There's a pocket of buildings in the heart of the yard which is specifically up for the designation. Stan Thomas is developing the property as a whole; I'm fairly certain Bass Pro is the only major tenant locked up, with Maloofs Sports & Entertainment being the hopeful anchor.

How's this affect the arena situation? Historic designation frees up grant money for restoration. Those funds could be coming into the yard within a few years. Does any of that make building anything down there cheaper? Probably not. It might speed up the overall development of the yard, which would be positive. But it's not a big domino in the grand scheme.

(Flickr photo by kiny)