This is just my theory, a thought, an idea. I am speculating here and will present what I have. If you have opposing/agreeing opinions, please feel free to share in the comment section.
The City of Allentown and their mayor is pushing to get the long proposed arena in downtown Allentown. There are a some reasons we, as the people who will be supporting this place, have been given as to why the arena must be downtown.
1. “Revitalize” the Allentown downtown area.
Ok, everyone wants the pretty crime free city. The long clean sidewalks lined with thriving shops and restaraunts. It is a nice thought. Will an arena accomplish this? Who knows. It might. It might not. Who decides this? The people who are willing to take a chance on a business there and the people who would patronize these establishments and spend money there. If you build it, they will come may not be the essential formula to success.
2. To build on the property that a sinkhole ate in 1994.
A big open space that isn’t bringing in tax money. Yeah, unused space is usually better off being used but at what cost? I’m sure engineers could make significant efforts to avoid another sinkhole disaster at this site but engineers have failed in the past. You could argue over this for days but from my view as a fan and tax payer (to Lehigh County) I wouldn’t build a dog house on a questionable piece of land for fear of possible harm to my dog. While the financial concern of a dog house falling over isn’t a terrible loss, the financial concern of a multi-million dollar arena is. Not to mention, no matter how slight, if something bad happened where people could be in danger.
3. Money!
Yes… money. What drives anything in this world. Figure out what the people want and then provide it for them with a… fee.
Looking at a recent article of the highly touted Sovereign Center in the city of Reading, (Read story on Reading Eagle here), parking is a serious issue. Really? Who would have thought. The gripe in the article focuses on an attempt by the City of Reading to increase revenue with parking meters. (I was under the impression that areanas revitalized cities. Why would they need additional income?) Has anyone tried to park in Allentown lately? It’s not fun. Hockey is a winter sport, what happens when it snows? Parking deck you say! Yes! What comes with a parking deck? That’s right… a charge. Parking rates during events at the Sovereign Center in Reading are reportedly $5-10 per vehicle.
Taking a step back for a moment, let’s look at the LV IronPigs for a moment. Coca Cola Park has 4 large parking lots. On nights where attendance is over 9,000 fans, those lots are packed. Cars line the street and even park into the traffic lanes between lots. The IronPigs charge $3 for baseball games and fees have been significantly higher during other events. (The 2 concerts were heard to be in excess of $10)
The proposed arena won’t quite hold the same number of people as Coca Cola Park but could you imagine a crowd size of 5-6,000 people parking in downtown Allentown? Figure 2,000-2,500 vehicles? Multiple that by $10 and it is a significant source of income for the city.
In further comparison to the IronPigs I will use the Adirondack Phantoms as an example. (The Phantoms are the team being lured to move to Allentown)
IronPig tickets have been drawing incredible crowds with tickets costing $6, 9 & 14. Add in $3 parking per vehicle, a single person would see a low mark of $9 and a high mark of $17. Take in a season ticket with 72 games and it adds up. ($648/$1224)
Ticket prices listed on the Phantom’s Website:
Bronze – $12.25
Silver – $15.25
Gold – $19.25
Premium Gold – $21.25
Platinum – $26.25
Under 10 yrs old – $11.00
Not terrible pricing, love that kids get a discount. Figure 40 home games. It adds up. Then figure in parking cost. It REALLY adds up.
Say you take the cheaps seats and drive yourself. (As I would)
$12.25 + $10 = $22.25 x 40 games = $890 a season.
For the IronPigs (Using increased 2012 rates)
$7.00 + $3.00 = $10 x 72 games = $720 a season.
With 32 less “events” hockey will likely cost $170 more a season. This is for a single person driving alone. You could take carpooling into account but ticket price and cost would still increase, especially if you are the person pulling the tab for your family/friends.
I realize you all can do math and understand that hockey is going to cost more… what does this have to do with where the stadium is?
Putting the stadium in downtown Allentown increases the overall cost of attending.
Allentown is using the incredible success of the IronPigs to get this hockey team here.
What the IronPigs have that a downtown arena does not:
1. Close to the city but closer to a major highway (Rt. 22). Personally, if I know I can jump on a highway soon after leaving an event is a plus and I tend to attend more often.
2. Lower prices. Times are hard yo… cheap is in… more bang for your buck.
3. The Phillies. While the Phantom’s parent club, the Flyers, are no slouches… they aren’t close to the roll that the Phillies have been on.
4. Summer. You can look at this two ways. Summer gets people out in the open and/or winter makes people want to find something fun to do indoors. I prefer to stay indoors at home in the winter. Do you?
5. A perceived “safe” location. It’s no secret that people who do not live in the city of Allentown read newspapers and watch the local news. Crime is often reported IN Allentown and that will scare folks off. Coca Cola Park is located on a fringe area of the city that isn’t heavily populated and allows for a more comforted feeling in less adventurous fans. I’m not saying downtown Allentown isn’t safe but ask someone who doesn’t live in the city where they would feel more comfortable and see what they answer. Especially after dark.
This post really isn’t organized or well thought out, but it includes my thoughts on the proposed arena and how professional hockey might succeed in Allentown. At the risk of being labeled one of the online tormented, anonymous internet naysayers… I believe the hockey area would do much better if it were NOT located in the downtown area. I haven’t met anyone who prefers that other than those who are planning the arena.
Which do you think would be more profitable to the city?
Arena in the downtown area – More revenue per person, possible lower participation.
Arena not in the downtown area – Less revenue per person, possible higher participation.
Let’s poll it:
Those are my thoughts.. what are yours?
noisenation.mlblogs.com 
Respect your opinion Dan. Here are my thoughts in random order:
1. I wanted the arena on the water front, but it will be good for downtown. Drive by the PPL area after a Pigs game and already there’s a few nice restaurants filled with people sitting outside enjoying a nice meal. The arena will only add to it.
2. Every sport is traditionally more expensive to attend than baseball. I know there’s graphs out there, but I can’t find them right now. We are very fortunate that MiLB is so cheap.
3. Allentown crime. Almost every single shooting or violent crime in Allentown involves gangs. People are not randomly shooting or robbing people. It’s the gang war stuff. Is there some non-gang related crime? Of course. Allentown is a large city. The gangs will not be coming *anywhere* near the arena. It will only force them farther away from the area.
4. Remember this is more than just hockey. Being in between Philly and New York, the arena will be bringing in some major names for concerts and entertainment. There’s also the chance the SteelHawks would move in.
I know the LV isn’t a hockey hotbead, but the arena is a GREAT thing for the entire area. Remember what people said about the Pigs and look at them now. Can’t wait for faceoff!
Traffic? Where’s all the traffic to go? In the sinkhole perhaps…
Here’s how to solve it:
Get one of those big blow up bubble structures – put it over Coca-Cola Park. Boom hockey arena – less than mil… ha
Alas, I’m afraid it’s not about money or alleged downtown revitalization – it’s simply about Mayor PawPaw putting his Master’s Degree in Urban Planning to good use. Oh and the photo op with obligatory shovel in hand of course!
Attendance? Only time will tell…
I drive by the “sink hole” at least once a week and can NEVER picture a hockey arena there. Only traffic, frustration and construction come to mind. However, I can see a great downtown with nice shops and restaurants (maybe because my grandma told me how wonderful Allentown used to be). The shops and buildings are already in place, spend the millions of dollars on fixing them up! Anyone take a look around at the properties in Allentown? Hamiltion street is filled with mansions, hotels, stores, restaurants, corporations, library, schools, hospitals……most of them are old and for sale but a little TLC and $$$$ could really turn downtown Allentown into what it used to be. Do this first and then build ur arena if necessary but stay away from the sink hole!!!
I still say it should be near Coca-Cola Park. There’s alot of land around it and parking wouldn’t be a problem. But the mayor is h-bent on revitalizing downtown so it won’t happen. Hate to see what happens if the arena falls into the sinkhole or someone gets mugged after a game. Then again maybe the riff-raff will go away once it opens. Traffice will be a nightmare, perhaps as DiPro says maybe it’ll all go down the sinkhole too. Then there’s always the money thing. Whatever, we’ll see what happens.
I will say I was initially VERY concerned about pre-game traffic when they announced CCP’s location. Airport Road & 22 are not exactly lite-traffic areas around the time the gates open for a ballgame. But, overall I think it has been acceptable. So I’ll take a wait and see approach on the traffic debate, but I’m very pessimistic about it.
Parking deck or not, parking is going to be terrible. Like Phillies v IronPigs terrible, but EVERY time there’s an event.
This is just another example of why this region needs a utilitarian approach to things like this. This location was selected because it is deemed “best” for Allentown. The mayor only has to answer to citizens (and businesses) of Allentown. Is this for certain the best location in the Lehigh Valley for an arena? If it’s not clearly the best location in Allentown, the answer is obviously no. But Mayor Ed’s voters will (literally) see his actions to try and turn the city around if it’s right in the middle of town like this, and that’s why it’s going downtown and not on the waterfront on creating a stadium district with CCP.
Personally, it/when it gets built downtown like this, my suburban behind will be waiting a good year or two before even considering going. I’ll wait to see if the traffic, parking, and most importantly – the crime – concerns are hype or justified. I’m happy an arena is coming, I just wish it was in any number of other places (Bundled with CCP, Queen City Airport, Allentown waterfront, off of 412 & 78, near Sands, north of ABE on that land they took and didn’t need, off of 33 and Freemansburg where that mall was to go and now St. Lukes bought instead, etc.. etc..)
While I for one love hockey and will go to games closer to home, I am not looking forward to the traffic nightmare. Working in downtown Allentown and living on the South side of Allentown, can be a logistical nightmare trying to go a mile and a half when it rains or snows. If traffic has to be rerouted due to problems with roads, either snow or rain, a previous 10 minute trip can turn into an exercise in patience. That 10 minutes can become 45 minutes easily. OH! Maybe that’s the answer for downtown. People will stay longer and patronize the eateries since they will want to let the traffic die down before traveling home. Sorry, for someone who travels into downtown for over 20 years, I am frustrated with traffic patterns in bad weather conditions. Now compound the traffic issues with people coming into an area that they are not as familiar with. Yikes, get ready for high blood pressure and road rage episodes! I love hockey, but even that close to home it makes me question the location every time the topic comes up. It just feels like Mayor P. has tried to put too many eggs into the basket. Just hope the city infrastructure can handle it without cracking.
I believe that the downtown location is better than the original proposal for a sports arena than the riverfront but not as good as near Coca Cola Park. I think the fear of crime near a downtown arena is greatly exaggerated because with both many attendees and security personnel nearby those wishing to commit crimes will make themselves scarce. As others have pointed out, ample parking spaces will be available in the downtown but the expected high costs to park and the choke points at both garage entry/exits and downtown intersections will not make driving and parking convenient and anxiety free. Finally as one who now attends occasional AHL games in Wilkes Barre and Hershey, I believe that anyone expecting many AHL fans to do other business in the downtown on game nights is dreaming. Most fans will come to the arena for the game, buy food and drink inside and depart the area after the game. There will be some economic spinoff for nearby establishments but it will be limited. The real gain for Allentown in this is not the arena but the unique tax district that will allow the city to finance other efforts in the area. Hopefully that will spur real economic development and better paying jobs than the ushers, food servers and other part time positions that will be created by the arena itself. In a non-sports related comment, I also have doubts that the arena will draw anywhere near the amount of high profile concerts and shows that arena proponents are promising. The proposed arena is too small to compete with big city venues necessary to draw the huge shows and the arena will also have to compete with new facilities like the Sands and Steel Stacks for smaller shows. With the exception of hockey games and a few notable attractions per year I personally expect the arena to be underutilized or empty on most nights. I do not have access to actual figures however it seems to me that the recent attendance at Steel Stacks has been far less than capacity for the events and festivals that I have attended. I expect the arena to have similar problems unless the economy comes back strong in the future.
Who cares? Our mayor is a joke and I won’t go if it is downtown. What the heck was he thinking? He lost me on this one. Maybe he thinks he is smarter but he is not going to get my money for tickets. This is such a joke!
FWIW, Tulsa had a very similar conversation (minus the sinkhole, which is a question for the structural engineers) a few years ago, and while I was a bit skeptical, I can’t argue with the results: Our once-blighted downtown is now bustling with fun new businesses — restaurants, nightclubs, coffeehouses, a retro-style bowling alley, a shop specializing in locally produced art and music, a beautifully restored luxury hotel that had spent the past 25 years abandoned and dying, etc., etc., etc. I won’t give the arena all the credit (we also have a gorgeous new ballpark and a lively community of creative young entrepreneurs with great marketing skills), but the arena definitely draws tons of traffic and gives investors a reason to put their money downtown. Parking was a major concern at the time, but it’s proven to be a non-issue — we’ve been to several big shows there (Neil Diamond, KISS, Hank Jr., Tom Petty, Aerosmith, and even Paul McCartney) and have never had trouble finding a space within five or six blocks of the venue. Your city planners might want to talk to Tulsa’s people to find out what went well, what didn’t, and what they learned. We really are quite a success story. I was surprised at how quickly downtown came up; it was awful when we moved here in 2004, and just seven years later, it’s my primary hangout.
Nice! Who wants to email the mayor to call Tulsa? 🙂