[Vision2020] Moscow-Pullman Highway going commercial

[Art Deco]

Dan writes:

Anyone else hear that sucking sound from the west?
 
who's next?
 
DC
___________________________________________________________

What I hear much louder is the giant roar of ineptitude and incompetence from the Moscow City Community Development and City Manager's offices.

James Toyota is not the only auto dealership with space limitations, and it is not the only Moscow business wishing to move to larger facilities but unable to stay in Moscow and do so.

A more aware and competent planning function would have recognized the need for various kinds of commercial space long ago, talked seriously to the P & Z board and city council about it, and then generated some alternative proposals through suggested changes in the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance for consideration.  This is called planning.  [In theory, that is part of what that Community Development office is supposed to do.]  

It is not planning to wait for developers to submit their proposals which are driven by purely private motives rather than a combination of public and private motives, and then have a mess as we saw with the WalMart process and the mess we are now witnessing with migration across the state line for lack of acceptable commercial space.

But the ineptitude does end at the Community Development and City Manager's offices.  The P&Z Board, city council, and especially past city councils, have been irresponsibly lax.  Some of this laxness and naiveté may have been due to the lack of training provided to these groups by the Community Development office, whose own lack of training and expertise is quite evident.  The buck doesn't stop with the Community Development office.  This has been an obvious problem for a long time, but irresponsibly neither the city manager nor the past and present mayors have taken any effective action.

If the current city council and mayor does not recognize the seriousness of these problem and take expedited action,  I would guess that a sizable part of the electorate are not going to be happy and will express that unhappiness at the next city election.

The county cannot be let off the hook in this regard either.  


Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com


PS:  I hope that the city does not compound this migration problem by enabling it even further by agreeing to provide water, sewer, etc to those businesses located or locating in another state and not paying taxes for their endeavors in this one.  I am sure that would be the last straw for many voters, and would be like practicing birth control by self-mutilation.


 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Jerry Weitz 
To: Dan Carscallen ; vision2020 at moscow.com 
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 10:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Moscow-Pullman Highway going commercial


Dan, a few month ago we contacted the  Hawkins project manager for information over citing a dental office in the development.  We asked a number of questions and received answers.  They are very serious and beleive they can handle the water issue.  Walmart  in not in the running, Lowes is.  Two other majors are committed and wish not to be known publicly at this time.  Do you believe that  the development can be stopped?   Jerry At 12:55 PM 10/11/06, Dan Carscallen wrote:

  Anyone else hear that sucking sound from the west?
   
  who's next?
   
  DC

    -----Original Message-----

    From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Bill London

    Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 10:44 AM

    To: vision2020 at moscow.com

    Subject: [Vision2020] Moscow-Pullman Highway going commercial


    According to a legal notice regarding stormwater pollution prevention in the Daily News (page 9B, Tuesday, Oct. 10), the James Hill Toyota dealership is moving from Moscow to the Washington side of the line.

    The dealership has purchased 13 acres on the Moscow-Pullman Highway, on the south side of the highway, between the highway and the creek, about a mile from Moscow.

    The present plan is to develop 6 acres as the Toyota dealership.

    There goes the neighborhood.....

    BL


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