West: "The favored developers get favored treatment, and nobody else does"
The Chronicle ran a three-author story today that discusses the city's seemingly capricious decisionmaking process regarding aid to developers. Here is an excerpt:
The City Council’s decision last week to assist the developer of Regent Square, an $850 million mixed-use project off Allen Parkway, with up to $10 million in reimbursements raised new questions about the administration’s policy for supporting private developments with public money, and whether such assistance has been fair, consistent or even in the public interest.
“The impression out here in the community is that there is no standard,” said Jane West, a Sixth Ward neighborhood leader who participated in meetings with the city on the Sawyer Heights proposal. “The favored developers get favored treatment, and nobody else does.”
That does seem to be The Houston Way! Be sure to read the entire story.
Along the same lines, the Chronicle also recently ran a column by Lisa Gray on downtown as a living destination (hope springs eternal!). In particular, the following graf stood out:
Marvy Finger, the developer of One Park Place, bet big on Discovery Green before the park was even built. On a block adjacent to the park, Finger proposed a 37-story residential building, luxury apartments with room for a first-floor grocery store and restaurant.
Why not bet big? Mayor White effectively built a lovely, if tiny (compared to Central Park, or even our own Memorial or Buffalo Bayou parks), potty spot for the pets of the affluent residents to come, AND has personally acted as an advertising agent for the project. Funny how things work out for some developers in Houston, eh?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/12/09 09:32 PM | Print |
Previous Entry | Home | Next Entry
ADVERTISING
DISCLAIMER
All content © 2004-09, blogHOUSTON and the respective authors.
blogHOUSTON.net is powered by Nucleus.
Site design and Nucleus customization are by Kevin Whited.