They need to replace the lost parking spaces.
The increase in traffic will be a problem for me.
The uncertainty in the cost ($40M-$120M) is troubling but if it's privately-funded, then that is the developers' problem, not mine.
I don't want to see it become a white elephant.

And what pray tell will they do with this arena the other 335 days of the year? Why don't high schools use Strathmore Hall?

Lezlie,

I am not advocating one way or the other with this message, but just a fact: the Music Center at Strathmore (where, as Music Director of the National Philharmonic, I have an office) does host some high school graduations, but, frankly, at 2,000 seats, it is too small for most (which is why they are held at Constitution Hall or, in some cases, very large churches).

How much does it cost to have graduations at DAR Constitution Hall?

Maybe instead of building a huge hall at what will inevitably tax payer expense and most assuredly inconvenience and gridlock, why not limit the number of invitations to graduates? I know someone who brought both sets of divorced and remarried parents, all the siblings, and a cousin. Is this really necessary?

My son graduated from Richard Montgomery last year and there were indeed limits on the number of tickets. Based on those limits, Music Center at Strathmore would have been way too small (the graduation was at Constitution Hall).

I think high school graduations are just a side benefit of this proposed arena, the driving factor must be investor profit based on economic analysis of demonstrated need.

I live in King Farm, just a few blocks from the proposed site. From my perch I can see both up sides and down sides.

@Lezli - Several points:
One of the developers owns a minor league basketball team but the story I read didn't say that he was planning on moving them to this arena. They are talking about other events like concerts, shows ("Sesame St. Live?"), etc.

One story I read claimed that no public money would be used (except possibly part of the land procurement expense?).

Yes, inviting all of the family to graduation is necessary but not often allowed. Do you really think that it is unreasonable to expect families to want to be present at graduation? I grew up in a family of five boys and all of us attended each graduation. Close families do that. We would have had to beg tickets from another family to bring six family members to a graduation in the DC area today. We heard a story over the weekend about a lone sibling who had to sit by herself because each family was given two seats up front (for the parents) and other guests (up to four) had to sit in the back.

Will this be next to "the refuse center"? i.e. the "dump"

As evidenced by the thread of comments, the issue here is and continues to be a graduation venue for MoCo public schools. Quite frankly, I've heard from enough parents and educators over the years that they enjoy the prestige of DAR for their commencements.

The schools do, in fact, have limits on attendees and you usually have to submit an application to be approved for additional tickets.

I don't think this proposed venue brings in enough concerts/events outside of the May/June graduation ceremonies to be truly feasible.

There has been a lot of slop in the estimate of costs. As Bill points out, $40M - 120M is a really big spread. The _Post_ reported in May that the sponsor group might seek public funding for certain infrastructure -- e.g., sewers, lighting, parking. (Parking?!). I agree with Lezlie that more tax money is likely to go into this.

As far as other uses, there is some discussion about concerts. It's a good thing the county has sunk taxpayer money into any concert halls lately (cough Strathmore Hall and the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center and the Black Rock Center cough). White elephant, Bill, indeed.

So where's the push for this? The guy chosen to lead this project owns a professional basketball team, and has been searching for a permanent locale for a while now.

I've got no problem with this being built, and the development group claims they have the financing lined up. So keep MoCo Dept of Economic and Business Development and the Maryland Stadium Authority (another promoter of the arena) out of it, and certainly no tax funds should be part of this deal.

@Lezli - Just reporting what I read on Patch, The Gazette, WaPo, etc. King Farm is a perfect example of a developer getting a slide on providing infrastructure upgrades and it is across the street from the proposed arena. Traffic will definitely get tougher on the evening of events. I already avoid the area in the evening.

@Greg - DAR is a nice hall, albeit small.

@Jeff - The new housing that will replace the current RideOn EMOC (when it moves across the street from the Crabbs Branch Giant) will be closer to the dump.

Although there is almost always a few parking spots available at Shady Grove metro, if they take away that surface lot on the west side of the tracks (the 355 side), they will be back to where they started -- and the reason they built the 2nd garage on the east side of the tracks: Not enough parking!

Making it difficult to find a spot to park in addition to the hefty parking fee already in place -- not to mention the poor service, disorganization of WMATA, WMATA safety issues, and of course rate hikes -- will do even more to actively discourage ridership on Metro.

We don't need another stadium. We need improved and widened roads, realistic and useable public transportation, and a metro system that actually works. That's not as sexy as a stadium though.

We "should be" doing a lot of things. Getting away from vehicle dependency, especially in an area NOT designed for walking/biking and with a metro system that has huge gaps in its coverage area, is NOT going to happen any time soon.

You can force people out of their cars when they don't have other transportation options, no matter how inconvenient you make it by adding unnecessary, perhaps even frivolous, multi use facilities.

As for mass transit being cheaper, that really depends upon where you going and what time of day, how long it will take you to get there, and will it matter if you are late or a complete no-show due to mass transit issues.

Can you list even a dozen events a month that would use this "much needed" even space? Besides graduations?

The Reed Brothers site currently is being planned for about 400 apartments by the Silverwood Companies. Development over over 4,000 residential units around the Shady Grove Metro. Parking is being planned using structured garages.

Ultimately, with all those new residents (paying taxes and fees) there will be plenty of use for an arena. And most of those folks could walk there.

Anyone who proposes more development around the Shady Grove Metro station (this means you, Ike Leggett and County Council) needs to ride the metro to and from Shady Grove to downtown every day for a month during the rush hours and see how crowded and miserable an experience it has become for Montgomery Cty residents. Then perhaps they will realize how ridiculous it is to even think about further development in the Shady Grove area without ensuring the necessary infrastructure and transportation improvements are made IN ADVANCE of the development.

@Ambd: I agree! The county tends to do things bass ackwards. Especially Ike Leggett. His idea is to do what he wants and then ignore the fallout.