Seliger wants new convention center in Amarillo...

[west-texan]

Funded by hotel taxes...so I think this could be pretty good for Amarillo to make a few service bucks.

My concern is...

That our Civic Center has gotten some upgrades...so I hope they continue to keep it nice and updated.

I think the Civic Center should also get some of this new money.

www.amarillo.com/stories/040709/web_seliferseekstax.shtml

Home > News > Local News

Web-posted Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Seliger: Use hotel taxes for convention center

By Enrique Rangel
[e-mail]

AUSTIN — State Sen. Kel Seliger urged a Senate panel Monday to approve the use of hotel tax revenues for construction of a convention center in downtown Amarillo.

The Amarillo Republican testified before the Senate Economic Development Committee, telling the five members that the proposed legislation “would allow Amarillo to utilize hotel occupancy tax revenues for the convention center.”

Seliger later asked that consideration of the bill be temporarily delayed so that its wording can be modified. Dallas officials expressed concern that the bill, in its present form, could jeopardize projects in that city.

But for Amarillo City Attorney Marcus Norris, Monday’s hearing “is a significant step.”

He said no one spoke against the bill, a sign that the committee could vote for it as soon as the language in the document is fixed. The measure then could move to the Senate floor for consideration.

Norris, who testified in support of the bill, said its passage would be beneficial to the city and for its long-term growth.

“The use of hotel occupancy revenue will be critical to the success of the program,” he said.

Committee Chairman Chris Harris, R-Arlington, had just one question for Norris. “Does this go before your voters?”

“No,” Norris replied.

Amarillo City Commissioner Ron Boyd appeared in support of the bill but did not testify.

Rep. David Swinford, R-Dumas, has an identical bill in the House, but it has not yet been heard in committee.

Development of a 300-room convention center and hotel has been deemed a linchpin in plans to revitalize Amarillo’s business core. City land across from the Amarillo Civic Center has been targeted as a location for the multimillion-dollar center and hotel.

[sj]

The Amarillo Civic Center, while nice, is not the venue to attract conventions to Amarillo. While having the opportunity to attend several conventions across the country, meeting rooms of various sizes and lodging in the same building attract conventions.

Granted Palo Duro Canyon and other attractions can contribute to the consideration, but it is the convenience of having lodging and the needed meeting/display areas in the same location that make the sale.

[west-texan]

SJ...I see what you're saying.

If this is going to be across the street from the Civic Center...

I think the cool thing would be to either have a covered walkway over the street...or a tunnel under the street.

Those 4 buildings that the old First National Bank put up between 8th and Tenth back in the mid-80's...are all connected by tunnels so deep under the streets...that you can't even hear the traffic noise.

Also...if they take in the parking lots across the street...it seems to me that they would also need to build a parking garage.

[sj]

Won't argue your point w-t, but that mega hotel has to be a part of it. Will traffic flow in that location serve its needs.....I dunno.....

[west-texan]

I also wonder about the traffic being enough downtown to support a big hotel.

You sure won't get the casual I-40 family vacation traffic down there.

And you'll have to have guarded parking at a hotel to stop vehicle break-ins/robberies.

Downtown Amarillo is surrounded by rough areas on the east and west and north sides.

I'd like to know more about the hotel situation in downtown Lubbock.

We already have most of a convention center at the Civic Center...but no downtown hotel.

Phantom...you know anything about downtown Lubbock?

[phantom]

If you mean really downtown, there aren't any hotels. If you mean off of Ave Q, which is almost downtown, there are some near the Civic Center. Most of the new hotels that have gone up are on the south and west sides of town off the loop. Of course, I think there's one in the works over in McDougalville (that's the old Tech ghetto that was torn down by the McDougal's so that an apartment type community could be built.) There's alot of controversy about the whole McDougalville area.

[west-texan]

That's kinda what I thought...but I wanted to hear from a Lubbock person.

And I think there has been a hotel go up right across 19th from the SE corner of the Tech campus.

But that's still a good distance west of downtown.

I lived and worked in Lubbock for a year and half back in the mid-80's.

There have been a lot of new hotels go up in Amarillo along I-40 in the last few years.

But while I think Amarillo folks will support an expansion of the Civic Center...

I really don't think a big hotel is going to be able to make it downtown.

Other than conventions...there would be no real reason to stay downtown.

And most people are going to want to stay on I-40 where you have restaurants and shopping.

[bluewest]

A convention center hotel combo is a good idea, just don't build it downtown. The only reason they want to re-vitalize downtown is because they are the ones that own the properties. It's nothing but a vested interest. There is nothing downtown to do or see, ridiculous brick streets with no place to park and homeless wandering the sidewalks. When businesses try to open they are saddled with ridiculous rules and limitations. Religious intuitions move into closed places like the Friendly News on 6th and Tyler to set up mock churches to prevent any place that sells liquor from opening up with a set distance. Trying to get anything productive done in Amarillo is almost a farce when half the population is doing their d**nedest to keep Amarillo from growing.