Re: Alturas

[Law Office of Duncan Palmatier <dpalm@dpalmlaw.com>]

Dear Vision 2020:

Bill London asked me about the proposed development at the Alturas 
Technology Park. A recent newspaper article reported that professional 
businesses, including accountants, were the anticipated tenants for the 
new building. This story is a cause for concern, because the Alturas 
"Technology Park" was supposed to provide space for high-tech businesses.

I am a commissioner on the Urban Renewal Agency ("URA"), which financed 
the Alturas development.

By way of background, for those new to the saga, Alturas was promoted as 
a place for "high-tech" businesses -- with high paying jobs -- to 
graduate into from the Business Incubator. At the time Alturas was 
created, some successful Incubator businesses moved away, and it was 
argued that lack of appropriately-zoned space in and around Moscow was a 
significant factor in the decisions to leave. Acting on this, an urban 
"blighted zone" was designated. Roughly, that zone is at the south-east 
corner of the I-95/Troy Highway intersection. Using that designation, 
tax increment financing, under the Idaho URA law, was used to develop 
farm land outside town, just east of Tidymans and south of the Troy 
Highway. Many citizens, including me, were upset that farm land was 
developed with government financing, rather than existing industrial 
space within the city. Even worse, the Alturas development was not 
immediately successful and re-financing was necessary. The upset was 
further exacerbated when a Moscow law firm moved away from downtown and 
built at Alturas. Because a law firm was not perceived as a high-tech 
business, some of us felt that the government promises that supported 
Alturas had been violated. After the legal papers were studied, however, 
the City concluded that a law firm, even a non-technology based law 
firm, could move to Alturas. There was an outcry and much Vision 2020 
time was spent. It was at that point Mayor Comstock appointed me as one 
of the URA commissioners.

The new development, named "Park Place Plaza", has been proposed by a 
business called Time Lease LLC and Bennett & Associates. The development 
is to be built in 2 phases. Space in the "office condominium complex" 
can be bought or rented.

At the April 11, 2002 URA meeting, the Executive Director of the Latah 
County Economic Development Council (LEDC") described the project and 
stated that 2 of 3 Incubator graduates had agreed to move in. The 
project also contemplates a "coffee kiosk", which is considered a 
support business. The City stated that the new tenants had been vetted 
for compliance with the high-tech requirements for Alturas development. 
Thus, the newspaper story was disturbing, since the new tenants were 
described a professional businesses and the high-tech aspect was either 
downplayed or ignored.

I will ask the City and the LEDC to elaborate.

Duncan Palmatier


bill london wrote:

>D-
>and this new office building for CPA's and all at Alturas, what's the deal
>with that?
>BL
>  
>