Matthew Lee wrote:Jim O'Bryan wrote:the facts are 85% of artificial attempts to bring back the center of towns and cities fail, within a year of removing government funds to sustain them.
Hi Jim,
Was this a number the other gentleman was saying as a fact or is this from a study somewhere? Would definitely be curious where this number comes from because it seems awfully vague and awfully high. For example, what is the definition of an "artificial attempt"? What is the definition of "center"? I would love to read the study that came up with this number. Thanks!
Matt
I can go back and ask the person. It was a light and long two hour discussion about many things. I was not demanding any proof of anything but instead looking at various actual projects that are failing or still born like Downtown Cleveland, and Lakewood. We could see that it would matter if it was the middle of a small town in Iowa that completely lost its job base or not, could be thrown into it.
Also we could ask where places like German Village figures into it. Is that a center of city redevelopment or not? Is Ohio City a center of city redevelopment or not? WE were actually speaking of many things like "Mainstreet" as well would be the first failure to redevelop the center of Lakewood. Did it actually redevelop Milan, Ohio? Chardon? Niles? Also does this even matter with urban community as opposed to a farming community? Many variations in the equation.
What we see here in Lakewood is basically a small group of would be "planners" more hobby than background completely fail again and again in their development dreams and wishes getting more and more desperate until finally selling off Lakewood's largest asset to claim some sort of success. But to get back to the point of this discussion while Mark raises interesting points on funding, we as residents should never forget, that as a community we have already spent and lost $200+ Million and another $100 million over the next ten years, and all of the value of the land and equipment before we even break ground on this amazing new center of of the city, DowntowN, Lakewood One whatever it is called.
We also have City Hall repeatedly misrepresenting not just the values but the return in an effort to push us to this point of no return, on a project they finally admit will lose about a $1 million a year. So while Mark asks the important questions I would ask for all residents to take the real $$$$ numbers, and move those numbers into the safest form of holding possible, and see just how bad City Hall and Council have done on this crap shoot. A crap shoot that will continue to cost us millions of losses over the decade or longer with abatement, shared development cost, and potential other loses all in an effort to make a small handful of people look successful at pulling the wool over our eyes.
There is real reason why City Hall continues to say no to public records requests, destroying records, and cover-ups the largest failure in Lakewood's history.
We were played, and they knew they were playing us all along, they just never figured anyone in Lakewood being smart enough for long enough to catch them.
Matt i will ask where his figures come from, but I would ask you, can you name any that are 1 successful, and more importantly bring in more than they cost to do? I cannot think of any.
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