1977-04-05 - Laserfiche WebLink

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business, Ipeople should have to pay for these 'unnecessary items. Further, additional park space is proposed in an area where very adequate park space (more than 200a res) is already available and the plan proposes to surround this�,with industrial development. I believe that wherever possible property adjacent to this park land especially that area to the south of the park should be developed for residential use. As written the plan is not acceptable to me. From the public hearings conducted to date it is also very clear that the plan is not acceptable to our citizens or business people, and since this is a democracy, a plan that isn't acceptable to the citizens should not be acceptable to any of their elected officials. I see at least two reasons why we got into the fix we are in. First, is apparent that either the citizens and business people weren't talking or the H.R.A. commissioners were not listening; and second, it seems that this and previous councils may not have provided enough direction to the H.R.A. Commissioners. In an case, it is clear from the almost unanimous and vehement opposition to the plan that the H.R.A. commissioners do not have the support of citizens or business people. It seems that in its years of work on the plan and especially during the last few months rush to get the plan approved the H.R.A. has been out of touch with all of thegroupsit-must work with. The result is that at present it seems that needed redevelopment may not be accomplished or, if it is to be accomplished will have to be done without the cooperation of the parties involved and therefore at a price far higher than necessary. It is abundantly clear from the League of Women Voters Survey that allowing the H.R.A. to continue according to their plan would have disastrous consequences. For these reasons I have reluctantly concluded that the H.R.A. should be directed to stop further planning activity until the city council can study the issues and arrive at a consensus as to how to proceed. I believe that the council should appoint an advisory committee to help it with this study. At this point I expect that the H.R.A. can be reactivated at some time in the future in whichcaseI would favor the appointment of at least one business person as a commissioner. The alternative, completely private development is not likely to happen or would happen very slowly. The real question is; how much redevelopment should be done by the H.R.A. and how much should be done by business people themselves? It should be noted in this regard that it was government action, namely road and traffic changes, that caused much of the current problem and for that reason it may be appropriate for governemnt to participate in the soluftion to the problem. On the other hand business people do not want a handout or a subsidy from the taxpayers. Such a gift in fact places them in an untenable position with their customers and competitors.