For once the sports crowd seems to be going about developing a soccer stadium the right way. The Taylor and Kavanaugh families are putting their own money into it and relying on the city and state providing support through tax write offs. The bulk of the funding is private money.
What is interesting is that Kavanaugh was part of the previous team that sought large government handouts. It shows that voting no can work. Written by Paul Dribin
The Loop Trolley opened in a way today. Instead of running the whole route it turned around halfway through. The leadership of the trolley blame it on a bureaucratic snafu. Oh well!
Community activists in Queens and Long Island are protesting Amazon’s arrival in their communities. I know there can be gentrification, higher costs etc. but still this is worth billions. Hammer out community benefit agreements and insure there is an increase in affordable housing but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. ( I am big on cliches today). Written by Paul Dribin
At the suggestion of Todd Swanstrom, I read a book by his colleague titled Housing Dynamics in Northeast Ohio by Thomas E. Bier. The book written about the Cleveland area is also applicable to St. Louis and many other cities.
The argument in the book backed by data is that vacancies occur when there is an oversupply of housing in the region. This oversupply of housing occurs because developers are looking to profit by building more housing, and land is cheaper in the suburbs. The author points out that when there is an oversupply the oldest, most worn out housing loses all market desirability and becomes vacant. The problem is made worse because developers can more economically build in the suburbs and the infrastructure in the suburbs is stronger.
This plays out when we look at the north side of St. Louis. There will only be a turnaround if the city figures out how to streamline its development requirements, crime is controlled, and schools turn around. In addition a marketing campaign to young people around the company would help. We could offer free housing and lots of land. Written by Paul Dribin
The Loop Trolley in test runs has twice hit autos , knocking mirrors off of cars in minor accidents. Apologists say people did not park right. That is the point, we should not require perfection for the system to work. Written by Paul Dribin
One of the issues surrounding the Michael Brown shooting and its’ aftermath were the poor conditions of affordable housing projects in Ferguson. In fact, the Ferguson Commission raised the issue.
Recently the owners of several of these housing developments and the St. Louis County Housing Authority have cracked down on bad tenants. Lo and behold the community is up in arms about people facing eviction. Once again no one wants to take responsibility for bad behavior. Bad tenants are bad tenants, period. Written by Paul Dribin
Is this dysfunctional or what. County Executive Steve Stenger an the County Council have each appointed a different board to the Port Authority. This authority is a cash cow and the two sides will battle it out in court. I don’t know the right answer, but this is ridiculous. Written by Paul Dribin
The trolley situation is still a mess. KWMU had a story which documented the large number of businesses which have gone out of business, at least partly due to the trolley construction. Also, The Riverfront Times published an article about the fact that the automatic ticket machines for the trolley are in before the trolley itself and these machines do not make change. An individual who needed change would need to send in the receipt through the mail and wait for change from the Trolley Association by mail. Overall, the whole thing still seems like a fiasco. One piece of good news, the Loop Business Association has hired Rachelle L’Ecuyer as Executive Director. She is top notch and has done a great job as Economic Development Director in Maplewood. I wonder how long it will take her to clash with Joe Edwards. Written by Paul Dribin
My wife and I visited the arch on October 19 for the first time since it had been rehabbed at a cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
I am mildly disappointed. The entrance is better and visitors do not have to cross busy streets to enter. Parking is further away, the grounds looks the same, and the museum is confusing. Overall someone who visited the arch previously would have a difficult time noticing the improvements. Written by Paul Dribin
