What a Deal!

By: Mr. Wilson on October 24, 2009
A quick poll. Rank the following projects in order of "best bang for the buck" for Lincoln:
  • Haymarket Arena, $350 million
  • Antelope Valley Project, $240 million
  • Innovation Campus, $220 million (Phase 1)
I don't know about you, but in my mind Innovation Campus is by far the best value among those three projects. (I'm ignoring the question of whether Innovation Campus ever should have happened. That ship has sailed, despite Roger Yant's sternest protestations.) It's not even close. When I first read the estimate of Innovation Campus's Phase 1 costs I was surprised that the tone seemed to be "we know this is a lot of money, but it'll be worth it, we swear". Shoot, $220 million is a helluva bargain for all Innovation Campus promises, especially compared to the other two projects I listed above. Compare, for example, the sorts of jobs created by Innovation Campus versus the other two. The arena creates a bunch of relatively low-paying, mostly part-time hospitality jobs. The Antelope Valley Project doesn't create any jobs on its own, though it does open up land for development that could lead to good jobs (e.g. the new Assurity headquarters). In contrast, the research and entrepreneurial opportunities promised at Innovation Campus bring excellent, high-paying jobs to town. It's really too bad Innovation Campus had to come about as the result of such an ugly battle over State Fair Park. It's a great, extremely promising project that should have widespread popular support. Here's hoping the reality meets or exceeds the hype. There's no good reason Innovation Campus shouldn't become a gem in Lincoln.

Comments

See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.

kspons
October 26, 2009 at 4:04AM

innovation campus is definitly the way to go.  the valley project seems to be a waste.

Gene
October 26, 2009 at 1:34PM

I’m generally supportive of all three, but IF Innovation Campus takes off like it’s supposed to, it will be quite the boon to Lincoln. It will take time, patience, and a lot of negotiating to bring all of those companies to Lincoln though. I’m convinced we have the right people for the job at UNL.

Share your thoughts with the community.

Commenting is no longer permitted on this post.