OK, now we are getting to the heart of it. And your examples are still not
up to par. The site mentioned on 15th and Market (where that building lay
there for 14 years) is already owned, and not a "vacant lot". In fact, the
Ritz-Carlton Hotel (which owns the parking for where that building used to
be) plans to put up suites, a pool, a Jacuzzi, and have larger sized event
rooms (probably within the next 5-10 years). It won't be classified as a
KOZ.
And your claim is? ... the Vacant lot at 17th and JFK is NOT owned by anyone?
Excuse me ... but, it has never (in the last 200 years), belonged to the City nor the State. It was a vacant lot because the Owner demolished the properties on the site and planned to build a new building there -- if they could get somebody else to pay for it.
What you are telling me is that the Ritz-Carlton Hotel folks are being royally screwed by the Rendell Administration -- being forced to pay for what the Rendell Administration gives away to their friends for free.
If there were a Republican administration in Harrisburg, you would be screaming bloody murder.
You are making apologies and excuses for Democrats who are dipping into the public coffers to fatten up their friends and political donors.
Corruption is corruption, it doesn't matter which side of the aisle it's accomplished on. These KOZ deals are so morally and ethically bankrupt as to make Tammany Hall (or Vincent Fumo, for that matter) look like a Sunday School Social ...
And if you actually READ my statement where 8,000 jobs are retained of the
14,000 created. That's like what, 60%, in five years. I would like you to
start an organization, today, and see how far you get in 5 years. 8,000 jobs
is a lot. (I wouldn't care if was across the USA- it's still a lot).
Actually, I gave you the benefit of the doubt 14,000 created AND 8,000 retained.
(But if you consider that the US economy has been generating roughly 250 million jobs a month for the past three months nation-wide, even 22,000 over 5 years is NOT a lot.) Not to mention the fact, despite all of the various OTHER KOZ designations in the city, Philadelphia has LOST 3600 jobs between April of 2003 and April of 2004, while the rest of the 9 county region showed an all-time record-high number of jobs in April of 2004.
(9 county region = Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties in New Jersey)
Look, the KOZ deals in Philadelphia a pure Political Payoffs, nothing more, nothing less.
From the same state KOZ website,
http://koz.inventpa.com/what.html
we find the primary Selection Criteria listed for creating a KOZ:"• Displayed evidence of adverse economic and socioeconomic conditions
within the proposed zone such as high poverty rates, high unemployment
rates, percentage of abandoned or underutilized"
That criteria really fits ANY parcel granted KOZ status in center city... "within the proposed zone" ... Yeah, I guess the bums living on the tracks at 30th street could be considered "high poverty,"...
And you'll note that the listing of KOZ properties lists 4601 Market, but doesn't list 30th Street or 17th and JFK.
T.T.F.N. William H. Magill [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
