This Freight House thing is just silly.
The City, D1, the future developer, or someone could have a "Save the Freighthouse Market" fundraiser and raise $15,000; its not worth getting the project derailed over. I'm completely in favor of the Freighthouse redevelopment, because that area of downtown is hugely important in expanding the "friendly" area of downtown to the west along the future Centennial Park. Anyone can look at various projects in downtown Davenport and Rock Island and see that there is a market for downtown living. This new proposed market district would nicely compliment the warehouse district sprouting up around 5th and Iowa, and bring more residents downtown. Let's stop arguing about progress and get it done. As soon as I see the Save the Freighthouse Market campaign, my $20's in the mail. Only 749 more.
19 comments:
That sounds great, but not with our tax dollars.
Three thoughts:
1. My $20 would be in the mail, too.
2. Hey, I know! That would be the perfect spot to open up an 18-bar!
3. It's in the city's best interest to redevelop vacant properties, especially when it could have the potential spin-off development that this one could have. This building is in way too visible a location to let it rot. It's long overdue.
Why not tear the damn thing down and install water cannons.
If D1 pays the $15,000 that is our tax dollars. Only $485,000 left to spend.
Or Charlie can have a bake sale.
I am sorry, but this idea is just stupid.
1. What makes you think that moving the non profit ma and pa vegetable sellers indoors will make them able to pay rent to the taxpayers? They live hand to mouth now, why build them a multimillion-dollar palace to sell 5 cent glasses of lemonade and sweet corn?
2. There is already too much vacant property. Why spend millions of taxpayer dollars developing one piece of it to compete with other struggling businesses?
3. Why the hell do we need to pay $15,000.00 for the right to talk to Larry Whittey about his lease on a building on a piece of land we already own in the first place? According to Malin, nobody will talk to us unless an option ties it up for 60 days. Why not set the option price at $1.00? Its not like people are knocking down Whittey's door to occupy the freight house. Why is it $15,000.00 instead of $1.00? Either is binding.
Once again... its NOT moving the farmer's market into the Freight House. This is something different.
If, by now, DavenportONE hasn't used the millions of tax dollars we give them to get a PRIVATE DEVELOPER to take this on, then we should be cutting them off.
For once, a council has made the right decision re: our tax dollars.
Maybe the city should see if it can get away with using its power of eminment domain and take the Freight House from Witty. It is the central city. It is contributing to bight. It is in an offical redevelopment district. It would be part of a larger redevelopment plan. It would be for economic development. And of course would not be taken from Witty to enrich anyone in the private sector. Again please, whats the city's future role in this?
OK QCI, if its not the farmer market under roof then can you please articulate the concept of this for those of us who missed the D1 presentation.
Where are the philanthopists when we need them. Maybe they could step up to this plate. Just give the city a public market. Yea GIVE it to us. For the love of their hometown and a really cool part of Davenport history. For a desire to see this river town blossom. To make their own investments in the Figge and Adler theater pay off. D1 says now is the time for a market to keep the momentum going. Not a year or two from now when the wealthy need a tax break or a favor.
Leave the tax dollars for streets sewers and helping the needy ones in our city. The time is now for a little more redistribution of wealth for the common good. If one of our hometown philanthopists repaired every pot hole in the city they would be a hero for sure, but it aint gonna happen. You can't hang a plaque on a pothole.
The way to help the needy people in this city is to have a thriving down town. Why do we think the only way to help people is to have empty stores and a city that is dieing from the inside out. We have the momentium that will make this a city that people choose as a great place to live. I hope that our alderman don't destroy what so many of people in this community have worked so hard to achieve.
Well said.
1:34 Your heart is in the right place. I want every block of this city to be thriving. What taxpayers are questioning is why must it always be with taxpayer money footing the bill for reviving the downtown. We've GIVEN tax dollars to this. The River Renaissance referendum was paid with tax dollars. The police station, the jail, the Iowa state money Vision du jour is tax dollars too. Tax dollars to D1. All keith meyer is saying is where the hell are the positive results? After 5 years of intensive investment and marketing from all sides -- D1, the city, not-for-profits, small business, homeowners -- where the hell are the results?!?! Population is down, standards are down, unpaid public bills are up, taxes are up, the council is constantly under siege and the citizens are worn out. Is it too much to ask for a breather to reassess and pay down some of these astronomical bills?
Maybe the answer is to roll up the rest of the proposed amenities, go back to the citizens with another referendum as ask us if we think investing in 5-10 more years of Momentum is a good idea.
The alternative is further stagnation. Without attracting more residents, and with rising healthcare and fuel costs, every Davenport resident will have to pay more and more every year just to maintain the SAME city services that we have now. The solution is to grow, not just maintain.
Got it QCI. I'm not debating the pros and cons of the concept of growth. I am questioning the implementation. We've spent and committed MILLIONS of tax dollars and we aint got the growth. Just sayin' it might be time to "take a breather" before investing MILLIONS MORE. A mid-stream correction is in order. Even "love the best of the past" I throw away the broken screwdrivers in my toolbox.
We have really been building since about 2002 it is now 2006 and River Renaissance is just now wrapping up. Growth takes time but it also takes investment. I don't think someone can honestly say there has been no growth. Business is returning to downtown and restaurants are opening again. While the new have come downtown the old, like Theo's have left. Where there were few residential options in downtown pre-2001 there are many more and plans for even more. This is a good thing. We'll have to wait a few more years to get an accurate assessment of where we are at with River Renaissance. I didn't support River Renaissance with the expectation that in two years the city would be a shinning, flawless Midwest metropolis. Nope. This stuff takes time. Frankly, given Davenport's sorry shape five years ago, it may take a little longer.
I pointed out OK City a few days ago. Their redevelopment began after their federal building was blown up. That was over a decade ago and they have only recently begun to grow exponentially.
I think its also worth mentioning that much of River Renaissance was funded with Vision Iowa dollars and not a tax increase.
Ok City is not a fair comparison. They did what needed to be done with a much larger tax base. Around here, things are not working and Davenport's population is shrinking. According to this plan, the farmers market would be home to some gardeners, grandmothers that bake pies, a few folks that sell homemade nick nacks and some starving artists. Hardly the kind of stuff that will draw millions of dollars to our downtown. Right now, the bridge to nowhere is bringing nobody to our parking garages, while more and more empty days are occuring at the River Music Experience. Lets quit trying to be Chicago. It ain't gonna happen. If we work on crime, streets and sewers, private development will take care of the rest.
Who's trying to be Chicago? As far as I am concerned we are trying to create a thriving, interesting Davenport. I think you are off base with Oklahoma City not being a valid comparison. First, their growth stagnated. Stagnation can occur with large cities as well as small. Second, rather than doing nothing they decide to invest in amenities that would rebuild a declining population and attract new business. Third, they did this with tax dollars. Compare it Davenport. Davenport is stagnant. As many have pointed out it has lost population. Business has left. Second, rather than doing nothing the voters passed a referendum begining the River Renaissance project, creating amenities and improving our urban core. Third, this is being done with tax dollars.
By not even considering that we have anything to learn from other cities you are just plain lazy. Perhaps the only comparison and only urban stories worth considering are those of river towns with about 100,000 people?
Listen, we have already thrown far too many tax dollars at the wall. Your travel brochure now features the bridge to nowhere, the Figgie, the RME, the River Center, the IMAX, numerous parks, etc. Guess what? People are not coming. A corporate bail out to the whittys is the lamest idea yet. How about we get basic sewers, streets and services running again? If you do that, bussiness will re-invest. We are the largest draw in the Quad Cities, and we leverage the benefits from the other QC area too, you know.
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