Questions about Bradley’s Expansion
Saturday’s Journal Star featured an article detailing the plans for Bradley’s new athletic facilities and expansion into the Arbor District. I’m not arguing against the buildings, and those who lived on Maplewood got a good price for their homes, especially the ones who held out for a half mil. Can’t argue with that.
Still, I have a few questions:
Why does the 600 space parking deck need to be butted right up against Main Street? Why can it not be set back towards the middle of the block, or even a few hundred feet?
Will a stoplight be needed at Maplewood and Main Street to accomodate a 600 space parking deck, which apparently empties only onto Main Street?
What will be done, if anything, for homeowners on Cooper to alleviate the eyesore factor of having a parking deck in their backyard?
This one sentence really gets my goat: “(Bradley) realizes communication in the past could have been better, and it will be in the future,” Van Auken said. Bullshit. They never cared what the neighborhood had to say, and now that they got what they wanted, they say they’ll communicate better? Communicate with who? The City Council to approve their plans?
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Revision/Update:
Got a chance last night to look at the map again in the paper (it’s not available online that I can find). The parking garage appears to run the length of the block from Main Street up to the center alley. I understand why they don’t want it dumping out onto Maplewood, to keep the traffic out of the neighborhood, but having that thing dump onto Main still concerns me. Will they need police to traffic that after a big game? Will it be a paid garage or only for students and passholders?
I roughly estimate they spent about 5mil to buy up Maplewood, and all they have proposed is a parking deck. That’s one darn expensive parking deck! Granted, the new athletic facilities need parking.
The houses bought between the center alley of Maplewood up to Bradley Ave seem to have no development (publicly) planned, so why did they have to purchase those houses? Is it to make the revised institutional boundry go in a straight line? Certainly they’re not going to develop on that thin, long strip, so how long before they buy up the houses on Cooper at that end to make a nice big plot of land?
Some answers, some more questions.Â
August 22nd, 2006 at 3:29 pm
It’s my understanding from the last URA meeting that there will be no more Maplewood within campus. It will be vacated. So, there would be no need to develop anything in strip fashion, as if to maintain the street thoroughfare.
Also, I believe plans are in the works to move the light to Maplewood and put in a median that will keep people from going straight into the Uplands to use as a shortcut to University.
And, of course, there’s a meeting being planned to get “input” from the neighbors regarding Bradley’s plans. In reality, it’s a chance to ask questions and find something to like about it, because it’s going to happen regardless.
August 23rd, 2006 at 10:03 am
They will be building Apt Complex on the other side of Maplewood
August 23rd, 2006 at 4:12 pm
It will be interesting to see the plans in more detail. If I sounded bitter, I didn’t mean to come off that way… well, ok, maybe just a little…
August 23rd, 2006 at 6:06 pm
It is my understanding that the planned apartment buildings are going to be like the ones in the St. James complex.
August 24th, 2006 at 10:08 am
Why Apt Buildings? BU revenues from their rental properties are substantial and this segment of their business is very profitable.