On 5/20/04 5:15 PM, "Shawn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> "It seems like more people every year are appreciating the river in Mpls as a
> wonderful natural amenity." (Dave Stack)
> 
> I mean no disrespect but I, too, live near the lock and dam and, with yet
> another condo building going up outside my window, I have unfortunately come
> to the conclusion that it isn't appreciation for the river as a "wonderful
> natural amenity" but an appreciation for the property taxes these high priced
> condos will bring to the City that the river serves these days.

It should be apparent now what is meant by "affordable housing". It is a
euphemism for what was known in New York City as scatter site housing. It is
for Section 8 renters, not the working middle class.

>From the River on the Old Saint Anthony side to Loring Park, condominiums
and "lofts" are being constructed with minimum prices starting near $250,000
- that's a quarter of a million dollars. That is not within my price range,
nor of most of the people who live in Loring Park.

Don't worry about showing disrespect. It is obvious that someone, somewhere,
whether it is the bureaucrats who allow such projects to be built, or the
ones who read Architectural Record in the offices with glazed and envious
eyes, don't give a damn about you or I.

We, and the rest of us working class taxpayers can only hope they overbuild,
and the market falls out from under their workstations.


On 5/20/04 12:00 PM, "Jeff Fellows" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

Thank you for posting this, Jeff.

> An opportunity gone down the river.

<snip>

> http://www.skywaynews.net/articles/2004/05/17/news/news12.txt

"The Minnesota Historical Society opposes the proposed Crown Hydro power
plant on St. Anthony Falls' west bank, at least until more archeological
research is done, said Nina Archabal, Minnesota Historical Society
director".

Archeological research? On what? Indian mounds? The first Jewish cemetery in
Minneapolis? The ruins of a church from the mid 1800's?

No, a former industrial site, the type of which the new residents of the
Mississippi River Concrete Spillway wouldn't be caught living near when it
was in operation. None of my tax money is required to finance a delay
tactic, but thanks for asking.

"The Greater Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Bureau has not taken an
official position, but Greg Ortale, its president and CEO, is raising
concerns about the project's potential impact on tourism".

A working hydroelectric power station providing power to downtown
Minneapolis - utilizing the River itself to power the newly added air
conditioners - would be part of what attracts tourists. Plant some trees
around the generators, Greg, if that makes you feel any better.

"The falls are the cornerstone of our history, and they are a major tourist
attraction," said Shannon McCarthy, speaking for Ortale. "To have the water
redirected to a hydropower plant, to the extent that the falls may not have
enough water to function ... would be tragic."

No, a building collapse is tragic. Diverting water and ensuring adequate
water flow elsewhere is a problem for engineers to solve, so as not to give
the impression to the residents of the $250,000 condominiums they actually
<do> have excellent views of a concrete spillway.

Neal Krasnoff
Loring Park

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