While you might not have heard about any problems relating to the building of the dome, the Elliot Park neighborhood can certainly tell you about the impact it has had on them.
I think the neighborhood was sold on the idea that the dome would produce hundreds of jobs for local residents. However, many of the jobs produced were not living wage jobs and the ones that were did not go to people living in Elliot Park. The amount of surface parking lots that have been created to support the dome occupies nearly 25% of Elliot Park. When baseball or football games are not in session, these parking lots are desolate dark places in the neighborhood and pose a real risk of crime. How about the underutilization of prime real estate located so closely to the downtown area? I think there is a huge difference between the tax base produced by surface parking and an office or condo/apartment complex. The fact is that Elliot Park wanted to work with former council member Pat Scott in an attempt to place a 10 cent per car surcharge on vehicles parking in these lots. That would be used to mitigate the damaging affect the lots had on the neighborhood. The idea got dropped when both the Elliot Park executive director and Pat Scott left their jobs. I don't know if Elliot Park has approached Lisa Goodman with the same proposal. Barb Lickness Whittier ===== "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com _______________________________________ 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
