Posted by metalhedz on November 21, 2010, 9:37 am, in reply to "You have the floor"
There are some very faulty assessments in the writer's claims. Number one this is not a "prime Piece of commercial real estate". With the building of the new overpass all access to the site was cut off, which, if you will remember, was the former tenant's excuse for bailing on their lease. With the new layout access to the site is only from 203 or side streets off of Pontoon road, Not the situation that retailers of food service businesses go for as it is too inconvenient for high volume. Number two, the existing structure was not in good condition and was only suitable for another restaurant due to it's design. Major retailers and restaurants rarely purchase lots with existing structures as new construction on a lot where some one else has already borne the cost of demolition is much less expensive. Number three, demolition is not cheap. The City could have easily spent another $150,000.00 to demolish and cleanup the site, and would have been hard pressed to recoup even one half of that cost. The City and it's development team look at ALL of these factors when making a decision as well as taking future tax revenue potential and the cost of maintaining the property until it is sold. The City maintains a list of all Properties that it owns and anybody can request a copy of the list. If there is a property that you are interested in you can submit a bid along with a proposal of how the property will be used. You have submit a deposit and proof of funding at this time as well. The Council then votes on whether or not to accept the bid based on this information. In my opinion The Development Council and City made a good decision that saved the tax payers money. We did not have to bear the cost of demolition and clean up, we did not have to pay more out to maintain the property and we have a new business that is building a more versatile structure on the land. Based on the available options the taxpayers are much better off. It is easy to be penny wise and dollar foolish when thinking only in the short term.
on November 21, 2010, 9:37 am, in reply to "