Entertainment district developers agree that ample parking and mass transit give entertainment districts an edge that can make or break a venue.
The newly opened Irving Music Factory in Texas struck an agreement with a nearby shopping plaza that gives the district access to 2,500 of the plaza’s 2,700 parking spaces after 5 p.m. There are also plans to extend the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Orange Line—which goes out to DFW airport—to include a station near the entertainment district.
“We believe this is going to emerge as a multi-region destination,” predicts Barry Hand, Principal and Studio Leader with Gensler, which designed the entertainment district.
Kansas City’s recent downtown economic boom can be attributed in part to KC Streetcar, a 2.2-mile light-rail system that opened in May 2016, and connects downtown’s north and south quadrants.
This map pinpoints more than $2 billion in real estate development. Courtesy CBRE.
In Los Angeles, the entertainment district L.A. Live, whose parking is woefully inadequate, is expected to benefit from the proposed expansion of the city’s mass transit system. The Blue Line, which connects downtown L.A. to Long Beach, would be linked with the Gold Line, which runs out to Pasadena. The city also passed a sales tax to extend the system’s Red Line to Beverly Hills.
The proposed University City district in Charlotte, N.C., would be about a quarter-mile from one of the new station stops of the city’s light-rail system that’s being expanded.
“University City is exciting because of the impact of light rail and its development opportunities,” says Ashley Clark, Associate AIA, LEED AP, Director of Strategic Development and Communications with Land Design, an AE firm working on the project.
The district would be close to UNC Charlotte and the city’s Research Park. “The vision is for the entertainment district to provide a sense of place, with the transit as its gateway,” says Clark.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | May 30, 2018
Concentrated redevelopment: Apartment complex takes mixed use to the next level
An “intergenerational” mixed-use apartment complex may be a prototype for reenergizing neglected neighborhoods in America’s largest county.
Mixed-Use | May 16, 2018
Los Angeles mixed-use building uses prefabricated wood frame to reduce costs
SPF:architects designed the building.
Adaptive Reuse | Apr 26, 2018
Edison Lofts building is New Jersey’s largest non-waterfront adaptive reuse project
Minno & Wasko Architects & Planners designed the building.
High-rise Construction | Apr 17, 2018
Developers reveal plans for 1,422-foot-tall skyscraper in Chicago
The tower would be the second tallest in the city.
Mixed-Use | Apr 5, 2018
SOM unveils design for 54-story mixed-use tower in Hangzhou, China
The tower will rise 944 feet.
Mixed-Use | Apr 4, 2018
Shenzhen’s Mawan Mile master plan will include a ‘boulevard in the sky’
HASSELL won a competition to design the new mixed-use district.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 22, 2018
Multifamily building with 25,000 sf of amenities rises on the shore of the Potomac River
The building is part of the National Gateway mixed-use development at Potomac yard.
High-rise Construction | Feb 14, 2018
BIG and Carlo Ratti Associati-designed Singapore skyscraper has open-air ‘oases’ at multiple levels
The new skyscraper will include “the office of the future.”
Mixed-Use | Jan 26, 2018
Eager Park opens as health and wellness centerpiece of future mixed-use master plan
The 6-acre park was designed to showcase East Baltimore’s commitment to wellness and sustainability.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jan 25, 2018
Virginia Beach: A surf town with a wave problem no more
A world-class surf park will highlight Virginia Beach’s new live-work-play development.
