Call it a bad omen. Or call it nothing more than a freaky coincidence:
On the same day news broke that a local construction company had revived a plan to build an 18,000-seat Oceanfront arena, the Atlanta Braves announced the franchise was turning its back on a baseball stadium less than 20 years old.
The separate developments this week aren't linked. But in both, demands for huge public subsidies appear to be part of the equation.
The latest proposals for a Virginia Beach arena don't rely on an NBA or NHL tenant. But the presence of a new facility could lure a team.
News came Monday that W.M. Jordan Co. has submitted a proposal with partners to build an arena next to the Beach convention center. A day later, a second proposal was announced involving developer Eddie Garcia and S.B. Ballard Construction Co. The City Council is soliciting proposals for three months.
Specific financial details haven't been released, though that's what taxpayers need to evaluate how smart it would be to support - or excoriate - the plans.
According to The Pilot's Aaron Applegate, a 70-page document released on the W.M. Jordan proposal says the group expects to ask the General Assembly for a "substantial equity contribution." W.M. Jordan - which is teaming up with Global Spectrum, a division of Comcast-Spectacor, and HKS Architects - also says Global Spectrum will provide an "equity contribution" and pay "substantial rent" for 25 years. It anticipates a city match of Global Spectrum's contribution.
The arena plan that died earlier this year, which was intended to bring the NBA's Sacramento Kings to the East Coast, was akin to extortion. It demanded a heavy price from local and state taxpayers - including $241 million from Virginia Beach residents.
Jordan's CEO has said his plan is "substantially" less expensive.
That doesn't mean it's cheap.
I don't want to sound totally negative. A persuasive business case suggests a new arena would increase tourism for the Beach and drive additional visitors to the region, especially in the off-season. That would lead to more tax revenue, in part by helping to bring folks to restaurants, hotels and other attractions.
The size of the Beach arena would be roughly double Norfolk's Scope, the Hampton Coliseum and the Ted Constant Center at Old Dominion University.
Linwood Branch, a board member of the Virginia Beach Hotel/Motel Association and a past City Council member, said a large, modern arena would make the city a viable year-round destination. "It just elevates us to a whole new league," he told me.
Branch said the Beach could compete for events such as the ACC basketball tournament and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which are headed to the Greensboro Coliseum in coming years. Greensboro has only 277,000 people, significantly smaller than the Beach. But Greensboro's coliseum complex features a multi-facility venue that includes more than 22,000 seats for basketball.
Obviously, Virginia Beach residents and council members must judge whether the return on their possible investment is worth the risk.
Which brings me back to Atlanta.
The Braves are leaving the city for suburban Cobb County. The franchise says that 17-year-old Turner Field, a stadium built for the 1996 Summer Olympics, is no longer adequate.
Shoot - some people keep cars older than that.
The Braves will build a $672 million stadium, and they want $300 million - about 45 percent - in public money.
It's naive to think a Beach arena would be built without taxpayer money.
It's ridiculous to think the public purse is infinite.
Roger Chesley, 757-446-2329, roger.chesley@pilotonline.com, pilotonline.com/chesley, www.facebook.com/RogerChesley