Who's Anti-Business? (was RE: [Vision2020] Understanding Alturas)
Craine Kit
kcraine at verizon.net
Sun Mar 19 14:20:55 PST 2006
The "problem" with Potting Shed Creations relocating in Moscow was a
lack of parking for their employees. Although the Latah Distributer’s
building was advertised as having ten onsite places, in reality those
only existed if the loading docks were blocked.
The "solution" was to have the City vacate a the West end of West
Morton--something that would have provided (if I recall correctly)
parking for 17 employees. In return, the neighboring business would
have lost the public right-of-way needed so that trucks delivering to
their premisis could turn around, then back into their loading dock.
The City would also have lost any future opportunity to connect
Morton to North Almon. To top that off, it would have been giving
away public rights to $50,000-$60,000 of real property.
The real problem is that Moscow does not have enough Industrial zoned
land to accommodate this type of wealth-producing business. The best
place Potting Sheds Creations could find in Moscow was an old beer
distributer at the bottom of a steep hill on a dead-end street which
did not have adequate parking. Perhaps that's one of the reasons
Moscow is seen as "anti-business". The lack of appropriated zoned
land and rezoning on demand--if you can afford the time an money--are
things that have been going on for years.
Perhaps the need for industrial space should be addressed in the
upcoming revision of the comprehensive plan.
Kit Craine
On Mar 18, 2006, at 3:03 PM, Saundra Lund wrote:
> I'd like to thank Robin Woods, LEDC President for bringing up the
> following:
> "The LEDC assists businesses in all of Latah County. A huge
> success story
> is Potting Shed Creations, LTD., in Troy. It moved to Troy in 2004
> with 12
> jobs. It now employs over 40 and has recently broken into European
> markets."
>
> I'm hoping someone with a better memory or more information than
> mine will
> help out.
>
> As I recall, Potting Shed Creations was interested in moving to
> Moscow. How
> did this wonderful & thriving *local* business wind up moving from
> Pullman
> to Troy instead of to Moscow? It seems to me there was some kind
> of zoning
> problem, but all I can find on the City Web site is:
> http://www.ci.moscow.id.us/cityclerk/council/2003/Council%
> 2010-20-03.pdf
>
> I guess I'm bringing this up because there have been a few shrill
> accusations that the current City Council is anti-business, yet
> Moscow's
> most unfortunate loss of Potting Shed Creations happened under the
> previous
> council. For those of you so quick to accuse the current Council
> (seated
> for all of less than three months!) of being anti-business, is that
> a label
> you think applies to the previous Council? If so, where were your
> criticisms then?
>
>
> Saundra Lund
> Moscow, ID
>
> The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people
> to do
> nothing.
> - Edmund Burke
>
> ***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2005, Saundra
> Lund.
> Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or reproduce outside the Vision 2020
> forum
> without the express written permission of the author.*****
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-
> bounces at moscow.com]
> On Behalf Of Robin Woods
> Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2006 2:14 PM
> To: Vision2020 Moscow; Joan Opyr
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Understanding Alturas
>
> Visionaries,
>
>
>
> Thanks for all of the recent discussion regarding Alturas
> Technology Park
> and the businesses located there. Allow me to weigh in with my
> perspective
> on a few of the discussion items:
>
>
>
> The Latah Economic Development Council is in the process of surveying
> Alturas Park tenants and will be putting together an economic
> impact study
> of Alturas Park and presenting it at an upcoming public economic
> forum.
> Just off the top of my head, I think Joan's numbers of about 70+
> jobs at an
> average annual salary of $55,000 is pretty close.
>
>
>
> Alturas Technology Park is zoned RTO (Research Technology Office)
> which
> allows for a limited number of supporting businesses such as an
> attorney,
> accountant, or day care to be located within Alturas. The zoning
> will not
> allow multiple businesses of the same type to locate within the Park.
>
>
>
> Part of our mission at the LEDC is to recruit and retain technology
> and
> commercial businesses that pay living wages and compliment the
> quality of
> life in Latah County. For example, one area the LEDC focuses on is
> technology transfer out of the University of Idaho. Our idea is to
> assist
> start-up businesses in the U-I Incubator, help them grow for 3-5
> years until
> the businesses are strong and able to move out and hopefully locate in
> Moscow -- possibly to Alturas Technology Park.
>
>
>
> For the retail side of things, the Moscow Chamber has been working
> hard
> recruiting and retaining those types of businesses to Moscow. The
> LEDC and
> Moscow Chamber work together in some areas such as marketing and
> advertising, and actively support each other.
>
>
>
> The LEDC assists businesses in all of Latah County. A huge success
> story is
> Potting Shed Creations, LTD., in Troy. It moved to Troy in 2004
> with 12
> jobs. It now employs over 40 and has recently broken into European
> markets.
>
> Other successes are Alpine Trailer Manufacturing in Deary and
> Kendrick Ag &
> Supply in Kendrick.
>
>
>
> The LEDC began in 1987. We have limited resources and only one
> full time
> employee - our executive director, Margaret Howlett. We have no
> funds to
> pay incentives to recruit and retain businesses like neighboring
> states, but
> still have many success stories and work continually with many
> partners to
> bring living wage jobs and quality of life to our communities.
>
>
>
> Robin Woods
>
> President
>
> Latah Economic Development Council
>
> 121 Sweet Avenue
>
> Moscow ID 83843
>
> 208-885-3883
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joan Opyr" <joanopyr at moscow.com>
> To: "Vision2020 Moscow" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
> Sent: Friday, March 17, 2006 4:59 PM
> Subject: [Vision2020] Understanding Alturas
>
>
>>>> ---- "g. crabtree" <jampot at adelphia.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> =============
>>>> It looks like Mr. Hansen would have us believe that the answer
>>>> to all
>>>> of this communities problems is to expand Alturas. As is, the
>>>> park is
>>>> as much a home for lawyers and child care centers as it is a
>>>> home to
>>>> high tech companies. I seriously doubt that expanding it to the
>>>> size
>>>> of the proposed super center will result in any significant
>>>> gains and
>>>> to put my money where my mouth is, Tom, I'll bet you $100.00 that
>>>> after five years the park will not have filled it's current
>>>> expansion
>>>> with "high tech" businesses much less be in need of additional
>>>> space.
>>>> wa da ya say? I'd love to lose this bet almost as much as I'd
>>>> love to
>>>> take your cash.
>>>>
>>>> gc
>>
>>
>> Alturas is home to one lawyer and one child care center. The
>> child care
>> center is not an independent entity but directly related to an
>> existing
>> Alturas business. It operates as a benefit to employees; it's a
>> perquisite, an inducement, a means of employee retention, like
>> vacation
>> days or life insurance.
>>
>> I do hate to see people running down the technology park when they
>> are not
>
>> in full possession of the facts, Gary. You want to talk about
>> Alturas?
>> Then get your shiny hiney out there and talk to someone like Robin
>> Woods,
>> President of Alturas Analytics and Anatek Labs, and also President
>> of the
>> Latah Economic Development Council. I'm sure she'd be happy to
>> answer
>> your questions, or you might talk to Comtech-AHA, or Siemens, or
>> EMSI, or
>> CC Benefits. Alturas will soon be home to another company that I
>> hear has
>
>> made an offer on one of the new lots. What's more, I understand that
>> there are about 72 jobs out there -- jobs that weren't there (or in
>> Moscow, period) ten years ago. Has your business expanded that
>> much in
>> the past decade? What have you done lately to contribute to the
>> growth of
>
>> Moscow's economy?
>>
>> To be fair, I must admit that I have not done my part to help The
>> Lock
>> Shop's business. Alas, I can't be locked out of my 1976 Chevy
>> Suburban;
>> it's so old, it starts without a key. I believe the ignition lock is
>> stripped. And this is why I need a 1968 Mustang Fastback Church
>> of Auntie
>
>> Establishment love gift. Please, dear parishoners, give
>> generously. Give
>
>> often. Give money that's not even yours. I don't mind and,
>> what's more,
>> I offer you complete and utter absolution, no questions asked.
>> Remember,
>> if you're stealing in the name of religion, it's not really stealing.
>> It's more like indefinite borrowing at zero interest.
>>
>> The Reverend Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment
>> www.joanopyr.com
>>
>> PS: I know; I'm way over my posting limit. Sorry about that. But
>> it's
>> okay -- I've forgiven me.
>>
>> _____________________________________________________
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>>
>
>
> _____________________________________________________
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> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> http://www.fsr.net
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> ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
>
>
>
> _____________________________________________________
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> http://www.fsr.net
> mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
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