CC Min 1998-06-08 (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Manager Everett said, "It is important to remember that Redevelopment Agencies do two things. They do redevelop new businesses and they do help redevelop existing businesses. I also want to point out that part of the economic strategy that this Council adopted was to save and improve existing businesses. When you have a Redevelopment Agency you have more tools and different sources of revenue to in fact help do that. I know the presentation has been, if this goes through then we will have to leave. I think that is the wrong image to leave with people. I concur with many of the people. Lyngso I happen to know, Granite Rock we happen to know. We have worked with the CEO of Granite Rock... I find both of them excellent companies, value driven, exceptionally well run. I would be shocked if the Council would ever consider moving those. I can conceive certainly in the short run, 5-7 years where they might want to develop their existing business in a better way, which would in fact help us and they may need redevelopment help to do that... The other thing we must look at is we are planning twenty years from now, and I certainly know that 15 years ago when we first put Redevelopment together, no one knew that the Way To Go Building in downtown would be sold. It has been sold, and we now in fact have bought it through redevelopment, and a theater complex would like to move in there. When you look at this you are looking at two things. How do you help existing businesses? How do you redevelop areas that have no business or weak business? And the other thing you always look at is what will happen fifteen years out. There is a twenty year life to this particular project. I happen to think that, although I know it is difficult to understand because we word things in very legal ways and we talk about all the down sides that could happen, we are required to do that by law. But this Council and certainly its economic strategy is, and a policy they have endorsed, is to assist existing businesses. I would say Lyngso, Granite Rock and I don't mean to pick on those, because there are lots of other good businesses, are good businesses, ones that we would want to help and ones that we honor and cherish to be part of our community. So I think the issue of blight, and I think Mr. Hannig made a great presentation, that is for our experts. I can't tell you whether it is blight or not... (The consultants) will come back to you and say this is why we think it is (blight) or here is where we made some mistakes. But assuming it has the legal definition of blight, I think we have to not think always of what dastardly thing the City will do against a business, but rather what it can do to help a business. And if we are trying to save a business or keep a business, quite frankly, redevelopment is very helpful, because other cities have them and could offer something to one of our businesses and cause them to move. And we would not have the same playing field to try to keep that business. I don't think this Council is against or moving out businesses, I think it is about helping businesses." Mayor/Chairperson Howard said she agreed with the City Manager and thanked him for putting it into perspective. AGENDA FOR THE JOINT PUBLIC HEARING MINUTE BOOK NO.S," JUNE 8, 1998 AND CONCURRENT MEETING WITH THE Page No. 554 PAGE 16 CITY COUNCIL