The Arena Task Force has
moved away from the Haymarket Post Office site and is now focusing primarily on the two remaining sites: behind the train station, and the south end of the Haymarket. That's not to say the Post Office location is completely out of the running, but it's clearly the least favorite child.
So which of the last two makes the most sense? I don't know that there is a clear frontrunner. The train station location, done right, could be really neat. The station would act as the front door, giving new life to a neat old building. The south location, on the other hand, would clean up a chunk of Downtown that isn't currently much to look at, and it would extend the reach of the active portion of the Haymarket. It's the latter point that really intrigues me. But the devil is in the details.
Frankly, I'm still a little interested in the possibilities of a location east of Downtown. There are probably more complications over there, but I like the idea, at least in theory, of an arena and convention center kicking off development in Antelope Valley. We already know John Q. Hammons likes the area, so other developers would be certain to jump in as well.