I thank you SO MUCH for this writing prompt. I just came out of a City of Green Bay (WI) Redevelopment Authority Zoom meeting. The work of bureaucrat City Planners to develop a city parking lot into luxury apartments, in order to generate needed tax revenue for the city, has been ongoing behind the scenes. Last month it was presented to the City Councli redevelopment authority right before the expiration of a 'planning' deadline that included an option on the land. The citizen elected officials and mayoral appointees were given ONLY an 'up/down' vote on the project. They have to go on record with a vote FOR or AGAINST economic development. Today was their first meeting since the public unveiling of plans that have been under-wraps until now. There was a lot of reaction to those plans since it created an 8 story solid concrete wall hiding an internal parking ramp facing and in some points only 5 feet from the front door of affordable housing lofts plus a church building that was created from a repurposed mall. The Redevelopment Authority members only were able to give an up/down vote for luxury apartments in our downtown. The positive rationale is that it both develops taxable development AND helps offload housing pressure by providing an upper end apartments for those who can afford them (thus freeing up lower end more affordable housing.)
In the end - it's the employed bureaucrats who held the power of process, and who refused to meet with anyone involved, despite repeated requests, from January until April when plans were revealed.
Government had vested interest in more tax base, a capitalistic proposition in and of itself, and in order to get it, ignored, and some say violated, rights on existing property holders. Those existing property holders just so happened to be a church and non-profit mixed use partly privately subsidized housing project. Some made the point that if similar impacts to property had been made to a bank or other private enterprise, everyone would be up in arms, but since it was a non-profit and a church, they were easy to impact.
It is indeed the hearts of ALL CITIZENS no matter their employer, that drives how they engage. It may also be relative economic power and ability (and willingness) to engage in law to bring a lawsuit that drives how they they engage with others, more than whether they are employed by free enterprise, or government. Maybe you see other points - but your post is much more skillfully written and tighter. Thank you for the chance to share a story.
I thank you SO MUCH for this writing prompt. I just came out of a City of Green Bay (WI) Redevelopment Authority Zoom meeting. The work of bureaucrat City Planners to develop a city parking lot into luxury apartments, in order to generate needed tax revenue for the city, has been ongoing behind the scenes. Last month it was presented to the City Councli redevelopment authority right before the expiration of a 'planning' deadline that included an option on the land. The citizen elected officials and mayoral appointees were given ONLY an 'up/down' vote on the project. They have to go on record with a vote FOR or AGAINST economic development. Today was their first meeting since the public unveiling of plans that have been under-wraps until now. There was a lot of reaction to those plans since it created an 8 story solid concrete wall hiding an internal parking ramp facing and in some points only 5 feet from the front door of affordable housing lofts plus a church building that was created from a repurposed mall. The Redevelopment Authority members only were able to give an up/down vote for luxury apartments in our downtown. The positive rationale is that it both develops taxable development AND helps offload housing pressure by providing an upper end apartments for those who can afford them (thus freeing up lower end more affordable housing.)
In the end - it's the employed bureaucrats who held the power of process, and who refused to meet with anyone involved, despite repeated requests, from January until April when plans were revealed.
Government had vested interest in more tax base, a capitalistic proposition in and of itself, and in order to get it, ignored, and some say violated, rights on existing property holders. Those existing property holders just so happened to be a church and non-profit mixed use partly privately subsidized housing project. Some made the point that if similar impacts to property had been made to a bank or other private enterprise, everyone would be up in arms, but since it was a non-profit and a church, they were easy to impact.
It is indeed the hearts of ALL CITIZENS no matter their employer, that drives how they engage. It may also be relative economic power and ability (and willingness) to engage in law to bring a lawsuit that drives how they they engage with others, more than whether they are employed by free enterprise, or government. Maybe you see other points - but your post is much more skillfully written and tighter. Thank you for the chance to share a story.