Keith Reitman/World Headquarters Penn/Bro, November 25, 2000, 5:16 am CST "STOPPING WHO ??? NEWS FLASH/--CITY COUNCIL VOTES MORATORIUM on new development along western third of West Broadway in effort to reverse Council Member Joe Biernat BOO-BOO at old Burger King site. " This should help us do the necessary planning for the old Burger King site. " says Jackie Cherryhomes, Mpls City Council Prez. as she wields her shot gun solution to a major oversight by Joe. He gave B/K a "pass " and a Mpls. $$$ hand-out on its slide up the Avenue from Penn N. to Bryant N. He forgot, again, to talk to those of us left behind at Penn/Bro or to demand a return favor from B/K at the old site. Whoops! This council freeze on development extends from Girard N. to the western city limits at Wirth Parkway. It is the area slated for Henn. County repaving in spring 2002. How loud is the sound of Jackie putting the Brakes on private development of retail and service facilities along this huge stretch of the Avenue? Well, there will be no great screeching noises, no skid marks, no vaporizing of matter as huge wheels of industrial initiative grind to a halt here. Why? Because no private money, free enterprise developers have made any plans to build anything in these environs in years, probably decades. The measure of Jackie's "planning" is starkly scored by the lack of retail development and the proliferation of vacant lots, tax-forfeited lands and buildings, and ongoing decay of our once decent West Broadway Av. The shot gun approach of moratoriums, that is by outlawing one identity-building retail use after another, has just been hostile. This negative unplanning has brought us the above mentioned torpor here. Jackie didn't like used goods, once upon a time, so a moratorium was placed on used goods on the Avenue in the '80's. Never mind that budget minded shoppers did seek affordable furnishings up here to outfit there affordable housing. ( PS guess who tore down all the affordable housing up here. Hint: she is a D.F.L.er in the city council ) Never mind that tres chic neighborhoods have always welcomed used goods shops as a place to find a rare bargain or treasure ( i.e. 50th and Xerxes S., 50th and France S. or Henn. Av. S.). " Let Hawthorne, Jordan, and Near North pay retail for new junk!!" must have been her battle cry. I guess fast food was a bad taste in her mouth when she instituted yet another moratorium, this one against fast food start ups. New auto related business's were also banned from start up by moratorium. Did she feel they wouldn't fit in along TONEY West Broadway. " The power to tax is the power to destroy '' was told to us by one of the founders of this country. Our City leadership has found another way to destroy, ZONE US OUT TO OBLIVION. I expect the vacant land the city gains by nurturing default will be used to make all Jackie's dreams come true on the Avenue. Is this a fair plan or a "final solution? [reprint from WBAC.NET. KEITH REITMAN NEARNORTH. I am a Board Member WEST BROADWAY AREA COALITION. Above is my personal opinion) _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
