Commonwealth of Marathon

[Nexis4Jersey]

Nice idea for the Complex , i'll be waiting for the awesome results 

[thundercrack83]

Pat: Thanks, my friend!

Matt (threestooges): Hey, Matt! I'm glad you like the set up! As for parking, well...we'll see what we can come up with! Thanks for coming by!

Robin (rooker1): Thanks, Robin! Though, something tells me you have a "bit" of an idea as to what's going to be going on, my friend!

Adam (Ennedi): Hi, Adam! Thank you so much, my friend! And actually, your question about access is something that I haven't thought of! Thanks for bringing it up! Hope to see you back again soon!

Arthur (art128): Thanks, Arthur!

deathtopumpkins: Thanks! And don't worry, I didn't forget! Just forgot to mention it!

Joan (Jmouse): Hello, there, Joan! I can't believe I completely forgot to mention my parking plans! But, we'll rectify that mistake posthaste! Thanks for stopping by!

Corey (Nexis): Hey, Corey! Thanks a lot, my friend!

UPDATE XXI
A Complex From a Complex
Part II: The Perils of Parking and Access (And an Aside...)
10 February 2009

OK! Several of you have asked the question, "Where will people heading to the sports complex park?" So, in honor of one the second birthday of my good friend's daughter, and the 46^th birthday of my favorite baseball player of all-time, former Philadelphia Phillies centerfielder Lenny Dykstra, we'll attempt to answer this question.

First, let me say that I have planned for parking, however I should have explained it up front. But instead of an up-front "here's how parking will work" statement, I've decided to handle it with an update! I apologize for my oversight with this from the beginning, and I am so glad that you all brought it up!

While the sports complexes in Philadelphia and the Meadowlands in New Jersey that I used as examples in our last update have huge sprawling parking lots, that type of set-up will not work in the downtown urban environment that this quay is in. So, to illustrate my inspiration for parking, where better to go than New York City, and the "Mecca" of all sporting venues, Madison Square Garden—site of prizefights, concerts, Stanley Cup hockey games, NBA Championship games, and the inaugural WrestleMania, too!

Located right in the middle of Manhattan...

...the Garden is not really in a position to be best equipped for parking.

According to the venue's official website, there are nine indoor and outdoor parking facilities in proximity to the arena...

1. West 34^th Street between 8^th and 9^th Avenues
2. West 33^rd Street between 8^th and 9^th Avenues
3. West 31^st Street between 6^th and 7^th Avenues
4. West 31^st Street between 7^th and 8^th Avenues
5. West 31^st Street between 8^th and 9^th Avenues
6. West 31^st Street between 6^th and 7^th Avenues
7. West 35^th Street between 5^th and 6^th Avenues
8. West 33^rd Street between 7^th and 8^th Avenues
9. West 31^st Street between 8^th and 9^th Avenues

In addition, connected to Madison Square Garden is Pennsylvania Station, a major railway hub in New York, providing rail transportation, as well as four subway stations (marked on the map with blue "M's").

As it shows, because of its location, the Garden is situated in a prime location for mass transit systems more than car traffic. In keeping with this theme, parking for the sports complex will be housed off of the quay itself, and overall traffic funneled more towards mass transit.

Here's an overview—

To accommodate traffic...

parking facilities (P) will be placed in various places, in concert with metro stations (M). Also, left-center is the Châteauguay Station to handle rail traffic not only for the sports complex, but for southern Marathon Island as a whole.

Of course, the placement of parking lots and garages is not static and will be dependent on where city development allows. The areas shown on the map are rough estimates.

A contingency that I did not plan for, however, was vehicle access to the stadium on the bottom end of the "L" quay section, brought up by our good friend Adam (Ennedi). It is a reality that different types of vehicles—emergency vehicles, vehicles for different events, etc.—will need to reach the stadium for a myriad of reasons. Since the entire area will be primarily pedestrian plazas the vehicles could conceivably use the open-area plaza areas to negotiate the top of the quay. Where the problem lies is...

here—where the elevation differences meet. So, my solution!

We start by leveling one tile out onto the lower end by plopping single road tiles...

...then we use roads to make gentle slopes on both sides to accommodate the vehicle traffic.

Here's the finished product with the grid on to see the elevation change:

How the slopes will be handled in reference to the upper and lower sections...well, that's the next step! Robin, are you thinking about this one...?

Finally, we come to the "Aside" section of our title, completely unrelated to the quay and the sports complex.

I was playing around with the Gobal Telecom Building by bixel...

...and then things just got ridiculous!

And actually, I kind of like it! Here's the other angles:

Of course, there's the repetition of the rooves to contend with, but I like the idea of having that triangular section as one big building. Not sure if I'll keep this concept or not, but it's definitely something to think about. What do you guys think?

For now, it's back to the complex. Of course, if anyonehas any suggestions on the parking or access situations, please don't hesitate to let me know! I'm open to everything!

In a bit!

[projectadam]

Since you are posting rather early tonight and not your 1 - 3 am posts that I usually catch in the late night hours, I thought this was a good time to post a reply. Interested to see how the complexes turn out and believe that road access would be a must. Like you said, the emergency vehicles could drive on the open paved areas but I am sure your all-star athletes would prefer to park directly at the stadiums and when Mayor Dustin roles in to catch an event, surely his limo can pull up at the front door

The mass triangle building reminds me of a building for bureaucracy. I think it works but it might be neat to have some of the European W2W themed buildings to culture the place up. Either way, I am sure you will pull something great off.

[alan_vzla]

Your planning skills are wonderful, this area will surely end great!
As for the building... I'll suggest another diagonal one.... It's just that I didn't like how the bunch of buildings look together, maybe you could use something parisian style... Again i'ts only me, you do what you want

Awesome update (as always)
Alan

[threestooges]

Well that makes perfect sense Dustin. I figured the transit hub would certainly play a role in getting people there too. It may be a bit of a walk from some of the lots (more of an incentive to take the train) but from the looks of things, it'll certainly be a scenic stroll. Nice update, and the comparison with Madison Square Garden really helped.
-Matt

[art128]

Wow. it's an huge use of this building there Dustin !
I never know that that building could looks great used by 21 time wall by wall... but your result is truly great my friend.

Arthur.

[Pat]

Hey there Dustin about the parking situation what about having a sorta combo lot with above ground parking lot with garages and then underground entrances and exit too of course...

Here is a rough thought using paint



Also I like the reuse of the Global Telcom like you did it there!!! It would be nice to see a flat roof on that but hey it still works in my honest opion...

[bat]

Nice work and plan on that area there! Looking forward to more of it...

[Sciurus]

Good work, but I don't like the accumulation of bats in the 6th pic

[Sheep49]

Hmm, it's been a while since I have commented here, hasn't it? Well, from what I've seen, I have missed so much fun and awesome planning. I think I'm gonna cry

But back to the thread - the last update. It was great, awesome, outstanding! I'm pretty jealous of your ability to convert the real life ideas to SC4. It makes your city so realistic, I mean... Just one big WOW.

In addition, I love the choice of the railway station. It will be very fitting for the rest of development (Judging by the previous updates, of course ) And I just love how you play with Bixel's Global Telecom building! It looks so fun to do, and it's so inspirating. I'm extremely anxious to see what will you do with that w2w.

To sum up, update is great, I can't wait for more. Keep up the good work
Piotr

[metarvo]

It's great to see that you are paying attention to every detail as usual, Dustin.  Up until now, I usually just built a stadium without considering the parking.  Other than the in-game Park and Ride, Maxis didn't include many parking options in the default game.  Now, so many good parking options have been released, making realistic parking facilities possible.  I look forward to seeing your parking system completed.  Good work, Dustin!

[Jmouse]

Watching this whole complex develop - including the parking facilities - is very interesting. Your sense of pre-planning is better than most.

In addition to the obvious, a large sports complex suggests a need for luxury hotels, haute cuisine and various not-sporting nightlife such as live theatre, etc. If The new Cowboy's Stadium in Dallas is any indication, there's a plethora of well-heeled fans ready to part with fistfuls of cash - it's just a matter of being there to take it. It will be fascinating to see how all this shapes up over time.

Marathon has been a pleasure to follow and continues to astound and delight...
Joan

[JBSimio]

Hi Dustin,

You're obviously putting a lot of thought and planning into this sports complex.  I'm really excited to see how it all comes out, but at the same time, I appreciate the level of realism you're trying to emulate.  I'm sure all the attention to detail will make this a stunning area when finished.  I like the idea with the Global Telecom Building, but I have to admit that the repeating roof sections kind of ruin it for me.  It would be nice if there was a way to cover that up somehow.  Hmm... I just gave myself an idea... I'll PM you about it shortly.

See you next time, my friend!
JB

[thundercrack83]

projectadam: Hi, there! It's just after 4:00 in the morning here, now, so I think I'm back on schedule! I'm glad you enjoy the complex so far, and I hope you like it even more once it's finished...though, I'm not quite sure how long that's going to take! Thanks for coming by!

Alan (alan_vzla): Thank you, Alan! The diagonal building thing was just playing around for fun. I stumbled upon it and decided to share. I will definitely be looking into the Parisian buildings that you've suggested, though perhaps for a different area of the city. Take care!

Matt (threestooges): Hi, Matt! I'm glad it makes more sense now. I wish I would have thought to include the parking setup in the original introduction of all of this. But, hey! The silver lining is that I got to do an update out of it! Thanks, of course, to you and everyone else who pointed out the parking situation! Thanks again and take care, my friend!

Arthur (art128): Thanks, Arthur! See what happens when you start messing around with stuff! Though, sometimes, you do break something. Thanks for coming by!

Pat: Hey, my friend! That's a wonderful idea you've got there for the parking set-up! I think I'll be looking into putting it to good use. Thanks again!

bat: Thank you, bat!

Sciurus: Thanks! Though, as I said, the big diagonal building was more for a joke than a serious idea. Thanks for coming by!

Piotr (Sheep49): Hi, Piotr—long time, no see, my friend! Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments, I am so glad that you are finding things here inspiring! Hope to see you around again soon!

metarvo: Hello! I used to do the same thing with stadiums—just plop'em down and not even think twice about anything that goes along with it. When I started to really examine how they're set up in real life, I realized that if a city put a stadium how I did, there would be big problems! You're right, too, about all the great parking options available now. Where would we be with out all this great stuff? Thanks for your kind words, my friend!

Joan (Jmouse): Hey, there, Joan! Great idea with the variety of amenities in the area. Once again, another thing about this project that I hadn't thought of! Now that you mention it, though, in every city I've been to, there is always bars, restaurants, hotels, etc., around the venues. So, of course, Marathon will have the same! Oh, and when I was in Texas last spring, we went to a Texas Rangers game, so I was able to see the new Cowboys Stadium, too. It's going to be quite a monster! Thanks for dropping in, Joan!

Jon (JBSimio): Thank you so much, Jon! For as much work as the sports complex has been so far (and has yet to go), it has been a lot of fun planning and working to get it all to come together. As for the Telecom Building, I'm with you on the roof situation—I wish there was a way to cover it up somehow, too...I look forward to hearing from you, my friend! Take care!



Still in sports complex mode! Remember this...

...our rather hastily-strewn-together answer to the stadium access conundrum? Well...

...scratch that! Here's a much easier solution—

We eliminate any need for vehicles to need access to the top section in order to reach the bottom one. Of course, a simple street isn't going to cut it in there, though, is it? No, we've a solution in mind that should be more æstethically pleasing.

Back to work!

[JoeST]

I agree, that is a much nicer way of doing it, maybe SAM?

Joe

[Alfred.Jones]

Can't wait for more Dustin!

The suspense is killing me

[art128]

You've done the great choice there Dutsin !
Can't wait to see what stadium you place here,

Arthur. 

[Sciurus]

Nice, and ok for the BATs, I thought it was final!

Guillaume

[rooker1]

   Much better.  How do you come up with all these great ideas? 
BTW.... Gobal Telecom Building by bixel... Funny idea, but I think everyone has tried it at one time or another.  I am interested in Jon's idea.
Anyways, see ya later,
Robin 

[bat]

Looks better now!
But again looking forward to more of that area!


Btw, Congrats on 700 replies in your MD...