New Haven Coliseum Debate

New Haven, Conn., officials are still deciding the fate of the 11,000-capacity New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum that was scheduled for demolition more than two years ago.

Proponents think the existing structure can be redesigned to include a new arena, ground- level shops and a pedestrian-friendly exterior. Opponents say the Coliseum can’t compete with the 10,000-seat Arena At Harbor Yard in Bridgeport and should be torn down to make way for a new hotel, a relocated Long Wharf Theatre and a community college, according to the Yale Daily News.

Mayor John DeStefano Jr. deemed the venue a money pit and closed it shortly after he took office in 2002. At the time, an audit conducted by Scillia Dowling Natarelli Advisors determined increased competition and the facility’s age would yield a poor financial future.

The report said keeping the facility open would cost the city $50 million over 10 years, but razing it would save the city an estimated $28.6 million for the period.

So far, the state hasn’t come through with the funds needed for demolition, so the city’s Board of Aldermen must vote in February on whether to spend about $6 million to complete the job.

Should the budget amendment pass, the building will be torn down this summer, the paper said.