TIFs, Midtown and Pat Andrews
http://hadenoughindy.blogspot.com/2013/03/reflections-on-mid-north-tif-hearing.html?spref=fb
If you live on the Northside, you may well be in the area that is affected by money that will be coming our way via Tax Increment Financing. Midtown is the area in question: that's Broad Ripple, Meridian Kessler, Butler Tarkington and other pockets.
The issue is simple: is the whole Northside blighted, and in need of improvements, and at what cost, or do only certain areas deserve these TIF monies? The die is cast; the votes are in, and the TIF signed, sealed and delivered. Now, let the squabbling begin or which area gets what, how much, etc.
But if you care about issues that affect the Northside, and you know as I do that you are not getting adequate info from MSM, then you need to read what Pat Andrews of the blog "Had Enough Indy?" has compiled.
I am especially grateful for the video she provided, which you can access in the link. A friend had told me how rambling Leif Hinterberger was at the hearing; he is the dude who wanted to gentrify 49th and College. You can watch it here for yourself. (Leif is the architect of the failed Uptown development for that neighborhood, and you can see why).
The larger point is that many of these parts of Midtown are thriving; do privileged areas with high real estate costs really need this money?
I don't have an answer or an opinion -- leave that to those who have invested themselves in this process, including Paula Light, Clarke Kahlo and Pat Andrews ("Had Enough Indy?), and yes, John Barth, our councilman who represents the area. I do think the whole thing is fascinating.
For those who still care, there will be a meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. at North United Methodist Church, when Meridian Kessler Neighborhood Association hosts and debate will contine, altho to what purpose I'm unsure, since the money is allotted.
Still, the discussion is healthy.
Thanks again to Andrews.
Comments
Actually John Barth is at-large and represents the City as a whole. That he only appears to care about one part of the city and is willing to do something that hurts the city as a whole is indeed interesting.
It should be noted that the Midtown TIF only captures commercial properties, not homesteads in the area, so only new capital investment will spur revenue to fund other permitted public expenditures like parks, sidewalks, etc. TIF should not be thought of just for blighted areas (those TIFs often underperform and need bailed out) but for areas that may be on the brink of decline and need a bit of a jumpstart for reinvestment.
Rumor has it there were bribes exchanged during work on passage of the Midtown TIF. Let's only hope someone was wearing a wire who was working for the FBI. Barth's motivation, or so he says, was the neighbor who lives behind him choosing to sell his home and move to Boone County. Nothing that TIF can bring about will reverse the trend of why people are moving out of even the nice neighborhoods of the city to move to the suburban areas. Pat and the concerned neighbors in this area worked tirelessly to explain to city council members and the MDC why they were wrong to capture some of the most affluent and booming areas of the northside in this TIF district. They had the stronger argument, but there was no financial reward for supporting their view. Sadly, that's what drives action in this city today by our city officials.
Rumor has it there were bribes exchanged during work on passage of the Midtown TIF. Let's only hope someone was wearing a wire who was working for the FBI. Barth's motivation, or so he says, was the neighbor who lives behind him choosing to sell his home and move to Boone County. Nothing that TIF can bring about will reverse the trend of why people are moving out of even the nice neighborhoods of the city to move to the suburban areas. Pat and the concerned neighbors in this area worked tirelessly to explain to city council members and the MDC why they were wrong to capture some of the most affluent and booming areas of the northside in this TIF district. They had the stronger argument, but there was no financial reward for supporting their view. Sadly, that's what drives action in this city today by our city officials.
Pat Andrews is doing the work and sleuthing the paper and Nuvo should be doing.
Pat Andrews efforts are a godsend to those of us wanting to keep informed on the machinations of local politics.
It is important to note that this meeting is being hosted by the two community development organizations representing the area: Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corporation and Midtown Indianapolis, Inc. We organized this meeting to help our neighbors understand what TIF is, what it is not and what it could mean to future of our community. All nine neighborhoods touched by the North Midtown Economic Development Area are invited, including the three south of 38th Street (the area that Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corporation serves).
Comments are closed.
Links
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- http://sadbastards.wordpress.com/
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- http://www.bilerico.com/
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Thanks for any other excellent article. Where else may
anyone get that kind of info in such a perfect manner of writing?
I have a presentation next week, and I am on the search for such information.