News 1-6-09 New Poll
Post your commentsPosted by: MattO - 1/6/2009 9:09:59 PM
Hey Mike, did you attend the CAC meeting?
Posted by: DowntownMakeoverDude - 1/6/2009 9:14:52 PM
Hi Matt yup, that's my next post tonight :) It was a loooong 2+ hour meeting.
Posted by: MattO - 1/6/2009 9:16:07 PM
I also wanted to say, I'm right there with you Mike, I beleive in downtown just as much as you do. And I get ticked myself when I hear people slam downtown, but the fact of the matter is, the economy SUCKS and it will for awhile, and until it comes back, things will be slow, HOWEVER, the city NEEDS to do something about the blights of downtown, like, for example, the KINGS INN, that place needs to be toched! What happened to The Belvedere, The Fitz needs to be remodeled, we need some serious shopping and attractions down there, and last but not least, GET RID OF those stingy downtown motels, and they are all over! On a final note, remodel the closed streetfronts along Virginia. I will continue to be a beleiver in downtown Reno, as long as downtown progresses with development.
Posted by: MattO - 1/6/2009 9:17:19 PM
2 hours huh? They must have covered alot of information, I hope it's good information
Posted by: urbanblog - 1/6/2009 11:18:19 PM
I voted #2 - downtown is doing ok, but pensive during this down economy. I'm bullish on downtown and will defend it, but there are a lot of reasons for concern. One concern I have is this push for more STAR bonds during a time when tax revenues are down citywide enough that the city can't service its existing bond debt from established revenue sources. If anything I'd rather see sales tax remittance holidays for smaller downtown projects already open or under development. I think the idea of retail over the trench is dead on arrival. There are too many adjacent properties in need of rehab or replacement to justify the creation of new inventory and any public subsidies that go to moving new retail into downtown should be targeted at those properties. Likewise with the transit center acquisition/giveaway. RTC is cutting service while planning a new transit center which will cost money, and a higher priority for the baseball district should be filling in the existing property in need of development: Mizpah block & space in the bowling stadium. The money in the transit center acquisition fund could go to service on existing bonds or grants for targeted, smaller scale developments. As to the impact on Fitz redevelopment, while the trustees had the property for sale, they weren't exactly crying poverty. Like with the GSR, it's my belief that dribbling money into a renovation fund that puts up some equity up front would probably do more to revitalize that property when the economy improves and credit markets bounce back than STAR bonds. We need to get some resuls from the existing STAR developments before it can be determined if more of them are a good idea.
Posted by: Native - 1/7/2009 7:50:07 AM
Mike.... you're tireless efforts for Reno and its downtown are amazing. You know we need you to keep it up. Just a suggestion - showing the results of the poll to date before someone votes might actually skew their voting. Some people may believe that the majority of votes signifies the "norm", and they might skew their vote to the "norm" because of it. Just thought you might consider that, and allow folks to see the results of their vote AFTER they've voted, and not show them the poll status BEFORE they cast. Thanks!
Posted by: Native - 1/7/2009 7:58:59 AM
I was at that meeting, and it was looooong. My question was - where were the developers that were asking for the city to consider their projects for Star Bonds? There were no formal presentations of their projects, leaving most of the CAC members without reference - especially the new members. If you want the City to invest in your project, you should at least make an effort to promote the project formally to them. Perhaps they're not worth the investment?
Posted by: Matthew A. - 1/8/2009 7:35:18 AM
Native has a good point about not showing the results until one has voted. Never really thought about it but their reasoning makes a lot of sense. Keep up the great work.