Vision2 - money for brownfield cleanups

[RecycleMichael]

This is what is on the list now...

Brownfield cleanups, $5 million: Morton Health Center, 636 E. Pine St.; the Evans-Fintube site in the 100 block of North Lansing Avenue; a former gas station at 3519 N. Hartford Ave.; Apache Circle in the 500 block of East Apache Street; a shopping center in the 2100 block of North Cincinnati Avenue; and another former gas station at 1047 E. Apache St.

I am not completely familiar with all of these, but I am with the first two. The first one is directly across the street from Carver Middle School where my son goes. It also shares a lot with the Rudisell regional library. The place is a mess. The building is becoming a real hazard for the neighborhood and has been abandoned for many years.  The library is highly used by the neighborhood and the school (highest test scores in the county) has added many improvements like a new gym and marquee out front. Having this dilapidated and crumbling building between them just kills the efforts. Cleaning up this lot and redeveloping the space could be a real improvement.

The Evans-Fintube site is real close to the new baseball park and OSU-Tulsa. It would be the perfect spot for a big housing project for students or downtown workers. The Crowley plan to build a passenger rail line for Tulsa showed this site as one of the anchors of the train route. I think redeveloping this site could be crucial for downtown. It is both a great location and has great access and views of downtown. It has been vacant and unused ofr at least two decades.

I hate that we have to use public dollars to clean up these properties, but we have to do it. We can't leave them in their current state.

[Conan71]

Agreed on this one.  Grizzle had a great point on another thread that perhaps the city should come up with it's own package for an increment above the third penny rather than the county capturing it.

[RecycleMichael]

Michael Bates has been saying that...

http://www.batesline.com/archives/2012/08/vision2-tulsa-better-off-going-i.html

I don't know if Tulsa could (would ) pass the vote. Tulsa voted no a few times until Bill LaFortune made his ask county-wide.

[swake]

Have we attempted a public/private partnership using federal money and tax credits?

A Guide to Federal Tax Incentives for Brownfields Redevelopment
http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/tax/tax_guide.pdf

[RecycleMichael]

I assume that these local dollars will be supplemented by federal dollars. They all work that way.

[Townsend]

I don't know if Tulsa could (would ) pass the vote. Tulsa voted no a few times until Bill LaFortune made his ask county-wide.

Didn't Tulsa City pass the river plan and Tulsa county vote it down?

[Teatownclown]

Why should the tax payer be further burdened by the cleanup? If the site is suited for redevelopment, wouldn't it be figured into the selling price based on supply/demand? Does the land have negative value? Should the county/city just deed the property to a user/developer in lieu of cleaning it up themselves?

We can leave them in their current state. They've been poisoned for years. Get your priorities right. Our air and our water are foul....

[RecycleMichael]

We can leave them in their current state. They've been poisoned for years. Get your priorities right. Our air and our water are foul....

You are a developer. Why don't you do something?

[Teatownclown]

You are a developer. Why don't you do something?

That comment doesn't address my statement.
I stay away from problems unless there's demand to justify curing those problematic issues. These poisoned lands are contained. The water and air poisons are well borne and air borne. The best you can do is remove yourself from these environments.
I don't take on poisons unless I have to.

[RecycleMichael]

I don't want to give up. These properties will be wonderful when cleaned up. This issue will provide the extra money to make it all work.

Go drive by these and look at them. 

[Teatownclown]

I don't want to give up. These properties will be wonderful when cleaned up. This issue will provide the extra money to make it all work.

Go drive by these and look at them.  

I used to crush cars. I am fully aware of their visibility. Their marketability and access are another issue altogether.

Demographics suck.

Besides, I am not a "Field of Dreams" guy.

edit: If I had good property a block away from these sites, I'd be concerned about a level playing field. If the public "improved" these brownfields then wouldn't it take a socialist a community to compete against my site?

[RecycleMichael]

edit: If I had good property a block away from these sites, I'd be concerned about a level playing field. If the public "improved" these brownfields then wouldn't it take a socialist a community to compete against my site?

What a ridiculous argument. If you had property a block away from a blighted area and the blight cleaned up, you would also benefit.

Why do you think there are always winners and losers? Can't everybody benefit?

[swake]

If the buildings are abandoned they can be removed by code enforcement and billed to the owner. If the owner is missing then the site can be auctioned after being cleared. Brownfield credits can be used to encourage development. I do not see the need for the city to buy these sites with the possible exception of the one by OSU. Even then I would not want TDA in charge of selling it.

Sorry, not understanding the need for this money, there are other ways to do this. We need to spend money in ways that create synergies with what we have been successfully doing downtown in order to make Tulsa a more desirable city for new employers and employees. And not just in the metro area, but actually to locate in the city, especially downtown. This project, this whole plan, does almost nothing towards making Tulsa a better place for new companies and residents. It spends scattershot money in order to buy votes.

[Conan71]

If the buildings are abandoned they can be removed by code enforcement and billed to the owner. If the owner is missing then the site can be auctioned after being cleared. Brownfield credits can be used to encourage development. I do not see the need for the city to buy these sites with the possible exception of the one by OSU. Even then I would not want TDA in charge of selling it.

Sorry, not understanding the need for this money, there are other ways to do this. We need to spend money in ways that create synergies with what we have been successfully doing downtown in order to make Tulsa a more desirable city for new employers and employees. And not just in the metro area, but actually to locate in the city, especially downtown. This project, this whole plan, does almost nothing towards making Tulsa a better place for new companies and residents. It spends scattershot money in order to buy votes try to bribe AA into staying in Tulsa, which will also enrichen some local contractors, but they are selling a few unicorns and rainbows along the way to buy votes.

FIFY

[Teatownclown]

What a ridiculous argument. Ifn you h d proccperty a blwzock nanway fm a blighted area and the blight cleaned up,yore..would also benefit.

Why do you think there are always winners and losers? Can't everybody benefit?

. 
That sword swings both ways...you might just end up with a detrement rather than a use that creates greater value.

Free enterprise ceases to exist when government interferes