"Don't Bogart that joint my friend."

"Downtown RO will have 180,000 square feet of new strategically located fabulous mid-rise (office) buildings on city or acquired sites providing at least 1000 well paid jobs by 2020".
"Royal Oak retail will have a showcase of distinct, eclectic, inovative retailers that provide an unparalled shopping experience".
Scott Tillander RO task force facilitator. 
Little did I realize that back in my salad days in New York's East and West Village that at some of those parties that I attended I was ALSO a facilitator. One time I even facilitated a moon landing!
Fact one: RO had an opportunity to acquire the foreclosed former Fresard property for a song and could have facilitated badly needed additional vertical parking and or a hotel without using TIFA.
But NOOoooo. One of our commissioners had another plan.
Secondly, where will the parking go for all these offices? Who will even want to open offices if free parking is not available for both tenants and clients?
Birmingham has tried indoor retail in two locations on old Woodward and it failed.
The new plans for the Palladium theater in Birmingham that includes on premises parking makes more sense. So would a three hour free parking in an RO vertical parking structure that takes credit cards.
Parking Nazi tactics do not in my opinion contribute to an "unparalleled shopping experience"!
Now in my opinion what will bring in more offices to our CBD is an influx of new residents attracted not to more bars, but to a very special downtown park replete with a play ground near a library with extended hours. The park should be in line with those in Europe with ample seating and colorful gardens along with special areas for music and art. See the new Washington Square in NYC! "Images of Washington Square Park today-Bing" What will bring in business are no nonsense plans to deter cigarette butts and litter, and the unpleasant smells wafting from the alleys of some of our restaurants whose dumpsters and grease cans overflow with ripe garbage.
What will attract more offices is a downtown that demands respect when it comes to rampant racing of motorcycles and spitting on sidewalks. If Guillianni managed to clean up Times Square RO can manage to clean up its downtown and make it more attractive as some other Michigan cities such as Frankenmuth, Holland, Northville have done. Presently I see a facilitator from Wayne County no less, who has nothing to say out of the starting gate on bar expansions still on going despite the smoke and mirror statements from our executive. I am afraid what goes downtown will continue to be based on a planning commission shell game with the highest bidder, always a bar, coming out on top.
If you want to attract more CLASS operations downtown try a pull out all the stops downtown CENTRAL PARK. Add reasonable vertical parking without oppressive enforcement. Want to write tickets? Ticket a few speeding, noisy motorcycles, or loud boomboxes. Want to encourage RO residents to shop downtown? Offer a once a month a free parking pass that can be picked up at the library, or city hall for the use of any Royal Oak resident. Want to attract conventions try a real hotel with a real convention center at a gateway to the city. Want to attract bicycles, try a bicycle night facilitated with a closed parking meter lane on both Main and Washington. Bring in portable bicycle racks if you have to. Another plan would be to close Washington to all but pedestrians and bicycles for an entire weekend which should attract bicyclists from all over! Want to attract seniors have a SENIOR TUESDAY at all the movies, and as many restaurants and cafes as possible along with designated free parking for them. Want to attract more joggers hold a marathon! Want to attract art and music aficionados use the Farmers Market for classical music and local artists NOT just BEER! Want to attract antique car fans? Offer FREE parking on Main during the Dream Cruise for those with antique plates.  Now exhale, relax and think about all what is going on in other cities both large and small that is already working? This would be my wish for the so called Royal Oak Task Force. Presently this city could not on its own promote itself out of a paper bag. The latest example is this weekends perpetual best kept secret, the metal, clay and glass show on Washington with only a few garage sale size signs on a couple of local streets. NOTHING even mentioned on this weekends Patch events!!! I thought SOMEONE was just hired and getting paid in city hall to assist in promotion.
Now do you understand why I suggested Batman as a write in last November?