Crew Stadium 2.0 - Construction News and Notes

This may be an unpopular opinion, but Astor Park isn’t close to being fully developed. The entrance that was intended to be the supporter’s entrance where the ring honorees are could become a more used, primary entrance when the development is done.

In other words, I doubt it was an intentional action to minimize the honorees.

 

That's because it's bullshit.

Here's a rendering of the overall site plan:



Unless they're expecting the seniors across the road to flock to Crew games en masse, and the residences to be stuffed wall to wall with season ticket holders - neither of which seems likely - that's just not true.

The surface lot to the north is obviously for residents and no one is likely to use the parking garage at the southwest corner only to then walk past the entrance 100 feet away so they can use the Northwest gate.

If every single brick of the Astor Park development was in place today, I doubt if more than 5 percent of attendees would use the northwest gate. The other 95% will park in one of the numerous parking garages and surface lots to the east and south of the stadium, and they're certainly not walking all the way around the building to get in.

Their whole "When the place is built it will be a popular entrance" line is utter crap, obviously made up as an excuse for lack of foresight, planning or intelligence.

No, I don't expect them to tell you "Yeah, you're right, we blew that one" but making up some cockamamie baloney isn't the best way to deal with it either.

 

I doubt any of that northern parcel is going to end up as senior living.

Unless you consider Miranova “senior” living.

 

I've been around these people long enough to know that if they say BS enough times to themselves they start to believe it.

What probably happened was that the team gave the architectural firm a long list with priorities, and the firm just mocked it in a random spot. It was not second guessed at the time. That need to put things in random places probably didn't get better with any additional requests from the team. Then the firm or FO made that justification after the fact.

A similar thing probably happened with the family/kids room where the other team shop is. It is a room that is now obviously too small to have a bunch of kids and their parents in it.

 

Last I heard was that that northern parcel still didn't have a defined use. As I recall, senior living was kind of a placeholder when the original Astor Park development was pitched. Suffice to say, it won't remain surface parking forever. But as others have opined, I doubt it'll affect the amount of traffic entering through the Nordecke gate.

 

But you're missing the opportunity when we are all in our golden years and living there and our grandkids pick us up for the game and walk us across the street...we can stop and point at the plaque for GBS and say "Back in my day....". And they can nod and say "Sure Gramps....I'm sure he was better than Messi Jr".

It's the long play...

 

You're right of course. Ron Pizzuti would rather eat warm dog shit than build a bunch of tiny little senior apartments.

 

Taking away something that honored former players & coaches is a valid complaint. Especially from a frint office that has historically failed to Respect It's Roots.

When it actually gets fixed, then I think people will stop complaining. When something is broken, that is the way it works.

 

Please. They took it out of the stadium and put it at the back door. It literally could not be in a LESS visible place.

That is a ridiculous post.

 

Leaking that and forcing the Browns to change course is the second greatest thing Tony Grossi (Browns beat writer - ex of the Plain Dealer, now at the team's AM flagship) has ever done. (Keeping Modell out of the HOF is the greatest.)

 

Jumpin in here. I personally use the back door for every game. I grab 2 DORA PBRs from Bettys and drink them on the walk around the stadium. Never a line. Just take last swig of the brewskie, toss it in can nicely located right in front of security, scan tix and we're in. Never stop moving. If you sit in Nordecke or the end of the stadium, you're missing out.

 

Here's a few random thoughts I have based off the last few posts:

1) As I said previously, look at Ohio Stadium, where there is no real "main entrance" as gates are every few feet. Something similar may have been the long-term goal of the people who designed the stadium. People coming from Grandview, Astor Park or elsewhere use the west entrances. People with tickets on the west side may choose to walk to that side of the stadium before entering, as @catfish9 points out. They miss out on the entire plaza experience, but whatever. Maybe they don't have kids and if they're spending hundreds per ticket, they're probably corporate buyers anyway and do they have any interest in whatever the hell the plaza offers?

Agreed 100%, especially the part about flawed logic.

With that said, it brings up:

2) As pointed out, it *is* a ridiculous point either way. As @Bill Archer previously mentioned, the people who have tickets on the east side sure as shit aren't going to walk to the "Premium Entrance" just to backtrack on the southern concourse (food alley) against everyone using that concourse to head west.

The good thing about that side of the stadium? It's a traditional system...go through security and then scan your ticket... unless things changed for the plaza.

No conspiracy needed. Columbus SC would have been a largely black/white/gray team AND it would have fit in with the current MLS scheme of naming teams. Atlanta United, FC Cincinnati, San Diego FC with a few "SC" teams thrown in.

Some of the clues will remain in 2024 and beyond.

 

I always thought the Rotunda on the North End was the main entrance to the Shoe.

 

Well...starting this season, the rotunda is closed to fans. You may not be wrong, but someone could also bring up the fact that there's all sorts of dedicated spaces (locker rooms, meeting areas, band room) in there that all have their own separate entrances directly from the outside.

 

To Me the Plaza experience is nothing to be excited about. It's just crowded with people. Sometimes there is "entertainment" like a Rock School kids band cutting their teeth playing in front of real people...as off-key and out of time that they oftentimes are. But it's just noise and does nothing for me. I use to walk right through it as fast as possible. Why not avoid the crowd (and parents letting their rugrats burn off some energy before strapping them in their seats) and enjoy a nice walk crowd free enjoying $6 worth of America's finest lager. Saves me the $15 for an overpriced one during 1st half. All the "Plaza activation" crap is just that...crap. Ya food trucks is cool touch, but often with long lines and never seemed to be any good ones. My kids don't even want to hang out there. Almost everyone I see using the North entrance are Nordecke STH. When we were in South west side 1st season we entered through the SW gate to avoid all the people on plaza. With parking garage now open I have notice more people entering on west side but as you pointed out most are for premium seats and just want to get to the River Club or Huntington Field Club as fast as possible to get some swanky grub.

 

I know this is basically just stadium talk and not roster talk at all....but is there any possible future where the north side of Astor Park could eventually connect to the new White Castle development across 670? I'm aware that the trail along the Olentangy is a way to get there from Goodale but I'm talking actual road access that might be more comfortable, well lit, busy....

Is that even possible under the highway (which obviously wasn't originally built to accommodate that...)?

 

I suppose anything's possible, but I doubt it. Recall, too, that RR tracks separate the two sites.

The original, conceptual renderings showed a bike/walking path on the east side of the river running up to Goodale. I could see that happening at some point, but a road seems doubtful. I assume, too that anything along the river would be subject to flooding; not the end of the world for a bike/walking path, but presumably not the sort of location you'd normally see investment in a road.

I'm still hoping for a pedestrian bridge that links Franklinton to the Arena District. It's been studied numerous times over the years, and always included in strategic plans, development plans, aspirational plans for downtown Columbus, Franklinton and other interested entities. And many of those studies included it before Astor Park was a twinkle in Jimmy Haslam's eye or the huge development projects we've seen in Franklinton got underway.

 

The issue isn't getting under 670, it's getting over the RR tracks.

Speaking of that area...Question for those that have tailgated in that north lot. Have you seen the giant buck that lives in the area? A buddy showed me a video of him he shot from his car, I think on Goodale street after getting off 670. He was massive! Like record breaking massive. Can't have much range as there isn't a whole of cover for him in that area, especially now that stadium has been built.

 

There's deer all over the place. I saw one a year or two ago near an off-ramp from 315 onto Ackerman. There were two a mile or two north of 670, the one you saw and probably more.

If you think some environmental/nature group (ODNR?) would want to tag them for tracking purposes...you'd be wrong.

 

I often see them walking along 161 in Worthington a block or so from High St.

 

Deer, coyote, there's a lot of wildlife that uses the Olentangy as a highway, of sorts. I don't there any meaningful barriers to wildlife using the river greenway to travel from downtown Columbus all the way north beyond the metro area.