The Core City proposal for High Point is an ambitious plan that could include a downtown arena, thats right I said a downtown arena as well as a convention hotel. parks and more parking is also proposed for downtown as well as improved streetscape. The catch is it will cost in the hundreds of millions to make the plan a reality. The goal is to make downtown vibrant when the furniture market isnt in town. This is very ambitous and is the kind of plan you'd see happen in the state's larger cities such as Charlotte, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. High Point is located just outside of Greensboro and has a population of almost 100,000.

The plan includes:

-Keeping future furniture showrooms all in one place.
-Major improvements to city streets, including making them more pedestrian friendly
-Restrictions on commercial and residential buildings in some areas of town
-More parking downtown and more parks
-Cover the old railroad tracks, so that property could be sold
-A new convention center and hotel facility downtown
-An Arena
-Eight retail clusters, or mini-downtowns

Showplace in downtown High Point is currently the largest convention center in North Carolina with over 500,000 sqaure feet of exhibition space. The convention center is primarily used for the International Home Furnishings Market. Now downtown could get a second convention center, this tim with a hotel attached to it.
Showplace
http://www.showplace-highpoint.com/images/main/nightshot.jpg

Wow, that is ambitious!

High Point is my second favorite Triad area city. Winston-Salem is my favorite and Burlington is my least favorite. High Point has a lot of potential. I often question if the furniture market holds the city back? I also don't think High Point does enough to take full advantage of the market each year. They should have more large hotels downtown. Convention space can be used for other furniture related trade shows during the off-season and is a good idea. I would also work on an alternative plan, if the market leaves the city. I don't see much weaking of the High Point furniture market though. If those themed buildings hit the market, those would be nice condos and the whole downtown would come to life all year. The idea of community centers is also a good one.

A sports arena is a waste. High Point residents can travel up I-85 or I-74 and see any sports event or major concert they want. This could also hurt their performing arts center. Unless High Point University has plans for their sports teams using the facility, I wouldn't do it. HPU may have that as a long term goal? They are growing fast under new leadership and have a good basketball team in a baseketball crazy area. http://www.highpointpanthers.com/

I think High Point should extend the Market for the open pubic. I think that would definately help. right now its closed to the public. All they have to do is leave the market open for an additional week for the public. I think a small arena such as 9,000 seats wouldnt hurt. I think there may be enough events to go around in the Triad. Certainly the arena would likely be used for college use much like Wake Forest uses Winston's coliseum. I think the arena is only a waste if there are no plans for retail, restaurants and urban residential around it or nearby it.

Holy High Point! As a graduate and former athlete at HPU, I can tell you this project would be a great addition to the area. A new convention center and Arena capable of tying together furniture market is an outstanding idea.
Moreover, as Matthew alluded to, I think the continued success of HPU's Basketball program may be an underlying factor in this project. Millis Center (the current arena on campus) is quite small when compared to other facilities in the Big South Conference and with the current building boom at HPU, there isn't much room left for expansion.
Go High Point!!!

I guess it will be a major victory for High Point. I will join you in cheering up, too!!!

and guess what. High Point was the least likely Triad city you'd think would propose a downtown arena so it is a great victory for High Point to even be in a position to make such proposals.

Big arenas need a big tenant signed to a long term lease and the only big tenant I know of that is stable enough to build this kind of facility for is High Point University. Hockey and arena football comes and goes. Local college sports will stay long term. It is important that High Point not make the mistake Winston-Salem made and let the college have part ownership of the arena and total control of booking. High Point must pay for the arena and use HPU's lease to help pay-off the bonds. That is really the only way a downtown arena would work in High Point.

I'm thinking a downtown arena with a capacity of about 5K-7K wouldn't be so bad.

A small indoor sports venue at 5,000 seats will start to compete with High Point's performing arts center. I would go with something around 7,500 seats and only build it if High Point University agrees to a long term lease. HPU would help the facility make money. Having HPU involved with such a project would dramatically raise their profile in the community; which is a university goal. And the facility would be big enough not to compete with anything in High Point, but be small enough to be niche space for Triad area events or some smaller mid-sized concerts or arts productions that don't want to be in a huge arena, but are too big for the perforing arts center. Again, a lease (not ownership) with HPU is a must before an architect is hired or any ground is broken! If they don't have a long-term, stable tenant signed with multiple dates, it shouldn't move foward. Also size should be up to HPU. I think a good size for the city and university, as they both grow, is around 7,500 seats. No less than 6,000 and 8,000 as a maximum. This would be a great size for college sports at a growing university and a good niche space that is half the size of the big arenas just up the road.

A small indoor sports venue at 5,000 seats will start to compete with High Point's performing arts center. I would go with something around 7,500 seats and only build it if High Point University agrees to a long term lease. HPU would help the facility make money. Having HPU involved with such a project would dramatically raise their profile in the community; which is a university goal. And the facility would be big enough not to compete with anything in High Point, but be small enough to be niche space for Triad area events or some smaller mid-sized concerts or arts productions that don't want to be in a huge arena, but are too big for the perforing arts center. Again, a lease (not ownership) with HPU is a must before an architect is hired or any ground is broken! If they don't have a long-term, stable tenant signed with multiple dates, it shouldn't move foward. Also size should be up to HPU. I think a good size for the city and university, as they both grow, is around 7,500 seats. No less than 6,000 and 8,000 as a maximum. This would be a great size for college sports at a growing university and a good niche space that is half the size of the big arenas just up the road.

Thats a good idea. The perfect size.

Very cool news. :)

I was talking to a source from HPU and he told me, the university is looking into building a 6,000 seat arena on campus to replace Millis Center. I don't know if thats great news for the proposed downtown project.

High Point is my second favorite Triad area city. Winston-Salem is my favorite and Burlington is my least favorite.

Pretty funny :lol:

Anyways, this could be great news for High Point if done correctly.:)
Sounds a bit ambitious for its size though.....

High Point could really use this kind of development. I agree, though, that a sports arena would be a waste.

Showplace looks gorgeous in that shot!