Comments on: Land Value Disparity In City Deal

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:27:35 +0000

they’re still weeding through enviro issues. those things tend to hold up financial support\committments until the light at the end of the tunnel appears.

By: Clippityclop

Clippityclop — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:16:04 +0000

(Dear) Dear Razzbar,
That comment was brilliant. Thank you.

By: Dear Razzbar

Dear Razzbar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:31:07 +0000

The necessity of growth is an urban myth created maintained by chambers of commerce and the like.

They will tell you that if you don’t grow, you will die. They neglect to point out that the faster you grow, the sooner you exhaust your resources, and the sooner you, again, die.

The trick is to live well by living within your means, both individually and as a society. Unfortunately, humans are a greedy bunch. Moderation has never been glamorous.

By: Razzbar

Razzbar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:00:24 +0000

I’ve heard that growth is necessary in a capitalist economy. I forget exactly why that is, but I suppose if I do some research I might find an answer.

But what I really can’t understand is how a “liberal” president managed to balance the budget and a “conservative” one has taken us down the road of debt to the point of economic meltdown.

I mean, aren’t the “liberals” supposed to be the big spenders?

By: Pit 2?

Pit 2? — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:16:35 +0000

So, if I am reading this correctly (With The Pit still collecting trash on 8th, which was the result of the city not getting sufficient financial guarantees from the developer.) the city has once again entered into a major land deal without getting any financial guarantees from the developer doctors.

Shall we just cut to the chase and call it Pit 2?

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:24:18 +0000

I believe, gulp, Cyclops is right that the Riverside Medical Center LLC aka Surgical Hospital LLC has not been able to find financing. In other words, they don’t have a big enough down payment to satisfy paranoid bankers.

This whole thing has been a very weird story, and I wish our local news media had the backbone to investigate it in depth.

I followed the permitting process and it seemed to me it didn’t go very smoothly at all. It also seemed like the whole thing may have been a dog and pony show to force some kind of change at St Als. Indeed, just the other day it was reported St Als CEO Sandra Bruce has announced her resignation.

One thing that’s good is the entire city block between 25th and 27th, south of Fairview and north of the Connector will come under the ownership of one entity.

This is exactly what the urban planners, HDR, recommended in the 30th Street Specific Area Plan. Recombining all the small cut-up properties in the Fairview/Main Corridor is necessary for urban renewal in the ridiculously under utilized area.

I would like to add that I went to the ground breaking for the Riverside Medical Center and did not see one City Councilor or the Mayor. You’d think they would have been at the ground breaking for a multi million dollar project just blocks from City Hall.

By: Cyclops

Cyclops — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:37:55 +0000

No construction due to hesitation by the financial backers AND the docs at this time. They will wait for a better financial situation.
The problem surfaces when it is realized that there is no guarantee that the space will be a hospital. These folks can do anything with it they want. The city wet itself trying to accomodate them based solely on what they “intend” to do. It is yet another example of the city rushing into something before the full impact is known. At some point, we have to realize that they are no longer guilty of being ill-informed, and they have entered the arena of being stupid!

By: TJ

TJ — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:29:55 +0000

I am totally confused by this set of transactions. First of all, I thought a group of doctors had purchased land at 27th and Fairview, where Thriftway Lumber used to be, to build a private hospital, and I wondered why there has been no construction going on. One of your other readers knows about this and I hope he/she will advise.

Someone at city hall needs to come forward and explain the need for this convoluted set of transactions. It sure smells fishy to me.