To me, the most important element is not massive size, brownfield versus virgin field, apartment slathering, economic incentives, or immaculate vision, but tending to the garden when it comes to success in mixed use (or most any) development.
Legacy, not TOD (transit oriented) development, has a medium fish in a pond, he watched the knitting like a hawk. Sat and still sits on top of it, literally. Success (the level depends on if you don't count the full costs). Does the next shiny penny have at least that care, where is the care, the caretaker?
Eastside had partners. Stuck to the knitting. Completed most construction relatively fast.
I won't mention the names of a couple MUDs (mixed use developments, not municipal utility districts) who have yet to meet the sold vision. With one of them, the market at the corner was already saturated with nearly free rent for small retail space and it wasn't very mixed, mostly just apartments. It has switched hands a couple of times.
With another, there were warning signs early on, and it's not all one guy's fault, all by himself, but now politicians and chamber pots (including one who was actually on the developer's payroll) are wagging tongues and pointing fingers (including ones receiving their salary from taxpayers), throwing little broken wing under the snow mobile.
Yeah, the warning signs were ignored, covered, fingers crossed, subsidies given, awards arranged, neighbors mocked by "expert" politicos for asking questions (one councilman and his politico went to another neighborhood to mock people who asked questions in the closest neighborhood), neighbors made up facts it was claimed because facts kept changing, there were wide-spread accolades among the development community, atlas shrugged.
I think there is still hope, it's not over, but it is not a smart move for any confidence in redevelopment for politicians and chamber pots to throw the developer, original or subsequent, under the snow mobile, verbally acting like it is all none of their or their hero's doing. It is bad for redevelopment. Just like Choke It Outs are. (If they did it to them, they'll do it to you when expedient or visonary, at the time. They need to find another way.)
Mixed treatment.
One big majordomo dev (not mixed use, not TOD) already owned the land, had for years, didn't need a subsidy, got one anyway.
There are a few who do not pick everyone else's pocket to make his or her personal pocket filing dream come true.
Yet, another said, you give me my name in lights, I'll give you back part of your subsidy to spill some water. We look benevolent. You look marvelous. We don't pay or take the normal prerequisite risk. (With stockholders, there's diffusion of responsibility anyway. It doesn't affect bonuses, so what does it matter).
With another, a need to rename sold naming rights when the pyramid scheme fell otherwise.
More PR and more awards. Some deserved, some not.
Several MUDs around are award winning, but not successful.
Subsidies.
If you play the game with the right people, you get other people's money.
One got the land cleared at city expense, another (more than one) got a private drive public road, given city money, but not working as sold.
(The first even came back for seconds for a small retail storefront subsidy of all things. Now that is a very special friendship).
One promised an office park, it's just apartments.
It could be o.k., alright, if it were not overkill with little return assurances when so much is provided, no strings attached (or honored, that is). How much can we hand over to you today? Paper or plastic (because we know you don't want to use your own bag, though you have one)? You will get help carting it off. How may we give up other private visions and property rights in a location for your visionary visions? For even the visions of a few who do not even have much skin in the game, they just like social experiments, architecture, with more and more of OPM (other people's money).
The Next Shiny Penny.
So for failing developments, the political easy move is to throw broken wing or derivative, once a parner, under the bus. This is not a long term smart move if politicians and politicos stopped to think about it. But whatever is expedient. Right.
Clearing the way, can be good. Better than what was there, sometimes true. Not taking development credit where credit is due, both good and bad credit, bad. Politicians and chamber pots blaming any developer for what they too helped clear the way for and promoted, is pathetic. What they didn't bother, even blocked and mocked, was helping cross the t's and dot the i's, not good. (The chamber pots had plenty of time to politicize and divide what was once a promising good chamber feeling, now fouled. Taxpayer chamber pot: "You really going to vote for him?" Let's run the campaign out of the chamber. Who cares if all the members agree. Anyway. Someone needs to decide if he is an employee who follows employee rules, including being in the retiree system, or if he is outside and doesn't have to comply with state rules, like open records requests. But nevermind. Now time to expand the staff of the pot. The initiative will promote the few and the politician primarily. Good luck getting your reduced rent. I heard you quit the pot.)
It's fun repeating things.
Don't worry about it.
So, with a mixed record, why are people so upset that the important questions should be answered instead of jogging around the block, parade jumping, or throwing little wing under the train all to not supposedly jeopardize the shiny new (blank stamp) penny. (This next new "massive" development, as it is called.)
It's fun repeating things.
A few are better at "playing the game" than everyone else. Making the rules. Public not so much. Bubbles and speculations. There are shrewd developers and politicians with a confidential inside scoop and control over your money. What's theirs is theirs, what's yours is theirs. Choke you out, singing Aye Oh. aye oh. aye oh.
Trust in me. Sang the swirly eyed snake.
Postcard from the inner ring says, the original so called land speculators of a certain massive area weren't that speculative. They reduced their risks charmed seat fillers, included some in more than one confidentially beneficial way, sold (at a great profit) and moved aside, watching and waiting. Like the stock market derivatives, new owners. And the price. Up up up and away. Can promises be kept that drove the price up, to cover the new price, to cover the promised profit and bankable collateral to the second string? To lay the bed for the upcoming major majordomo deal promised? The roads are set, paid for (OPM, tax payers). There is a utensil in place (OPM). The big road as planned (mostly OPM). Now, watch for old players (thought to be cashed out or "out of the game") to dive back in (to the rescue?) when the public-private situation unfolds. It's part of the confidential deal. Bubble bursting. King of the hill. One born every minute. Confidential fingers in confidential pies. So what if some little wing gets thrown under the snow mobile somewhere else. So what if more is given away than needed. It's other people's money. OPM. Taxpayers'. And more will be asked for.
Mixed use, mixed results. Are the few city visionaries that expert today on creating a limiting vision and then plugging things and people into it (if not themselves). Instead of not drumming out and choking out visions, including from people who are not prone to use government as their piggy bank success vehicle?
Throw a dart.
Only the most incestuous of visions are on the menu these days (except for parade jumping and taking credit for others' success or taking credit for temporal market swings upward but never taking credit for market swings downward... but don't you just know if the few visionaries left the city we would just simply crumble... oh the humanity).
Don't be a stick in the mud.
But everyone is doing it. We can't not do it unilaterally. Really? So why aren't all the using cities putting up half their sales tax for a ride? (So why didn't the school district join the TIF because it's so good). (Why if you get in a wreck in McKinney/Collin Co. you are at Parkland in Dallas Co.) The rules aren't the rules for all suburbs. The Theory Of Everything doesn't fit. This is especially true when the only thing physically separating people in cities is a road sign or a road.
I want to trust you. But I have great reason not to. I can't hardly dislike what I and my family are a part of, what we have vested in, invested in. One year we vote for term limits. The next we vote otherwise. Fear. It's not that we are sheeple, just distracted. Hopeful. Trusting. Busy. Tell me what's going on. I don't have time. Advise me. Suspicious but tried, and why bother because it's not going to get that bad and if it does, I'll do something then, in the future. Or the nest is empty, we are older, just move, some place warmer (but we never will, this is home). We must promote whatever it is because it is hard to separate from what we have done, from who we are, even though they are not the sum of us, just a small part. They didn't birth the world. They didn't make me volunteer for good deeds. We need to be proud. We can't throw ourselves under the bus. Let's throw someone else. Not us. Someone different. Someone who lives you-know-where or something. Let's blame a developer here and there when it goes not so good because the sales job by nearly all of us was overkill and the devil was in the details. We are so much better than those people. Do you want to turn into that-other-city? (We soon will at this rate.)
Tax policy is a distorted mess. But why make it worse?
Inconsistent treatment and friendship.
The next shiny penny. Begone questions. Begone broken little wing (casualty). Begone anyone who does not share The Full Vision (depending on the current shiny penny or old friends who need to make a killing off a corn field). Choke it out.
Uh oh.
I hear a northern city is considering putting a moratorium on wayward train tracks running a U shape behind sports stores. It's called the Upper Spring Valley Choke It Out. I hope not. But I guess more than one can play it like that. Like fly in the face of.
Wonder what's going on with a city's mixed use apartment plans across from a ho'spital. And at the uni. And in the valley.
Go density. It's your birthday.
I wished the bus stop located a mile from my home had a shelter and bus service since there is money given for it. I was informed that both are non starters. A young urban professional not young enough? Too suburban, I guess. Not of the creative class, happy, gay class. Even if I were of mythological description, they won't let me paint. My mural. Too hispanic they say. Colors too bold I was told. All I ever wanted to do is paint.
I wished the HOV let me on but off at at my city since there is money given for it. We had a carload full but had to slug it out and not able to use the EMPTY HOV because we wanted to eat, live, play and shop in our city. We were disenfranchised. We still pay taxes. The saying is that it clears the road. But the HOV was empty. (It's going to be tolled soon. That'll do the trick. Yeah.)
And, in closing, our business didn't get a subsidy. Small businesses have hired more people than large businesses. We must not hang with the right people.
The road is cracked. Litter is in the creek again. Got to pass out money to develop virgin land. Crime is down because it had gone up. We can say it dropped. Success!
If you go to the dance with a certain city, don't expect not to be left at the punch bowl for the next hot ticket (coming back to grab money from you for cab fare). May I at least get a half cup, not just a sip.
I've seen you in your swimming trunks. The emperor wears no clothes. The wizard passes me some sun lotion. The future's so bright, I've got to wear shades. I don't trust them anymore. Yeah. I walk through the valley of the shadow of apartment complexes, again, twenty years later, I still can't get no ride home. Good thing I brought my car.
Fear no evil, for we are trying not to become like you-know-where. But we strive to be like the big city. What's wrong with just us (with a bit of good housekeeping)?
I'll take a medium.
Right.
Water cost is going up. Utility drainage fee coming. Tax bill up. Electric charge requested to go up. User fees up. Bond to redo the once visionary valley coming will come and it won't be free. Services cut. Education cut. Taxes are not covering all the many plans and visions. The visions as structured won't cover the visions.
I'm done eating lunch.
