Last night Saturday we had a warm spell and I decided on my way to Oak Park to stop at the Carribou after noticing a friend's bicycle. There were no parking spaces to be found anywhere downtown. It was packed. I had to park in a lot on the other side of the track, seventy five cents an hour! I had an ephiphany, they are right, this city makes over a million dollars a year just in parking revenue!! There is new construction, new homes, condos, DMC coming why all the crocodile tears? Where does it all go? Pensions, yes but something needs to be done. We do need to fix up the park downtown but what we need most of all is another downtown parking structure. I notice at least three good locations. 1. The parking lot across the track from Hamlins. 2. Even better, the parking lot behind Adriana's and Beirut. 3. The best is one on the Fresard property across from the existing one on Washington if a deal can be worked out with David Griffen, 400 Main LLC, and Emagine Theater Paul Glantz. I left messages for Glantz but could not get a hold of Griffen.
The profit on parking structures is marginal, however the profit on the other end for Emagine, and the present and future businesses near eleven and Main would be significant. Especially if the new hotel, apartments and office proposals by 400 Main goes through. It does not take an accountant to see that downtown Royal Oak is truly a victim of its own success. With a more pro-active DDA and planning commission this is possible. Businesses need to extend their hours a little more, the sidewalks roll up too early with the exception of the bars. This is the most walkable city in Oakland County including Detroit and it could be made even more walkable with a downtown park. One or two additional parking structures would free up some land around city city hall so the park can be expanded. There is also the lot adjacent to Farmers Market and I believe another building on fourth street.
We just have to get over stupid fear of homeless sleeping on benches and molesting passer bys (I read the comments). We are rebooting our police department and for ***#*sake the department is next to the park! In the description of the improvements made to our library a few years ago there is mention of the outside park included as part of the library. It would be a good idea to give over to the library the job of forming a committee along with parks and recreation to immediately improve that area using the new ideas of adopt a park along with a motivated DDA that would like to see more foot traffic downtown all year around.
Collateral benefits of vertical downtown parking and park improvement would be a rise in property values throughout the city over what has already happened. All the progress the city has made so far will have a cap put on it without more vertical parking downtown, with a more walkable attractive downtown park. It does not take a genius to see that what supports a city is an influx of young families and good schools which must be backed by a self supporting downtown.
Jim Rasor's grandiose dream of a greatly enlarged central park will have to be put off for another generation. That is obvious with the problems our present commissioners have in supporting and cooperating with our city's ethics ordinance. We all have to step back a little to see the forest for the trees. For every major improvement there also comes a set back, but those minor set backs can be dealt with now that we have the tax base to do it. We need leadership that realizes that everybody cannot be pleased and is willing to work together when the city's goals are finally prioritized. One issue such as a hotel is not going to solve the problem and unless the leaks are plugged and the course is set the ship will flounder in time. Citizen's can help catalyze our commission by attending more meetings in force. We need to support our outspoken and concerned board members as presently we have too many both elected and appointed who are just paddling their own canoes.
How about some support? As a retiree I do not have a dog in this fight, but if you add it up a city income tax that must be kept small and non discriminatory to residents vs non residents is long overdue now that RO has blossomed, or fattened depending on your viewpoint.
A new parking structure whether private or publically paid for is necessary and I would prefer the former to the latter coupled with a city income tax to take advantage of the private ownership. This is more of a CBD problem than a residential problem although residential use of their own downtown will be adversely affected without an additional structure. Diito with police overtime dealing with circling cars and weekend gridlock.
As for Mr. Wolf, he appears to have a tendency for posting a WHOLE LOTTA WORDS strung together in an unintelligible manner. Using big words, that we do know the meaning of by the way, is not impressive. A city income tax will hit the working residents much harder than he realizes. I'll tell ya what. If retirees agree to handle 20% of the property tax burden of the working stiffs, I'll support a city income tax.
2) The city raids the parking fund on a yearly basis to balance the general fund, instead of truly addressing their budgetary structural deficit. This in turn, forces the city to bond out for a greater dollar amount when it comes time to build another parking structure. Another way to put it, instead of paying cash from the parking fund, they will use a credit card. 3) Over the years, the city has exasperated the parking shortage issue by continuing to approve 400 + seat bar/restaurants, and granting 200+ parking waivers for major developments like the Freed project, and Emagine Theater. Even though the bars are in the CBD, the commission holds the power of denial on a liquor license if they don't have enough parking. They've approved them anyway. Now, they want the taxpayers to charge a parking deck via bonding? How about better planning during the approval process?
At least people are still reading. Oaktown, you it the nail on the head. The raiding of funds is a much more serious ethics violation than anyattempted abuse of position for profit. It is not uncommon and there needs to be more stringent guidelines set so the public is at least notified and asked for permission before the city borrows from Peter to pay Paul. A city income tax can be a life saver, or just another fund to abuse. This is why we need real transparency, not just promises and "trust me's from city hall I still think we need a better accounting for what was really spent for Arts Beats & Eats where somef businesses made good money, however how did that benefit those outside the footprint and residents as a whole?. Giving due credit to Mr Witz without the help of volunteers which our fair city has in abundance those charities would not have succeeded so well. Maybe city hall can take a lesson on how to mobilize citizens from Mr. Witz. See also Benjamin Franklin's comments on the value of volunteers. PS I kind of dislike using the pronoun "They" , they are really us because we technically approved "them" before we elected them. It is true that "they" sometimes forget that.
I hate to see the same mistakes repeated. I do not care if through the DDA or whatever but downtown has to PUT its money where its mouth is and ante up for a good percentage of the cost through a CBD/DDA owned bond of at least a third before any of our tax dollars are used, otherwise NUTS- no parking structure, and our city can make up extra costs for police through increased inspections and tickets for overserving etc. I want to finish by saying thankyou to those local establishments with a conscience who donate to local schools and charities, it is just that this is not enough. Taxpayers are not ATM's for city hall "mistakes". I
Its purpose isn't to be a slush fund to balance the general fund. In addition, a past city commission limited the amount that the city could access on a yearly basis. Last year, the city commission waived that limit and took even more. Perhaps you should read the parking fund policy before posting.
Raiding the parking fund is a longterm pattern of our city government, not a response to the recent economic downturn. If you read the mission of the parking fund, it does not include supplimenting the general fund. It may justify the last
Not only in America. Hey Bob I have new word for you: " facetious" its a great way to convey critical disdain. Seriously, what I would like to really hear before this site runs its course is ONE elected commissioner, or mayor (I know they read Patch if only to check for a cause to threaten defamation suits), to come out with a plan to contact Lansing for viable advice options or available grants. There is also Plante and Moran whom I would rather see being paid to check city accounting and make ship tightening suggestions than pay professional meeting facilitators used mostly for the sake of appearances. This city sorely needs a part time or full time grant specialist, I believe even our city manager who mostly irks me would concur. Washington and Michigan have resources that I am certain we have not adequately tapped.
There is money, its printed every day and used for foreign relations with our friends like Afghanistan and North Korea as well as to placate what is left of a middle class. We are not "Les Miserables" yet.
I'm not opposed to making the gingers work a little harder, but I prefer they do hard labor taking extra batting practice and fielding extra grounders during practice. It seems cruel and unusal punishment to expect them to address and fix the things our elected officials are supposed to be doing. The city of Troy seems to agree, and our family doesn't have to worry about peddling lemons to get a decent field to play on. Cheers, Ron.
Don Johnson if you have a better explantion I am sure we would like to hear it.
In my opinion a time wasting threat possibly to insinuate that he may pursue with costly litigation against the township for what he considers an insulting pledge of non-conflict that he fears he may be held accountable for if he violates it, such as he attempted to in my lay opinion. Also in my opinion, as his intentions were clearly to violate the ordinance as written, a fact that even our mayor cannot deny, he should apologize for. Instead he threatens Geoffrey Vasquez with defamation, and almost simultaneiously attacks commissioner Cappello threatening to prove constitutional violations. Never in the history of the this country has taking an oath or affirmation to give honest and fair judgement, not tainted by a conflict of interest been judged illegal! I would hope the commission as a whole considers its fiduciary responsibilty to protect the city from interest conflicts over a bloated egos of one or two individuals.
Its not corruption in the true sense of the word, its the total lack of self policing. There are relationships between commissioners that extend to fund raisers that in this party town turns into pep rallies. These are ties that are not easily broken. So I am not surprised when Mayor Protem Patricia Capello capitulates (yes, I choose this strong word)) to her good friends Jim Rasor, and Mayor Ellison. Loyalty to ones associates and collegues is not a violation of ethics. However when ethics is the issue involved and it has to take a back seat to preserve commission unity there is in my opinion a very grave cause for resident concern. The bars where all the parties are held are not at all concerned.