RE: Alturas Technology Park

["B. J. Swanson" <bjswanson@awbank.net>]

Bill London, Duncan Palmatier, Greg Brown & others,

Alturas seems to be a continual festering thorn to you.  We debated
this before and now it is coming up again; same issues, two years
later.  I feel I again must defend the same misinformation.  But this
time you've made it easy because I can cut & paste from our same
debate two years ago.  See below for the full text.

In your recent post, you said "the taxpayers of Moscow paid for a very
complex scheme that shifted tax money from the city coffers to
underwrite that infrastructure."  Ninety-nine plus percent of Moscow
taxpayers paid nothing for Alturas.  Tax money was not shifted.  The
tax money we're talking about would not have existed without Alturas.
Alturas CREATED the tax money.  When the bonds are paid, the City gets
the full benefit.  Alturas is an INVESTMENT.  The taxpayers who built
or made improvements within the Urban Renewal District since 1996 ARE
paying for the infrastructure.  Taxpayers in the District who have not
built or made improvements since 1996, as well as all other taxpayers
in Moscow are NOT paying anything extra.  They are, however, receiving
substantial benefits now.  There are 50+ employees who work in Alturas
Technology Park.  Salaries and profits that stay in the community
exceed $3 million annually.  Indirect economic benefit is probably
around $9 million annually.  Compare this to the pre-Alturas Moscow
Mall (now Eastside Marketplace); in foreclosure and disrepair, 18%
occupied, a slum waiting to happen.  How quickly we forget.  Which
would you rather have?

You say the park is "drifting" and a "problem" and you want it to be
technology only.  The zoning is RTO: Research, Technology, OFFICE.
OFFICES are allowed.  That zoning has never changed and has been
enforced by the City.  Are you proposing changing it to a more
restrictive zoning?  Why now?  Currently four out of the five
businesses in the park are technology related.  I believe four out of
six proposed tenants in the Park Place building will be
research/technology related.  It would seem the park is evenly
diversified with more than two-thirds being research/technology and
less than one-third being office.  Is this a problem?

The "upscale" park seems to be a contentious point.  As technology
parks go, Alturas is modest, to say the least, when compared to
others.  But please take a look beyond the buildings and park at the
businesses and people who work there.  The businesses and people whose
names you will find on the volunteer and contribution lists of
Rendezvous in the Park, Idaho Repertory Theatre, Latah County Fair,
Kenworthy Performing Arts Center, Northwest Public Radio and many
more.  In other words, some of the $3+ million in annual salaries that
are working to make Moscow a very nice place to live.  Would you
prefer those businesses and people be living and contributing in
Pullman or Spokane?

Drifting?  A Problem?  Compared to what?  Can we move away from
after-the-fact negativism again?

B. J. Swanson
AmericanWest Bank
600 S. Jackson Street
PO Box 8879
Moscow ID 83843
Phone: 208.882.0809
Fax: 208.882.0633
Cellular: 208.301.1221
E-mail:  bjswan@moscow.com

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