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
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 29, 2020
The reenvisioned Sazerac House: A delectable cocktail that's just perfect for the Big Easy
The 51,987-sf Sazerac House is an interactive cocktail museum, active distillery, corporate headquarters, and event venue, all under one roof, next to the historic French Quarter of New Orleans.
Mixed-Use | Dec 28, 2020
BIG designs new mixed-use development in Harlem
The project, dubbed The Smile, has recently completed construction.
Urban Planning | Dec 6, 2020
Ford lays out plans for mobility innovation district in Detroit
Its centerpiece is an abandoned train depot whose architecture and decay reflect two sides of this city’s past.
Mixed-Use | Oct 19, 2020
Commonwealth Pier revitalization project begins construction in Boston’s Seaport
CBT, in collaboration with Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects designed the project.
Mixed-Use | Oct 2, 2020
Zaha Hadid Architects unveils 2 Murray Road in Hong Kong
The project reinterprets the structural forms and layering of a Bauhinia bud about to blossom.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Sep 30, 2020
SOM reimagines former Cook County Hospital into mixed-use destination
The project is the first phase of a proposed $1 billion redevelopment plan for the area in Chicago.
Sustainability | Sep 29, 2020
Heatherwick Studio creates a new concept for San Francisco’s Piers 30-32
The new vision is dubbed The Cove.
Mixed-Use | Sep 23, 2020
SOM-designed waterfront neighborhood will include 1,045-foot-tall tower
The project will focus on harnessing the sea and the sun to create a low-carbon waterfront community.
Mixed-Use | Sep 7, 2020
Google proposes 40-acre redevelopment that includes nearly 2,000 housing units
Lendlease will manage the design and construction, as a partner in a multi-development deal struck last year between the two companies.
Mixed-Use | Sep 3, 2020
10 Design will redevelop the Nanjing Dajiaochang Airport
The old military airport will become a contemporary mixed-use destination.
