. I don't "fear" for my life trying to get to the aquarium or the tweeter center and basically outside of this area Camden is still a cesspit. As an aside I got lost in chester once last year trying to find the entrance to 322 and I didn't fear for my life. I even stopped and asked someone directions and I lived to talk about it on a message board.
But guess what guys and gals? Before last Thursday we felt we NEEDED to refute all these points anytime someone wrote something negative about the project, the team, chester, soccer, etc. (i know I did -- like I was being attacked personally) BUT WE WON!!!! They will build it. We will go there and sing, and chant and cheer for our lads. Enjoy. Let the naysayers write what they will. All we have to do now is say, "Hmmmm....think so? Well that's YOUR opinion. WHEN the stadium, etc. is built, we'll see who was right. Some reporter with column inches to fill and no knowledge about these things, or all these financial guys that are putting up their money. I'm betting on Sugarman, et. al." Eff U. WE WON.
I like goal.com because they constantly update their site with stories, but they aren't the most thought out articles and this article is a good example of misinformation.
I'm actually more than ok if outsiders want to debate us. For the most part, they're wrong and more importantly uninformed. But if they do happen to hit on something that might be right, the club has two years to fix it. Chester is crime ridden for the most part but there will be 20,000 outsiders on game days to make sure that something doesn't go wrong not to mention police and private security. I'm sure that when the whole development is designed all of this will be taken into account.
plus people are forgetting that if it weren't for the stadiums, most people wouldn't be hanging out around Pattison either.
You must be a witch! Don't you know that Chester is the most dangerous city ever, and good, wholesome church-going citizens will get assaulted in dirty, nasty, unfun ways the second they touch foot on its grounds?
Not from the area, but It sounds like this part of town has gotten a bad rap. But think about what South Africa needs to do to host their World Cup. If they can revitalize their entire country for soccer, I think the folks at Chester can do a pretty good job with their part of town by 2010. A lot can change in 2 years....
I've spoken to Mr. McCarthy about Philly MLS off and on for 3 years. He is a hater, pure and simple. He wasn't happy with the Rowan idea, the Temple idea, the Penn's Landing idea, the Bucks County idea and now the reality of the Chester Stadium. Nothing to see here, move along.
The dangerous Chester think is really a weird argument to me. My opinion might have been a little different a year ago but I work in that area now and get on the Barry bridge every day near this stadium site on my way home. It's no worse than driving to the Aquarium or Rutgers Camden and it's a whol lot less forboding than a trip through West Philly on the way to the Tower Theater or to the Liacourus Center at Temple. It's literally right off the bridge and 95. I think our team would also be wise to embrace the local community so that it and, hopefully the fans and locals, get past any mutual distrust and bond with eachother, for lack of a better word.
I actually like the stadium in a "Urban" area. I think it will add to the intensity of the fans and the atmosphere in general of the stadium. I remember going to Maine Rd. when I lived in Manchester, that place rocked, and I think it had a lot to do with the area (which was pretty bad). Nothing says let's get fired up like a tree lined suburb and manacured lawns.
You and me both. All the traffic on the way back from Philly is always in Chester. This way we're cuttin the traffic off.
It's a ridiculous claim, I mean come on people go to the Camden Waterfront practically every week for concerts and events, why wouldn't they go to Chester.
A development like this is likely to bring up property values around it, and thus higher property taxes (after 2013, I guess, because I think there's a moratorium on it until then), and with that comes a gradual gentrification of the neighborhood, which is good or bad, depending how you look at it.
whoa, gentrification of chester... ah, plenty of other areas in the delaware valley better suited to gentrification... as to real estate, hasn't the popped real estate bubble taught us anything... and with the capital markets collapsing like 1929, i wouldn't think very positively about anything as soon as 2013.... don't forget december 21, 2012, the world ends anyway
First of all, if you think this real estate slump is permanent, I've got a bridge over the Delaware to sell you. Overall real estate always goes up in value over the long term. It never fails. But also, property values in the vicinity of the stadium will go up in value--relative to property values elsewhere. In fact, I bet you values have already spiked upwards ever since the development became a certainty. With the new development they'll bring vital businesses like grocers, etc. for the people who will be buying the townhouses, and that makes a neighborhood around it more livable, which then makes it more valuable.