Re: Alturas Technology Park

["JS M" <jbiggs50@hotmail.com>]

It seems local governments are still struggling with the argument of whether 
or not development should pay its own way.  Having learned my land use 
planning in California, I was stunned when I heard a local politician 
support the idea that taxpayers should pay the freight for development 
impacts.  But, of course, that paradigm makes sense in small, struggling 
communities trying to attract business and jobs.  I guess the question is; 
is Moscow a small, struggling community trying to attract business?  It 
seems to me that Moscow is the retail hub of the area and has certain 
economic advantages over other local communities.  Does the City Council 
feel that Moscow is competing with Spokane or Couer d'Alene?  If so, maybe 
taxpayer support of the Tech Park is a good idea.  If not, then it's a 
boondoggle.
jm

>From: Greg Brown <gregb@alaskapacific.edu>
>Reply-To: gregb@alaskapacific.edu
>To: vision2020@moscow.com
>Subject: Re: Alturas Technology Park
>Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 02:12:00 -0900
>
>
>
>Priscilla Salant wrote:
>
> > I would really appreciate hearing from a city council member about this.
> > Or Larry, because I know you're out there.  As usual, I keep thinking 
>there
> > must be a reasonable explanation. (Sorry, Greg, I'm naive!)
>
>     That's okay, Priscilla, I was naive too!  (Well, not really).
>I was naively hopeful that my elected officials would be
>guided by ethics rather than loopholes.  I was hoping that
>my elected officials would want to follow the *intent* as
>well as the *letter* of the urban renewal law. The elected
>officials willfully chose to speculate on a private development
>project whose entire risk was underwritten by the taxpayers.
>
>      If things had worked out economically, the responsible
>individuals might be seen as "heroes" in some people's
>eyes.  But now, apparently, the chickens have come home
>to roost.
>
>--
>Greg Brown (gregb@alaskapacific.edu)
>Associate Professor
>Environmental Science Department
>Alaska Pacific University
>(907) 564-8267
>http://polar.alaskapacific.edu/gregb
>
>

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