On July 22, the council approved a huge addition to the city’s Enterprise Zone (EZ). Click on the thumbnail to the right for a map of the parcels added then. You’ll notice that those parcels include, among other things, Westlake Shopping Center, all of the “convenience loan” establishments along University, Wal-Mart, Auto Zone, Comcast Cable, and Best Buy.
But that apparently wasn’t enough. It’s back on the agenda this week with eight more parcels added. What poor, blighted businesses are getting the benefit of EZ status this time, you ask? The entire Glen Hollow shopping center. You know, blighted stores like Target, Petsmart, Cub Foods, Lowe’s, Wendy’s, Barnes & Noble, Hometown Buffet. Slums, all of them. And how were they added? According to the council communication, “At the request of one of the City’s Planning Commissioner’s [sic]….” Not all of them; not even a majority of them. One of them. I guess that’s all it takes.
Once again, the city communication makes this comical statement:
These areas are located within the core of our City and property owners have encountered challenges in attracting investment since many businesses are choosing to move to the northern parameters of the City.
And I’ll point out again that one of the reasons they’re choosing to move there is because the City is incentivizing it through annexation and, yes, even EZ status. So now they’re using the Enterprise Zone in the 2nd and 4th districts to compete against the Enterprise Zone in the 5th district. What other self-defeating strategies will the City dream up?
Our fearless leaders…..
Save staff time and $$$ Make the whole city a EZ .
Unfortunately, I predict it will pass due to the connections of the developer to many on the Council and to key staff members. Terrible public policy approach.
I’d like to see someone on the council stand up and say enough is enough! The few tools we have to encourage and manage growth are being wasted.
Someone on the council does stand up and say enough is enough. Then he gets maligned by fellow council members, the Journal Star, and a lot of the general public. How Mr. Sandberg manages to keep doing his homework, showing up and trying to be the voice of reason is beyond me.
If all those white folk would quit running away from the black folk we wouldn’t have this problem, would we? (master race… puh-leese)
OK, then I’d like to see 6 people stand up …. so there is a majority!
Gary Sandberg the voice of reason? If that’s the world we live in then I should win a Pulitzer prize.
Sorry, DV – they don’t give them out for blogging
I don’t always agree with him but he is an independent thinker. I’ve always believed that if he can rein in his tendency to overstate the case and look for the big splash, he has the greatest potential to be a moving force (positive) on the City Council. There is none that has a better understanding or grasp of the details of local government than he does….I just believe that he needs to harness his strengths and use them more judiciously.
I think his vote on the water company buyout is a great example of where he took a reasoned position that schocked (no pun intended) many based upon their “perception” of where he’d be on the issue. In my opinion, his position on the reimbursement for presidential visit was okay except that he overreached and tried to utilize a city ordinance that doesn’t apply (at least I’ve not heard of a legal opinion yet that says it does) to make his point – and in doing so, went to far.
I’ve been on the wrong side of him once, and he is a tenacious and formidable foe. When working with him on the same side of an issue once, there was no greater contributor of thoughtful comments than he.
So is a rabid dog.
Oh, crap, CJ, fix my html will ya?
DV – How do you get to rabid dog from that quote?
Diane — Fixed. That’s one of the disadvantages of the toolbar — by making it easier for people who don’t know HTML code, it takes away the ability to use HTML from those who know how to use it. Kind of a bummer.
As for your comment, why are you ragging on Sandberg? Did he insult your mother or something?
I’m not ragging on Sandberg. I just think it is laugh-able that someone would call him the “voice of reason”… and leave my Mom out of this
I agree with Martin, let’s “even the playing field” and make the whole city an EZ.
[...] the council will vote on whether to make the entire Glen Hollow Shopping center eligible for enterprise zone status. As C.J. sarcastically notes, the city will claim the area qualifies as a [...]
He is consistently the voice of reason on zoning issues. Listen to what he says, not how he says it. I don’t always agree with him, but he at least can explain his views and is always willing to do so.
At least Sandberg is willing to ask the questions and expects responsibility from staff.
Sandberg isn’t DV’s cup of tea because he is demanding her boy Schock pay his way for the King Idiot’s visit last summer. Or as Palin would say; ” By golly gosh!”
Sandberg is the only sane person on the council but because of the stupidity and politics and egos of some, his wisdom comes off in a “rain man” kind of way.
Sandberg at least reads thing thoroughly and applies logic. But intelligence and logic, let’s be real, are not appreciated these days. You gotta kiss ass and smile broadly.
No. Not it. I just think he’s an …
Nevermind.
Didn’t Joseph get some big breaks the first go around with the development of Glen Hollow? I know I hate to shop there because of the traffic nightmare. I remember the neighbors fighting the development and perhaps rightly so. There is really only one exit in and out that takes you to a major thoroughfare. So, the development is aging and there is some downturn in business. Isn’t that the risk an entrepreneur developer bears – some developments you win and some you don’t. Oh, that’s right, this is America, the government just comes and bails you out when you act imprudently or things don’t work out in your favor.
Slightly off topic, but what ever happened to the redesign of the entrance that was supposed to happen a few years back to alleviate the nightmarish traffic?
I heart Gary Sandberg. And I’m not in his district, or even in the city proper for that matter.