A blinding failure of the Peyton administration.
It's more than 1500+ more people eating lunch downtown, but even that should have gotten the city's attention. FloCo downtown would have brought a steady stream of students, professors, and staff that would lived, worked, and played in the urban core. The move would have helped not only downtown development but would have aided Springfield, Riverside, and the other urban neighborhoods. As a city trying to attract large businesses and more professionals, a downtown law library--which would have come with FloCo--would have been a nice asset. FloCo may be developed on a "for profit" model, but it's a stable business that is pretty recession proof (people love going back to school in down times).
I know my FloCo interns wished they had access to bookstores, restaurants, and coffee shops between classes. Professor friends assert that a downtown location would have been better for academic prestige and faculty morale; the city would certainly benefit PRwise as well.
I am amazed at this city's repeated inability to equate tax incentives and temporary abatements with growth and long-term tax revenue increase.
Parking downtown is not in short supply. Even if the city (inexplicably) couldn't address parking for the law school with new construction, commercial rate (or student discounted) parking fees are a reality at many urban campuses. They could have worked out some deals with the parking interests (many of whom have city-backed guaranteed profit contracts).
