[Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow

[jeanlivingston]

How about not allowing the re-zone for duplexes in the low density
residential area between Luder/95 apts and the homes on Ridge etc. up
above on the hill.  The developers wanted to change the undeveloped
middle ground bringing the high density stuff into the low density
neighborhood.  BDL
-----Original message-----
From: "g. crabtree" jampot at roadrunner.com
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 07:29:29 -0700
To: "Tom Hansen" thansen at moscow.com, bjswan at moscow.com, "'lfalen'"
lfalen at turbonet.com, "'Bill London'" london at moscow.com, "'v2020'"
vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow

> Could you provide an example or two of the current city council
enforcing the city code in relation to zoning and a brief description
of how it helped to build a more solid economic base to the benefit of
all?
> 
> Thank you,
> g
> ----- Original Message----- 
> From: Tom Hansen 
> To: 'g. crabtree' ; bjswan at moscow.com ; 'lfalen' ; 'Bill London' ;
'v2020' 
> Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 7:11 AM
> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
> 
> 
> One approach that has been pursued by the current city council that
is unique in and of itself, although not as stringently pursued as
most people would appreciate, is to understand end enforce the city
code, particularly that portion related to zoning.
> 
> 
> 
> For the last two years the people of Moscow enjoyed a city council
that did not "rubber stamp" everything that came before them. The city
code was applied as a standard across the board and not merely
something to line a bird cage.
> 
> 
> 
> Let's hope this continues.
> 
> 
> 
> Seeya round town, Moscow.
> 
> Tom Hansen
>Moscow, Idaho
> 
> "We're a town of about 23,000 with 10,000 college students. The
college students are not very active in local elections (thank
goodness!)."
> 
> - Dale Courtney (March 28, 2007) 
> 
> 
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of g. crabtree
> Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 7:00 AM
> To: bjswan at moscow.com; 'lfalen'; 'Bill London'; 'v2020'
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
> 
> 
> 
> I guess if it's not fawning agreement, it's distortion. (Or personal
attack in one notable case)
> 
> 
> 
> I can think of several instances where the city has made decisions
> 
> that were not particularly favorable to ALL economic sectors. 
> 
> Various aspects of the big box and dark store ordinances leap
> 
> immediately to mind along with the ill conceived boarding
> 
> house amendment. Perhaps you would care to take a stab 
> 
> at turning me away from my evil ways and point out a few of the
"many"
> 
> wonderful things the current city government has done to "Build a
more solid
> 
> economic base to the benefit of all." From my perspective, it seems
that
> 
> their overriding concern is to maintain some sort of warped status
quo.
> 
> 
> 
> g
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> 
> From: "B. J. Swanson" 
> 
> To: "'g. crabtree'" ; "'lfalen'" ; "'Bill London'"; "'v2020'" 
> 
> Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 6:11 AM
> 
> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
> 
> 
> 
> > Gary,
> > 
> > You seem to be the master of distortion lately. Perhaps if you had
attended
> > and heard the whole story you might have more of a clue instead of
missing
> > the point completely. "Focusing" on one economic sector doesn't
equate to
> > standing in the way of others. 
> > 
> > The current City government has done many things to build a more
solid
> > economic base to benefit ALL of Moscow instead of just a few. 
> > 
> > B. J. Swanson
> > 
> > ------------------------
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
> > On Behalf Of g. crabtree
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 6:28 PM
> > To: lfalen; Bill London; v2020
> > Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
> > 
> > What has yet to be explained is how you attract high tech
businesses without
> > 
> > attracting business in general. Setting the city council up as
some sort of 
> > business border guard with the power to say "come on in" to some
and "we 
> > don't much care the likes of you" to others should not be a
function of city
> > 
> > government or anyone else for that matter.
> > 
> > It's hard to imagine a statement more arrogant than:
> > 
> > "...Moscow needs to wean itself from a housing and retail fixation
about 
> > growth."Our voracious appetite to approve subdivision after
subdivision, to
> > 
> > build high-end homes, has run out of high-end people to occupy
them," 
> > Swanson said, adding that new retail businesses seem to be only
replacing 
> > old ones.
> > 
> > "Over-built housing and replacement retail is not a good economic
model..."
> > 
> > Aren't we lucky that someone who is infinitely smarter than our
builders 
> > will call a halt to high end homes being erected. Goodness knows
the 
> > builder, who is the one taking the risk, couldn't be bright enough
to assess
> > 
> > the potential for profit or loss. If the market were to truly be
saturated, 
> > I would imagine that banks might decline to lend the builder or
buyer money.
> > 
> > Then again the builder/buyer could always seek alternate forms
offinancing.
> > 
> > (Does any of this sound like the market sorting itself out?)
> > 
> > If a new retail business comes to Moscow and captures an old
business's 
> > market, one would have to assume that there was a perfectly good
reason for 
> > that to have happened. Either they had a better product, a better
price, or 
> > better service. I don't believe there is anyone in Moscow
prescient enough 
> > to decide that any one existing business is the apex of quality,
the 
> > standard by which all others should be judged, and that no new
competitor 
> > may come in and try their hand at providing something better or
different. 
> > Often new businesses goad old enterprises into running a better
operation 
> > and everybody wins. Why would we want to interfere in this natural
process 
> > of improvement?
> > 
> > Isuppose encouraging high tech biz is wonderful, however it might
magically
> > 
> > be done, but standing in the way of other entrepreneurs so a
select few can 
> > hold on to their nebulous notion of a unique Moscow is elitist,
short 
> > sighted, and just plain wrong. I'm sure that Dan, Wayne, and
Walter are 
> > bright enough to know when to get out of the way and allow people
with a 
> > vision to have at it. The function of city government should be to
work 
> > toward a prosperous and welcoming environment for all. Candidates
who would 
> > presume to tell others how their lives ought to be lived should be
shown the
> > 
> > door.
> > 
> > g
> > 
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "lfalen" 
> > To: "Bill London" ; "v2020"
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 10:34 AM
> > Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
> > 
> > 
> >>I can't argue with bringing in high-tech companies, I'm all for
it. I think
> > 
> >>Moscow should try to attract all kinds of businesses. It is fine
to place 
> >>controls on those that would create undue pollution. Other than
that 
> >>promote almost anything that will provide jobs, increase the tax
base and 
> >>improve the overall economy.
> >> Roger
> >> -----Original message-----
> >> From: "Bill London" london at moscow.com
> >> Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:58:18 -0700
> >> To: "v2020" vision2020 at moscow.com
> >> Subject: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
> >>
>>>>
> >>> Today's Tribune article about the MCA forum held last night is a
great 
> >>> summary of the choices facing Moscow voters in this council
election. 
> >>> Vote for the future with MCA endorsed candidates and Moscow will
aim for 
> >>> both maintaining its uniqueness and attracting more
entrepreneurial 
> >>> businesses. My thanks to the MCA board for sponsoring this
forum. BL
> >>>
> >>> ----------------
> >>> Is high-tech the key to Moscow's future?
> >>> Forum sponsored by Moscow Civic Association brings together
business and 
> >>> community leaders
> >>> By David Johnson
> >>> October 23, 2007
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> MOSCOW - The economic future of Moscow will depend more on
attracting and
> > 
>>>> retaining high-tech companies than encouraging more housing and
retail 
> >>> business, members of a panel agreed Monday night.
> >>>
> >>> "In the basic form, economic development is jobs," said B.J.
Swanson, 
> >>> vice president of AmericanWest Bank here and chairwoman of the
board of 
> >>> directors for Gritman Medical Center. "But not just any job."
She said 
> >>> jobs should provide enough money to offer a reasonably
comfortable 
> >>> living.
> >>>
> >>> Robin Woods, president of Alturas Analytics located in Moscow,
said 100 
> >>> percent of her bio-tech business comes from outside Idaho, most
of it 
> >>> from the San Francisco Bay Area. Yet, she and her partners opted
to 
> >>> locate here because of the quality of life that's available
> >>>
> >>> "Probably it would have been better to locate in San Francisco
or 
> >>> Seattle, but with Fed Ex and the fiber-optic that we have ...
and with 
> >>> the Internet, the world is flat and we can conduct our business
here," 
> >>> Woods said.
> >>>
> >>> David Alexander, a UI graduate and CEO of Ivus Industries, a
small 
> >>> business he decided to locate here, said Moscow is an ideal
location for 
> >>> entrepreneurs to tap into a high-tech labor pool that spins off
both the 
> >>> University of Idaho and neighboring Washington State University
in 
> >>> Pullman.
> >>>
> >>> "What the business is, is a focus on extremely fast-charging
rechargeable
> > 
> >>> products," Alexander said of his startup company. Hesaid the
company, 
> >>> which has four employees, is currently developing a
fast-charging 
> >>> flashlight.
> >>>
> >>> Judy Brown, an economist and director of the Idaho Center on
Budget and 
> >>> Tax Policy, said research shows if a community creates a good
living 
> >>> environment, jobs will come. "The key thing that attracts"
entrepreneurs 
> >>> and businesses to an area, Brown said, is quality of life, not
tax 
> >>> breaks.
> >>>
> >>> "Quality of life and the ability to work either from home or
near home," 
> >>> she said, "are the two really key things in deciding where
people locate 
> >>> those kinds of businesses."
> >>>
> >>> The forum, sponsored by the Moscow Civic Association, comes two
weeks 
> >>> prior to a city council election here that many say hinges on
attitudes 
> >>> about economic growth. Bruce Livingston, president of the MCA,
said the 
> >>> forum was called in part to dispel the notion that the MCA is 
> >>> anti-economic growth. He said the MCA is "pro business, pro
growth and 
> >>> pro community."
> >>>
> >>> About 30 people, including several council candidates, attended
the forum
> > 
> >>> at the 1912 Center.
> >>>
> >>> Swanson said Moscow needs to wean itself from a housing and
retail 
> >>> fixation about growth. "Our voracious appetite to approve
subdivision 
> >>> after subdivision, to build high-end homes, has run out of
high-end 
> >>> people to occupy them," Swanson said, adding that new
retailbusinesses 
> >>> seem to be only replacing old ones.
> >>>
> >>> "Over-built housing and replacement retail is not a good
economic model,"
> > 
> >>> Swanson said.
> >>>
> >>> According to statistics presented at the forum, Moscow has a
population 
> >>> of about 22,350 and UI employs about 2,870 people. Gritman
employs 431, 
> >>> with the Moscow School District and Wal-Mart, by comparison,
employing 
> >>> 350 and 207 people, respectively.
> >>>
> >>> Swanson said it's time for the community to get back on the
right 
> >>> economic track with the primary focus on good-paying jobs and a
secondary
> > 
> >>> focus on housing and retail business. "And as always, focus on
anything 
> >>> that will help theUniversity of Idaho. They've carried us for
years. 
> >>> It's time for us to get out and carry ourselves."
> >>>
> >>> All the panelists said Moscow city officials and members of the
city 
> >>> council have been extremely pro-business.
> >>>
> >>> "Our intent is to hire WSU and University of Idaho graduates,"
Woods said
> > 
> >>> about her expanding business. She said that all but one of the
30 people 
> >>> working at Alturas Analytics are from the two universities.
Woods said 
> >>> it's important for Moscow to complete it's rewrite of the
comprehensive 
> >>> plan, and to keep tech businesses together to encourage more
business.
> >>>
> >>> "I think it's important to have kind of a think-tank
atmosphere," she 
> >>> said,"kind of a campus atmosphere in your tech park. So I don't
think 
> >>> it's a good idea to scatter things here and there."
> >>>
> >>> Swanson pointed out Alturas Technology Park, located on the
southeastern 
> >>> edge of town, had modest beginnings, but now is home to around
150 jobs 
> >>> that have annual salaries of $50,000 and up. "And those jobs
really 
> >>> contribute back to the community," she said.
> >>>
> >>> ---
> >>>
> >>> Johnson may be contacted at deveryone at potlatch.com or (208)
883-0564.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >> =======================================================
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> >> serving the communities of the Palousesince 1994.
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> >> mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> >> =======================================================
> >> 
> > 
> > 
> > =======================================================
> > 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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