Sharon Boyd, Editor/Publisher |
DallasArena.com Your alternative to The Dallas Managed News Darryl Baker
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12/18/06 Albertson's is closing in
Oak Clifff!
The "Big Box" retail skeleton effect that happens when corporate decision makers who do not live in our communities leaves the tax base in the red as well as creates an eyesore and potential physical danger to surrounding areas -- not to mention the lowering of property values.
I am not anti-developer. I am very much "pro" SMART
DEVELOPMENT!
As citizens, we should lobby the City Council to levy a
"degredation tax" on business property over 10,000 SF that
stays empty
for more than six months. In many cases, the City has put in additional
infrastructure and capacity that has NOT been repaid when these decisions to
pull out are made. So we, the citizen taxpayers, are STUCK with having to pay
for something that DEVELOPERS asked for and did not pay back.
Some may say this will discourage development in Dallas,
but what it will actually discourage is real estate and developer
"speculation" using taxpayer subsidies. As I recall, the City of Dallas
assisted Albertson's at both the Oak Cliff locations with tax incentives,
infrastructure assistance, and permit waivers and reductions.
We need to require our City leaders and officials
to make SENSIBLE deals
that actually work for US and not the developers.
Have we learned NOTHING from the likes of Enron? Corporate
America has proven time and again that they don't know what they are doing.
The deal is ALWAYS worse when a private company can't make a deal happen
WITHOUT government assistance. That is ALWAYS the first big clue
that "John and Jane Q. Citizen" are going to get left holding the bag!
Darryl Baker
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