[Vision2020] May 24 TOWN CRIER II: What will be Moscow andPullman's future?

[Bill London]

Why does everyone assume that the future of very expensive gas will be just
like the recent past of very cheap gas?
BL


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Carscallen" <areaman at moscow.com>
To: "'Vision 2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2006 9:44 AM
Subject: [Vision2020] May 24 TOWN CRIER II: What will be Moscow andPullman's
future?


> TOWN CRIER II: What will be Moscow and Pullman's future?
>
> By Wayne Olson
> Published: 05-24-2006
>
> I have been sippin' my morning coffee, and have been watching the battle
> for the "no super Wal-Mart" over the last few weeks in the Daily News. I
> have to raise an eyebrow and chuckle at the folks in Moscow who would
> like to freeze Moscow in time, to keep Moscow from the large throes of
> change. Well, I hate to burst their bubble, but Moscow and Pullman are
> in the throes of radical change, and it is only going to accelerate. The
> question is: What will the Quad Cities (Moscow, Pullman, Lewiston and
> Clarkston) region and adjacent communities look like in the next few
> years?
>
> Here is my best look at Moscow's changes in the near and distant future.
> Let's start with the symbols of agriculture in Moscow, the downtown
> granaries of the old Latah County Grain Growers and Idaho Seed. From
> what I understand, they are sold and will come down within 18 months.
> Though "under review" by the city of Moscow for historical reasons, the
> Grain Grower's facilities will come down, as well it should - just like
> the 1912 building should have come down. My best estimate is that within
> seven to 10 years there will not be a granary standing within downtown
> Moscow.
>
> So what do we get in exchange? Because of location and demographics,
> those areas will most probably be apartments. What do apartments have?
> More people and more people mean more cars. More cars mean more traffic.
>
>
> Within three years we'll have a completed four-lane highway to Pullman.
> Numerous businesses will be positioned there to pull from both Moscow
> and Pullman. The proposed Lowe's shopping center is only a start of what
> is going to happen in the corridor in the next few years.
> Taxes will go to the state of Washington and Whitman County. Moscow can
> play the environmental card all it wants to try and stop businesses from
> going there but, in time, that will be a losing proposition. So, Moscow
> loses.
>
> Within the next few years there will be a four-lane highway to Lewiston.
> Consider it done, even if the last six miles next to Moscow are never
> completed. If Moscow continues to block businesses from this region,
> where are many folks going to go to shop and work in seven to 10 years?
> In Lewiston. What does that make Moscow? A glorified bedroom community
> equal to Genesee, Uniontown, Colton, Palouse, and Troy.
> Have you looked around Moscow lately? There is a home building rampage
> everywhere. And there is another major player in the game. What do folks
> want for a home and lifestyle around here? Many folks want a few acres,
> a nice home, and a barn in the countryside; and it is quickly coming
> true.
>
> Now, where are the residents of Moscow and Pullman going to shop? More
> than likely they will shop in Lewiston-Clarkston, which are more
> "business friendly" than Pullman, and especially Moscow. All you will
> have to do is hop the four-lane highway and you can spend your money
> where the stores are located. I have a student from Washingtopn State
> University who works for me. He and his wife shop almost exclusively in
> Lewiston -Clarkston - Home Depot, Costco, D & B Farm & Home, Ziggy's
> Building Center. While you are in the valley you have to stop for fuel
> and a meal or two. I have to admit, for any large investment, that's
> where I at least shop prices. Where are Moscow's dollars going to come
> from or go to? It depends on decisions, rules, and regulations being
> made today.
>
> Changes will come to this region in the next few years, faster and with
> more impact than in the past 100 years. I sit and read of the new rules,
> regulations, and decisions coming out of the City Councils, and watch in
> wonder and amazement at which way Moscow and Pullman seem to be going,
> and what decisions will shape tomorrow.
>
> We have all heard the term "Quad Cities" and adjacent communities. We
> need to start thinking in that dimension now, more than in any time
> before, because that is where we are going at lightning speed. Who
> knows, this paper will probably roll off the presses in Lewiston in a
> few years, and be called the "Quad Cities Daily Tribune."
>
> Keep Moscow or Pullman the same as the past? That isn't ever going to
> happen, no matter which way you wish to grab your brush and paint the
> picture.
> _________________________________
>
> Tap 'er light, Moscow
>
> DC
>
>
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