Holt: One Year Later

[simlink 1,098]

 

 

Welcome to Holt District!

 

Holt District is my brand-new CJ and is also my second one. In this journal we will follow the Region of Holt District through developments - both good and bad - and the pains on motorists as roads are widened and residents + businesses as utilities are tinkered with the allow for new developments.

 

We will see developments go from the planning phases, through construction all the way to the end process. Likewise, those of you who know of Windemere & Taschereau also know I like road construction. That, too will be part of this CJ as when an area grows, so to do the demands on its road/transit network.

 

Holt District will vary from Windemere & Taschereau in that instead of me adding "new" cities throughout the course of the CJ, the cities I start with are it. Any new cities that come up will be result of new developments, and the bureaucratic mess that goes with it. As mentioned, we will see developments go from a plan to finished product. While this is not true for all developments - that would get boring pretty quick we will see some major developments through the entire process, and on a variety of styles. (Suburban sprawl, urban skyscrapers, business parks, etc.)

 

Holt District has been in development for several months, since about later March/early April. It has been a long road to this point, and those who have been following my Innocent Posts will (hopefully) be excited to be here, just as I am. Now, before I begin today's update (Yay update 1!) I will go into a bit about the CJ website, map and twitter feed. For information about the region of Holt District itself, check out the CJ website!

 

Additional Media:

Additional media will play a very large roll in Holt District. Holt District (the CJ) has a website (holtdistrict.weebly.com - link at the bottom of this post) which has some information about the region and general news that you won't generally get in an update. Sometimes a special post will be made to highlight something on the website, with feedback and discussion more than welcome here in the Holt District topic. Generally development proposals will be posted on the site, with discussion about them taking place here. The process of watching it go from plan to finished product will also take place here. It is only the "application", if you will, that is posted on the website.

 

Also, Holt District will have a streetmap. To be located at maps.holtdistrict.host22.com, it will be a streetmap (i.e. the elevated rail lines won't be on it.) This may change in the future as my abilities in this area improve. When this feature launches (it is currently only a welcome page) there will also be a regional transportation view available for more detail in other areas of transit - including EL-RAIL.

 

Lastly, Holt District Has twitter! Twitter will be used to let you know when updates will be coming out, random teasers and general "What I'm working on in the region today is..."

 

So with that... let's get onto the update. Again, welcome - to Holt District!

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION + RETAIL 'DILEMMA'

 

1.1 \ Shorecoast Shopping Centre is at the cross-roads of 2 major arterial roads in Manatee. Having grown over time with 2 additions and several renovations, the mall is now home to Hecht's, Sears, JCPenney and a large multiplex movie theatre. The mall is a major draw for residents of not only Manatee, but the entire region as it is the only enclosed shopping centre in the region.

 

 

 

1.2 \ Over time, the owner of the mall, Centurion Properties, Inc., developed portions of the massive parking lot into large office buildings. Several office building and even a department store exist on what was once pavement. When confronted with these proposals (over time) the city's council easily approved the developments, saying "It helps break up the pavement monster which is the Shorecoast parking lot, all while brining jobs to the area." Indeed, this building alone employs over 2 000 people.

 

 

1.3 \ Although the mall has a diverse clientele, and wise base where it draws customers from - its biggest return visitors and spenders are those who live right around the mall. This is one of the older sections of Manatee.

 

 

1.4 \ The food court benefits from a high school which is about a 10 minute walk away. The food court suring any of the lunches is packed - if you are a non-high school student you need to pick and choose when you go for lunch or a snack.

 

 

1.5 \ However, not all retail is booming. This Kmart store, which has been in this location for 35 years - and expanded several times - has been loosing business to the mall since it has opened. The mid-range department stores in the mall have stolen business away from Kmart, while an out-of-town Walmart has put the nail in the coffin. Rumours of its closing have been swirling for years, though no official confirmation from the company.

 

 

1.6 \ The only saving grace for this location is it is across the street from this minor league stadium, home to various local sports teams and the soccer and foorball teams from the highschool just down the street. Often, people will purchase snacks from Kmart, and on cool nights sales of blankets soar.

 

 

1.7 \ Another source of customers is the casino resort, Holt Casino & Resort. It is inevitable that travellers forget something, and with Kmart in walking distance several tourists enter the store each week. While this is not a steady source of income for the store, it is better than nothing.

 

 

1.8 \ However, Kmart's demise may now be more real than ever. Rumours are swirling that Walmart is in the process of purchasing the property from the land owner. The fact Kmart's lease is up in 11 months is doing nothing to help squash the rumour. Walmart previously tried to enter Manatee, 10 years ago, but their plan was rejected. Since this is already a retail site, chances any changes they make to the building would be approved. When their plan was rejected 10 years ago, they located 2 highway exits to the south in another town.

 

 

1.9 \ It is becoming increasingly likely that the residents of the luscious suburbs in and around Kmart

could soon be faced with the sound of construction vehicles for months.

 

 

 

 

 

That is all for today, the first update of Holt District! I hope for those who have been following its development it is everything you have been looking forward to. I am super excited about the prospects of this new CJ, and I hope you will stay for the journey as things develop!

 

 

 

Next Update: We will be looking at some more of suburban Manatee and may just venture into its downtown core...

 

 

 

 

 

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Awesome! Glad to see the debut! BTW, how do you get that many cars in the parking lots? When I use the same lots my parking lots are quite empty.

Anywho, this looks to be promising. And now I am off to check out the website debut! ROCK ON!

EDIT: Website is nice. I look forward to seeing it grow, as I do the district!

  Edited July 28, 2012 by Schulmanator  

[simlink 1,098]

Future Information Post...

[Alejandro24 575]

I've readed of this in Twitter. Nice debut, I want to see more.

[dylan88 5]

I love your work sim_link! Nice job!

[Charlie_Zane 963]

The wait is over! And what great pictures to start off!

That mall is just amazing, must do my shopping there, they have everything!

And i'm loving Holt District's website! It's so flash and new!

[Mithrik 562]

Excellent mall!

[Jack³ 291]

I am very intrigued. Great update, I like the story.

Edit: 666th post!

  Edited July 28, 2012 by jack3oh3  

[The Avatar 1,088]

I knew it! You little tease, Link.

The work you put into this really shows. I have yet to check out the website and street map, but I look forward to seeing them and seeing more updates in the future. 5/5 & +1

[coolwiththecool2 827]

wow! this is nice, and its funny how in real life k-mart is facing problems with business (not all. but in a lot of big u.s. cities)

btw, how much do the houses cost

[Markus J 242]

Very, nice... I really like the mall. Use it myself =)

[simlink 1,098]

Have you seen the first development proposal yet?

For the full description of the development, see the application on the Holt District website by

clicking here.

What do you think of the development? Should it be passed?

Sound off below - are you for or against? You are city council for this development!

The results will be revealed during Update 2.

Replies will be done next update.

  Edited July 29, 2012 by sim_link  

[nathanthemayor 1,261]

Wow that's a nice development plan. It will probably be even better once put into SC4...

[dylan88 5]

Development looks good. Looking forward to future updates!

[SAVAGExPHOENIX 955]

I believe that Lot 23 and 24 should be dedicated neighborhood model homes (IE the Centurion Homes show-home and office). Otherwise, Excellent proposal!

[Markus J 242]

I vote no, it will add too much traffic to the area, we don't need more homes, we need more jobs!

;p

[Superbacon 380]

Nice. Kind of reminds me of the Woodfield Mall out in Schaumburg.

[SimCoug 5,972]

Great debut - I love how you've worked the kmart/walmart storyline into this CJ - I'm looking forward to more business struggles

[simlink 1,098]

Welcome to another update of Holt District!

In today's update we are still in The City of Manatee, this time looking at its downtown core and the surrounding area. Its downtown is a mix of both new and old buildings, and a mix of high-rises, mid-rise and low-rise buildings. The downtown core starts at the edge of the Shorecrest Shopping Centre to the north, working its way down to one of the major throughfares in the city. The are surrounding downtown is a mix of suburban housing, retail, parkland, office space and government buildings.

Before I get to today's update, I would also like to mention that the Holt District street map is up, but only uses the default in-game look at present. It will be upgraded and updated as time goes on. Also, voting has closed on the "Norecrest" subdivision application. Thanks to everyone who voted.

Okay, now we can go on to the second update...

The Downtown Core + Cultural Park

2.1 | Manatee is not just a suburban sprawl nightmare. It does, in fact, have a large and bustling downtown core for a city of 120,000. The downtown core is where the majority of jobs in Manatee are located, though there are other concentrations of offices. In this photo we see the "core" of the core, the 4 largest buildings in the city. The empty strip of land of the top of the picture is rumoured to soon be for sale... for $10 million.

2.2 | Just south is another area downtown - Historic Manatee. As you can see, the area is made up of several mid-rise and low-rise buildings which range from very new to protected architecture-age. The city enacted legislation several years ago that protected this area from large-scale redevelopments. In addition to offices, this area houses several residences and as such the height-limit is lower in this portion of the city. While the legislation itself is solid, redevelopment does still occur. A history housing block was torn down, and 2 new, large-scale condominium buildings are being built in its place. Estimates show that between 4000 and 6000 people with live in the new towers.

2.3 | This is another view of "Historic Manatee." Here you can see more construction which is considered outside the downtown barrier. Since it is outside the downtown "subdivision" according to city planning guides, it is not subject to the same stringent development laws. The closest construction lot is schedules to be a complex of office buildings while the one just visible is more condominiums. The city is currently experiencing a building boom in this area, as there is easy access to everything. You can also see the Manatee Performing Arts Complex, a city-owned stage venue. Various National and local productions are put on here. Rumour has it the city is considering selling the land the parking lot sits on...

2.4 | In this closer look of Historic Manatee, we can see some of the finer details on the older office buildings in this section of Manatee. These buildings house several web-based media companies and other various electronics companies, including games developers Lugnut Gaming. (It occupies the blue, glass building on the bottom right corner of the intersection.)

2.5 | Of course, no downtown would be complete without construction. Here we can see a closer look and Denten Condominiums, developed by Viscal Properties, Ltd. There was strong opposistion to this proposal, since Viscal has been known for creating bland, repetitive developments. The city worked with the developed on the style of building, and eventually approved the project. Reisdents still point to the Viscal development in neighbouring city Sherkston as a reason it should not have been approved. Even with the changes made to the original proposal, some residents still complain it looks un-original and unfitting to the downtown area.

2.6 | One of the reasons the downtown has been growing steadily is easy access - this station (Cultural Park Terminus) provides access to a portion of the northern area of Manatee, and fast access to various parts of Sherkston.

2.7 | These are the three main office buildings in Manatee - Samsung Orchidsen HQ, MNC Tower and Rebran Tower. These towers occupy the site of the former city hall and grounds, which burnt down due to an electrical fire in the 1970's. City hall has since relocated for a second time to its current location, next to the Cultural Square Terminus Station (seen on the bottom right of the above photo.)

2.8 | Moving away from the job and skyscraper side of downtown, we have the recently completed Cultural Square. Consisting of 2 buildings, this building is the Manatee-Centurion Concert Hall. Various orchestras play here, and is also known for hosting more intimate concerts. A group of residents to this day resent that the naming rights were sold and the facility be commercially branded. City hall's response? "If you come up with the million dollars a year they pay the city and the cancellation fee, we'll drop the name." The resident's group folded quickly after this comment.

2.9 | The other portion of this venue is the art gallery. The city has put a strong emphasis on local art in this facility, with artists of all ages getting their artwork in this facility. Touring art exhibits also join the museum. Admission is generally free, but the travelling exhibits usually have a fee for entry, typically $5 to $10.

2.10| And no story attatched to this image. This is a night view of Downtown Manatee.

That is it for today's update on Downtown Manatee. I hope you enjoyed this update and liked some of the history of the area and resident unhappiness.

Schulmanator

Thanks - I'm glad you like the debut. Hopefully I can keep it going. As for the fullness of the parking lots - I have no idea how they're so full. Mine are usually in the same boat, almost empty. The only thing I can think of it being is high traffic volumes - there are a lot of cars going by that mall. And glad you like the website - I think it will be a cool feature as the CJ moves forward.

Alejandro24

Thanks, hope you enjoyed this update too. Nice to see people actually read my tweets.

dylan88

Thanks, hope to continue to see you around!

City_Master

The wait is indeed over... I was so excited when I was typing that update. Same goes for this one, too. Glad you like the website! Be sure to check back often as development proposals will be posted there first!

Mithrik

Thanks!

jack3oh3

Glad you liked the story. There will be a fair amount more storytelling here than W&T - though not every update will have it.

MamaLuigi945

Glad the work shows - it was a really long road! And this is just beginning... as much as only a small portion of the region is developed, there is a lot more to see.

TayMay27

Thanks! I thought I would incorporate that - I am aware of the struggles of Kmart in the U.S. Here in Canada one of our discount retailers, Zellers, sold the bulk of its leases last year to Target. Some were in turn sold to Walmart. So I thought I would incorporate both storylines in to the Kmart there. Shortly after I posted that update, it was announced the remaining Zellers stores whose leases weren't sold will likely be closed... this may play into the Kmart storyline.

MarkusJ

Thanks - it really is a nice mall.

nathantheymayor

Thanks... hope it turns out. I will count your post as a yes on the proposal front.

dylan88

Thanks! You vote has been counted as a yes.

daTSchikinhed

They will likely be so now that you mention it. Your vote has been placed in the yes pile!

MarkusJ

Your vote has been placed into the small no pile. Thanks for voting!

Topgun232

Thanks! I aim for realism so if it reminds you of somewhere, I guess that is a good thing.

SimCoug

Thanks! Like I said to TayMay, it is simmilar to something going up here with Zellers/Target/Walmart. Hope you also enjoyed this update. I also wanted to mention, since you asked earlier in Feaumont, that the map I use is

I would like to thank everyone for the tremendous response the first update got. I hope that future updates will be as well received and look forward to seeing everyone around!

Next Update: We will be venturing outside of Manatee to one of the coastal municipalities...

1 update, over 1000 views. Thanks everyone!

  Edited July 31, 2012 by sim_link  

[Markus J 242]

Now that's a nice night shot!

[dylan88 5]

Nice downtown!

[Mithrik 562]

Really nice downtown, and I liked the cultural area, you made a good use of pedmalls. But I think the parking of the Art Gallery is not quite well located, cars will have to go through the El-Rail post to get in

Anyways, looks quite good. Especially your night-shot.

[Schulmanator 5,787]

I thought it looked good during the day... but it may be even better at night! Rock on!! :D

[The Avatar 1,088]

Love the downtown, and that mosaic!

[Jack³ 291]

Loved the downtown. Great choice of buildings.

FYI, the link to the streetmap in your signature is broken.

[dylan88 5]

FYI, the link to the streetmap in your signature is broken.

works for me.

[coolwiththecool2 827]

wow, nice downtown for a city of 120k! and i like the kmart storyline plan(i couldnt think of another word to finish the sentence)

[SimCoug 5,972]

Very nice urban development - I can tell you have spent lots of time on this.

[Jack³ 291]

FYI, the link to the streetmap in your signature is broken.

works for me.

I think he fixed it. It works now.

Someone also noticed it on SC4D:

"FYI, some of your links are broken. Specifically the link to the Maps in the image at the bottom of your posts"

  Edited August 2, 2012 by jack3oh3  

[Ceafus 88 1,794]

This looks amazing SimLink! Great work!