You know, at one time before I had fully witnessed this long great cycle, I might've agreed with you.
But over time it has become painfully obvious to the observant that retail and suburban development in this metro is a zero-sum game. Each developer / corporation pits one town against another and milks the taxpayers. Twenty years later, they pack up and the process starts all over again. Retail moves from one spot to another. Any sales tax increases from a new development are usually canceled by decreases in older non-subsidized parts of town. It's a viscous cycle that people seem oblivious to, yet the results are never far away.
Just look at the empty strip malls in town, the vacant lots & buildings. It's the beginning of urban decay and if it isn't mitigated, we will indeed be the next Wellston, the next Washington Park, or dare I say the next E. Stl, Venice, or Madison?
So keep supporting your own decline, you own neglect. I've watched it happen in many places over time, and Granite is not by any means immune.