Darkness on the edge of town
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| So far, there's been nothing but a premature groundbreaking. |
If you're interested in the bloody, ongoing battles in Greeley, Colorado, over the city taking big financial risks to build a hockey rink and a water park – a project that supporters of Portland's new city manager, Raymond C. Lee III, tout as his shining achievement in his old job – there's a deccent summary of the current situation here, in the Colorado Sun. (The Sun is one of those newfangled nonprofit newsrooms.)
No project in Greeley’s history divided the city more than Catalyst, the city-owned entertainment district, and Cascadia, the adjacent mixed-use development that Eagles owner Martin Lind plans to build to accompany it. The anger was apparent even on Sept. 24, the day of the groundbreaking...
The monthslong fight was contentious and, at times, childish. Both sides accused each other of using dark money and ulterior motives and opponents of the project claimed they were forcibly removed from a meeting the way a bouncer would throw out an angry drunk. Lind sued Pam Bricker and Dan Wheeler, two Greeley residents, for helping to lead the effort to gather signatures and for speaking out against the Cascadia plan, saying his reputation was harmed....
That was just round one, as it turns out, and many city leaders say they think the next round will be even bloodier.
Greeley is the little town that couldn't, so are being suckered into shelling out a billion bucks to hope they can become relevant by building an albatross in a dirt field way out of town.
ReplyDelete"Greeley is handicapped by its distance from I-25, and it needs a reason to get retailers to choose Greeley over the more affluent Fort Collins and Loveland. Even Johnstown, with 20,000 residents, or one-fifth the population of Greeley, has a big shopping center right off of I-25. "
This is the backstory of Ben Wyatt on Parks & Recreation.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if RCL3 got caught with his fingerprints on some of Martin Lind's "equity cash"?
ReplyDeleteI have seen zero evidence of that up to this point.
DeleteAnd I'd be careful what you say, as the developer dude over there apparently is inclined to sue people.
DeleteNothing new in portlandia…..
ReplyDelete"Well, everybody's got a secret, sonny."
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