I have several personal preferences for an expansion as well.
I think my first would be for NFS East.
I do agree with Pat, the Bavarian NFS theme has always been popular and well rented. It is also rather unique in SL and our mountains are higher and better than any I have seen elsewhere. There was a short time in my first term as chancellor when lots in NFS came open. But they were quickly sold.
Also, the mix of small fachwerk and larger plots provides room for many new citizens.
I also agree with pat that we can take this opportunity to renovate NFS. Many prims can be saved. I am told that prims do not necessarily cause lag. Certainly the number of textures cause lag especially to new arrivals. I think some work to reduce prims all over the sims has begun, albeit in a limited manner. Rosie compiled a good list of areas that need renovation, many of them are in NFS. Some can be quickly done, especially the clock tower and perhaps the long bridge. The upgrade list should be studied and provide a good blueprint for discussion and action.
The link to the Sim Update List is at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sND ... y=CL3V1v4D
Rebuilding of the Schloss a must if we expand NFS. This issue has bounced around the sims long before I came to CDS two years ago. I wager it has been an issue almost as soon as it was built as I believe there was some effort to expand it or renovate part of it after Kendra left the sim. This needs to be discussed along with any expansion of NFS East. I believe the prevalent opinion called for expanding the schloss onto the new sim with the intention of having a large ballroom and or event area straddling the two sims. I believe the intention was to ere up prims in NFS and provide a generally lag free event area.
The university is a good idea also. Perhaps we could partner with some group like Haven Helpers by offering them use of our classroom space in exchange for exposing new residents to our sims.
Expansion of the Roman Sims West of Locus Amoenus would be my other preference. I think this is more complicated however. IMO LA is an incomplete project. LA is in large part a maritime sim with a very nice harbor and long beach. Yet it has no water to its west. I believe that the GMP includes islands to the west of LA. These would provide LA with the proper focus and make it special. However, islands or sea to the west of LA require that we close up the mountain west of Monastery.
Perhaps this could be done with a sloping green mountain ending in high cliffs and beach. This might also afford the opportunity to build a mountain trail, not a road, up from the LA beach and into the new sim and Monastery sim. Both of these these sims could be homesteads with LA acting as the full sim hub of activity. Also, the islands would not necessarily be roman. They could be Mediterranean.
I am no sim planner, but I do think cliffs would be a way to close off the sides of our sims and also afford some public land to allow for pirms needed for a prim bonus and boats or landscaping. The cliffs could easily be terraformed again if future sims are added.
Naturally any expansion plan must be discussed by the RA, NG and citizens. We must be mindful of the market. Also, Roman themed sims, or at least as we present them, do not have a strong market appeal. Also, I have heard that many sims are having some trouble. For example we see that Sudane has had to reduce some holdings in SLNE. Still, as bad as the economy is, perhaps now is the time to lay the groundwork for an upswing in RL and SL fortunes. As far as theme is concerned, perhaps the many new residents, most of them in LA, show that CDS can sell Roman sims and make them fun.
Our current occupancy rate requires that we consider expansion with the hope that at least one new sim is brought online by the end of the current term. Probably it should be one that would allow for an aesthetic addition to the estate and one that is sufficiently marketable as to not be a significant drain on the estate should conditions sour unexpectedly.
