SYRACUSE | Destiny USA Hotel | 640 FT / 190 M | 39 FLOORS - Page 2

Mr. Rochester · #21 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 12:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhays

Did they ever go anywhere with the idea of having the future cashiers design and build the building, which is the most laughable and blantantly ignorant idea in the history of development?

drew11 · #22 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 1:49 AM**

all i can say is, WOW

Peanut · #23 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 1:55 AM**

Mr. Rochesyer is Angry Syracuse will have a taller building than Rochester, lol.

I Definatly think this is going to get built, Pyramid seems devoted to building this project. Everything is in place for this to happen, no more roadblocks, just construction.

mhays · #24 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 5:20 AM**

Speaking as a construction guy, that's a pretty funny statement. Countless hurdles remain. This hotel hasn't even been designed yet. They know very little about what it'll cost. There's no operator. Nobody has made any commitments to finance construction *. Countless hurdles remain.

* You can try to deny this with something about it being 100% financed or whatever (I don't know what they're claiming). But that's incorrect. The financial partners might be lined up, but they haven't made firm commitments. That sort of decision waits until stuff like construction cost and operations pro forma are worked out.

Your comment about Pyramid's devotion is misguided. Don't you realize that every developer's #1 job is to convince others that they're going forward, even while they themselves aren't sure? Pyramid is simply doing what developers do.

You can be hopeful about the hotel because they're apparently making progress. Hopeful is good. But "no more roadblocks" is just extremely incorrect.

Evergrey · #25 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 6:15 AM**

DestiNY is such a strange concept.

Peanut · #26 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 10:00 AM**

I am very confident about this project, why? Because Destiny will get more than enough money from the Gov't to build this thing. Look at the Destiny thread under general projects, it explains how much they will get for building Destiny.

Fact is Syracuse has not had alot of development in the past few decades and here comes this project that has people believing. People are moving back to Syracuse, the Housing market is booming, and the Lakefront market is going through the roof right now.

It is still a long ways away from breaking ground but Contruction is happening right now on Destiny.

Anyways here is a good article and News real from News10now Syracuse: http://www.news10now.com/content/top...sp?ArID=125922

NYguy · #27 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 1:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peanut

'The whole thing is about Mother Earth'

November 08, 2007
By Rick Moriarty Staff writer

The second phase of the Destiny USA project will see a 1,342-room hotel and conference center - covered with green solar panel windows - rise on the south shore of Onondaga Lake like giant blades of grass.

The $450 million hotel, which has not been named yet, will be the tallest building in the state outside of New York City, according to Destiny developer Robert Congel.

"The whole goal was to create something iconic that would signify Syracuse all over the world," Congel said Wednesday during the conference.

No date was set for the start of construction, but it will begin no later than Aug. 1, 2009, the date by which Congel must start the second phase of the Destiny project under the terms of a development agreement with the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency. Destiny executive David Aitken said construction will take 18 months.

The functional space of the hotel will have 39 stories and rise 600 feet into the air. The hotel will be topped by steel architectural features that will make the building 640 feet tall - the tallest in Syracuse, and tallest in the state outside of New York City, according to Congel.

Let's hope things get moving this time. Syracuse could be the new Oz!

NYonward · #28 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 1:41 PM**

640 feet....Syracuse is movin' up!

Mr. Rochester · #29 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 3:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peanut

Mr. Rochesyer is Angry Syracuse will have a taller building than Rochester, lol

Actually I would be pissed. Though this would not be apart of the syr skyline so it doesn't bother me to much.

Oz... Is old news though... It will be interesting if they do it. Don't share your positivity about this project... Its Upstate... It will most likely be downgraded.

NYguy · #30 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 4:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Rochester

Oz... Is old news though... It will be interesting if they do it. Don't share your positivity about this project... Its Upstate... It will most likely be downgraded.

It's already been downgraded somewhat. But even if it's further downgraded, it will be an amazing project for Syracuse.

mhays · #31 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 5:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peanut

I am very confident about this project, why? Because Destiny will get more than enough money from the Gov't to build this thing. Look at the Destiny thread under general projects, it explains how much they will get for building Destiny.

Fact is Syracuse has not had alot of development in the past few decades and here comes this project that has people believing. People are moving back to Syracuse, the Housing market is booming, and the Lakefront market is going through the roof right now.

It is still a long ways away from breaking ground but Contruction is happening right now on Destiny.

Anyways here is a good article and News real from News10now Syracuse: http://www.news10now.com/content/top...sp?ArID=125922

Confidence is good. I'm just saying many large hurdles remain for the hotel.

As for the whole vision, maybe something like it will be built. But many of the basic ideas simply aren't believable.

F11Roch · #32 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 5:30 PM**

I do like the green aspect of this project and Destiny, but outside of that I have never been a fan of the Destiny project. It has always seemed to me too close to a Disney-like experience to make it worthwhile for a downtown. Instead of utilizing the historic nature of downtown Syracuse, it is creating a "fake" urban village of it's own, all centered around high end mall shopping. It is a project that I am glad is happening down the thruway and not here in Rochester. I hope for Syracuse's sake that more economic development is spurred from the green side of this development than the mall side.

At any rate, perhaps this hotel will finally give Syracuse enough hotel rooms so the Carrier Dome can host the Mens Basketball Final Four.

Lost Island · #33 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 5:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peanut

The Hotel is going to go hand in hand with the mall, Which after phase 1 will be the 4th largest in the US.

I would think this only has a chance if there is in fact demand for hotel rooms in Syracuse. I don't think a mall is a selling point to tourism. Palisades Center off the NY Thruway in Nyack is supposedly second to Mall of America in square footage. I don't see any hotels there. So I don't see where Destiny is going to draw many tourists besides regional. There's also fierce competition from casino resorts all around you. And that just continues to proliferate with no end in sight.

Furthermore, if downtown Syracuse is revitalizing the way Peanut says it is, wouldn't a mall/resort sort of cannibalize that? I'm just thinking of the Atlantic City effect.

Peanut · #34 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 8:16 PM**

Quote:

Furthermore, if downtown Syracuse is revitalizing the way Peanut says it is, wouldn't a mall/resort sort of cannibalize that? I'm just thinking of the Atlantic City effect.

Its a good point but Downtown is doing good due to a few reasons. People recognize the importance of downtown so they will do shop there also. People who live or work downtown shop downtown. Downtown has bars, Carousal mall does now.

Since they built Carousel mall back in 1990 Downtown redeveloped quitea but. The only thing that suffered were suburban malls. A bunch of them closed.

Grumpy · #35 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 8:47 PM**

Would fit perfectly in Las Vegas but in Syracuse,NY....

MolsonExport · #36 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 8:54 PM**

yark! ugly!

donybrx · #37 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 9:18 PM**

[

Quote:

Palisades Center off the NY Thruway in Nyack is supposedly second to Mall of America in square footage.

could be, but I thought that King of Prussia (PA) was second in size....

forumly_chgoman · #38 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 9:59 PM**

it looks like OZ

RocTX · #39 Posted **Nov 9, 2007, 10:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Would fit perfectly in Las Vegas but in Syracuse,NY....

I was thinking Dubai...

Lost Island · #40 Posted **Nov 10, 2007, 4:24 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by donybrx

but I thought that King of Prussia (PA) was second in size....

After a check, I did find King of Prussia mall at #2 on certain lists...although it's confusing how they measure these things unless you are into this marketting stuff.

wikipedia--The Palisades Center, often referred to as the Palisades Mall, in West Nyack, New York is one of the largest malls in the United States. Depending on how it is measured, it is considered to both the second largest shopping mall in U.S. and the second largest mall in the New York metropolitan area. With 3.5 million square feet, the Palisades is second only to the Mall of America in total area. When measured by its 2 million square feet of gross leasable area (GLA), the Palisades drops to 15th in size in the U.S. and the second in the New York metropolitan area after Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York.

Evidently, "Destiny USA" involves expansion of the Carousel Center mall into a sort of a Mall of America and beyond. The entertainment complex planned is so ambitious it really does have shades of Dubailand. It won't officially assume the name "Destiny USA" until after Phase 2, which is construction of the hotel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destiny_USA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carousel_Center