Thoughts on Downtown

I was able to get onto www.gatewayplanning.com without a password finally. The downtown plan looks great on paper, if you were building a city from nothing. What I found odd was the fact that the "plan" destroys many existing buildings to make way for "public use spaces" and one hotel. It praises this because it will increase the value of the properties that are left! How, exactly, does a more expensive, less available business space help revitalize this area? It will artificially raise property values which only benefits someone trying to sell it, lease it, or tax it. If I were a new business, what incentive would I have to open shop in the "revitalized" downtown? Higher taxes, higher lease rates, more regulations and restrictions. Hummm...I think not.

So you made all this beautiful public space downtown. Build it, they will come. O.K. Where, pray tell, do they park?! This, I believe, is the central issue of why people don't come downtown often. Street parallel parking is a challenging skill and dangerous with children exiting the car. The River Park Center is so successful in part because of the wonderful parking garage adjacent to it.

I feel like my tax dollars are being wasted on a cosmetic project when I see the riverfront project in progress during a great recession that even President Obama's administration admits will last for years! This kind of spending should be held off until we are in a boom cycle, not the bust without end cycle. Remember all government money comes from the people it taxes and fines. It creates nothing but more bureaucracy. Government is wealthy only with a prosperous community. Spending must be controlled in a recession, just like when your bank account is low. Who ever "spent" their way out of debt?! To end the recession, we should be looking for ways to liberate capitalism. Solutions come from the people!

How would I "revitalize" downtown? First, all taxes would be decreased. Then new businesses would get three years of no city taxes, a reduced rate the next two years, then full city taxes after being in business for five years. It takes five years for a business to make it or fail. I would have the planning and zoning commission would be helpful, not appering to make it up as they go along, with no fines or bonds unless three deadlines missed. I'd like to see a river use, like a boat trolley that would take you from a big covered parking garage near the old Executive Inn area to the River Park Center for a couple of bucks. Kids would love to do this all day long. You could easily walk back to where you parked, but would enjoy all the great shops along the way. How about some put-put golf or other quiet family fun activity in the area? A tower with great views of the river (restaurant? observatory? ride?)? I don't want any public money spent! Private enterprises want to be where the money is, so let them put up the capital to make downtown great! And allow them to make profit, by not taxing everything they make. That is how real jobs are created; private profit, not public spending! These are just some of my ideas. I'm sure you have better ones!