To me, it's hard to be too firmly pro or too firmly anti in the absence of any type of master plan from the city.
My knee-jerk is to be totally anti, as the Museum/Fountain/St. Johns Park/Glass & Vine restaurant seems to be a good example of the clustering complementing uses within a compact, pedestrian friendly setting idea that Lake always champions.
If you remove the foot traffic from the museum, I think you're undermining the city's investments in Friendship Fountain/St. Johns Park and negatively effecting the viability of the restaurant that the city pushed for and is ultimately subsidizing.
To be pro, you need to make a lot of assumptions.
- Would it complement a Naval Museum? Sure, but how long have we been hearing about a Naval Museum being docked at the Shipyards? A decade?
- Would it be a good use of the Shipyards and complement the new Metro Park? Sure, but how long has that land been contaminated without any effort to make it suitable for use? Where's the money coming from to remediate for commercial use?
- Would it complement the new Berkman II plan? Same. How long have been hearing about Berkman 2 plans.
Northbank might work, if a complicated, expensive series of decade or decades delayed projects actually come together - an idea our history doesn't particularly support - but the Southbank is the proverbial "bird in the hand." They have the property. They've got the plan. Friendship Fountain/St. Johns park is funded. Related Group's development looks like it's going to happen. It's a lovely pedestrian stroll from the CBD.
I'm going anti.
UNLESS we're guaranteed an equally compelling use for the old MOSH facilities on the Southbank. Repurpose it as a Southern Rock Hall of Fame/Museum with concert space and events (I think they were already doing Southern Rock planetarium shows), for example, and I think it's an easier sell.
