Liveblog: ICSC Next Generation Road to Redevelopment Panel Discussion

[DeadGirlsDontDance]

There's a lot of frustration from the business people on the panel, but Stephen has done a pretty good job of directing the conversation and occasionally lightening the tone.

[DeadGirlsDontDance]

Open questions from the audience!

"Is the city going to repurpose vacant city owned properties and open them to development?"

A guy from the city responded to this question with an explanation of the difficulties of selling the properties, but there wasn't an actual "Yes" or "No" answer.

[DeadGirlsDontDance]

Another question that Stephen rephrased as "Are you guys just pissed off, or is there a systemic problem?" Short answer: Yes.

[DeadGirlsDontDance]

Meeting over, and drinks are being served. Best quote: "If I sounded angry, that's just my enthusiasm."

[DeadGirlsDontDance]

Paul Crawford, Deputy Director of the Office of Economic Development, just explained to me that what I thought was a non answer to the question about the city selling its vacant properties was NOT a non answer, I just didn't hear the YES at the very beginning, probably because I was sitting nowhere near him. MY BAD.

[DeadGirlsDontDance]

In case anybody wonders what happened to the rest of the questions, the clock ran out. And now so will I.

[L.P. Hovercraft]

Office of OED: Why is city policy tilted towards a residential property owner holding a $200,000 asset vs a commercial property owner holding a $2,000,000 asset and creating jobs. How can the city help to encourage community input without costing the property owner time and money to defend their real estate decision?

Great question!

I think in order to increase growth and move Jacksonville and our country forward, those that possess less capital (a/k/a "the takers", welfare abusers, lazy people, etc.). should never have equal or greater influence on public policy than the true job creators or "the makers" that possess more wealth and thus greater inherent worth.
This is obviously the best and only way to achieve a truly rational, just and humane democratic society.

(This message paid for by Koch Fertilizer, LLC, a subsidiary of Koch Brothers Industries, Inc.)

[L.P. Hovercraft]

Office of OED: Why is city policy tilted towards a residential property owner holding a $200,000 asset vs a commercial property owner holding a $2,000,000 asset and creating jobs. How can the city help to encourage community input without costing the property owner time and money to defend their real estate decision?

Great question!

I think in order to increase growth and move Jacksonville and our country forward, those that possess less capital (a/k/a "the takers", welfare abusers, lazy people, etc.). should never have equal or greater influence on public policy than the true job creators or "the makers" that possess more wealth and thus greater inherent worth.
This is obviously the best and only way to achieve a truly rational, just and humane democratic society.

(This message paid for by Koch Fertilizer, LLC, a subsidiary of Koch Brothers Industries, Inc.)

That would be a pretty good idea, lp hovercraft.

Then again, perhaps there would be a better way to encourage the issues to get solved without creating an unequal playing field where one side has all the cost and the other side has no cost and nothing to lose by pursuing a whim?

Everyone should have equal say so over their own property, and everyone should have a say so in their community, but is it fair to cost a small business guy hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees, attorneys costs, and lost sales because you dont want a purple sign more than 14 feet from the ground on his building ?

I, for one, welcome our neo-feudal overlords.

Are you listening COJ governmental agencies?  Wealthy property owners demand all the special treatment that less privileged property owners currently enjoy to END!

Now this guy Tom Perkins gets it--hostility towards the wealthy is akin to the Holocaust!  If you pay $1 million in taxes you should get 1 million votes!  Mammon über alles--suck it poor people!

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/02/14/vc-perkins-ignore-protesters-against-silicon-valleys-rich/