GRAND FORKS CITY GOVERNMENT: Less parks, more homes?
January 14, 2013 at 2:19 pm in Grand Forks Herald
Grand Forks City Council members are considering reducing requirements for park space to encourage new home building.
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GRAND FORKS CITY GOVERNMENT: Less parks, more homes?
16 Comments
Hey city council, can I get a $440,000 loan that I don’t have to pay back?
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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It would be interesting to have had the name of the owner of the Opera House in the article. Who owns it and why should we subsidize their lack of business acumen in buying into this project?
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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The person we could ask about this is Lonnie Laffen of JLG Architects. He is the person the GFH interviewed when the building began renovations back in 2003.
* “We’d like to see a restaurant of some type in the first floor. Now we’re just looking for the right person,” Laffen said.
* He hopes to renovate the second floor into upscale apartments that promise an impressive view of downtown and the Red River.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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We’ve been stuck with the bill for propping-up property values downtown since 1978 or even before.
Millions of dollars flushed down the toilet due to a LONG SERIES of boneheads in public office who couldn’t bear to admit that downtown GF was a spithole; and a desperate (pathological?) need to “do something”.
Every one of those properties downtown should have a special-assessment laid against them to recover the money previously wasted on the downtown area.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Typical socialize losses and privatize profits. I wonder if they would have cut the city in on the profits? I doubt that they would. But they sure do not seem to mind that they stick the taxpayers with their losses. If Dan buys the building the owners should have to pay off their note like anyone else does. Gee I sold my house for 200K and the note is 190K on it but hey bank will you forgive my loan? I think we all know what the bank would say to that. Have they even been paying any interest on this money?
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Here come the slums.
More along the lines of the Times Square development–trailer parks with no wheels under the homes.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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It seems we’re going backwards on this. Why in the world would anybody want to live in a 4-story apartment house ghetto with no access to parks or some green space? These pond structures are no substitute for parks.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Dear Grand Forks City Council, I wish to borrow 300K to build a house. I might or not pay you back. Hey but at least I build a house that will pay property taxes. Though it will take 60 years of property taxes just to pay you back the 300k you still win by adding a property to the tax rolls. Oh wait a minute. That piece of property I built on was already paying property taxes so I guess you really are not gaining anything. But then my name does not begin with a C and end in a Y or begins with a G and ends with a G.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Crary – the equivalent of Eidco in Fargo.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Since the city is giving out loans now…
Dear city council members I would like you to give me $800,000. If you give me this $800,000 I will not leave the city when I graduate. If you don’t, I will leave Grand Forks and tell everyone how special in the head the city government is. Thanks.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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We need socialism for everyone, not just the few.
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Socialism doesn’t work when “everyone” is entitled. Socialism only works when the few are supported by the many…
…but you know that. Nice call!
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It is amazing what kind of money the city has to give away. All we hear is they can’t lower taxes and there is no money for libraries or roads but when wealthy property owners need money and want to back out on a loan they are OK with it. What kind of loan is it? I would like to hear more about the details of the loan and where this money comes from for these programs. Is it federal or local and what are the terms. If they are spending our local tax money this way someone needs to answer these questions.
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Doesn’t matter where the money comes from. Tax money comes from all of us.
Irresponsible use of tax money should get politicians a nice vacation just outside of Bismarck.
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I grew up in Forks and the Opra House was cleverly disguised as the Uptown Bowling Alley for many years. I had heard it was once an opera house, but until somtime around the flood nobody seemed too concerned about it. Then there was talk about restoring it to its original splender and hosting plays and other performances there…..But this is Grand Forks and for the size crowds they might get here really doubt such a project would do anything but run in the red…So unless the city took it and had another money pit like the Alerus, then the project was pretty much a non starter. Yet now there’s still talk about doing something with this Historic landmark that had for years been completely disguised as a falling down dump before they did the outside renivations to it. It would seem like there’s been high hopes, but low support. Like the song says…You really can’t alwys get what you want….Even sometimes when you try…
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The ground floor of the Opera House is one of those spaces I’d love to rent and turn into something. I wonder what rent might be once the new owner doesn’t have to cover $440,000 from the old owner?
http://gfk.campusdakota.com
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