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myth</title></head><body>
<div>Donovan,</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>A few corrections: The City Council approved the rezone of the 40
acres behind the Palouse Mall; the county rejected Naylor Farms, not
the city; Home Depot never applied for anything from the city when
their internal corporate troubles caught up to them (they were
negotiating with the UI to build on the UI land the city rezoned
behind the mall, see first point); Tidyman's went out of
business.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I agree with you re property taxes. If the Idaho Legislature
would do something about the billions of dollars in tax exempt sales
they've authorized, maybe there would be enough money to fund local
government and schools without burdening the property tax payer. Or
better yet, rescind Kempthorne's corporate income tax giveaway and the
timber land property tax giveaway.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>m.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>At 7:04 PM -0700 10/29/07, Donovan Arnold wrote:</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>I think the image of Moscow being
anti-business is an accurate perception. And it isn't new, it has just
gotten worse.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>I am sure that many businesses have come
to Moscow, even in recent years. However, we are also losing a lot of
businesses and are blocking many of them from coming into Moscow. We
also prevent businesses from expanding and hiring more
people.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>I have attended few city council
meetings, but many of them were about blocking some type of business
or another. I remember the city council rejecting an entire expansion
of businesses behind the Palouse Mall. Many local businesses have
been pushed out of the Palouse Mall and the city has done
nothing to protect them.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>And as we all know, Moscow rejected a
Wal-Mart Supercenter, Naylor Farms, and Home Depot. Likewise it lost
Toyota, Tidyman's, and several wonderful restaurants, and a locally
owned repair shop in additions to a 1/2 downtown and in the Palouse
Mall.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>I do agree with Alturas as being an
example of doing "The Right Thing" to get a business
in. But as I recall Aaron Ament was against the expansion of that
building, and more tax dollars were put into that building than
we have received in return.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>I think the biggest anti-business
incentives for Moscow are its property taxes. Moscow's taxes make
Moscow an unaffordable city that is unfriendly to
businesses.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Best,</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Donovan</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br>
<br>
<i><b>Bev Bafus <bevbafus@verizon.net></b></i> wrote:<br>
<blockquote>Let's add a few expanding businesses. Northwest
Management, where I work,<br>
is currently doubling the size of our office. Northwest River Supplies
took<br>
over the Tidyman's building.<br>
<br>
Any other expanding businesses?<br>
<br>
Bev<br>
<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: vision2020-bounces@moscow.com<br>
[mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com]On Behalf Of Saundra Lund<br>
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 5:26 PM<br>
To: vision2020@moscow.com<br>
Subject: [Vision2020] Dispel the anti-growth myth<br>
<br>
<br>
The letter below appears in today's Daily News -- anyone care to add
more to<br>
Ms. Sullivan's list?<br>
<br>
Also, do any of you GMAers care to provide a list of new businesses
that<br>
came to Moscow during any two-year period of Comstock's reign and a
list of<br>
businesses that were denied?<br>
<br>
I think it might be interested to have a ***factual*** comparison
rather<br>
than just rumors designed to tear down the community.<br>
<br>
<br>
Saundra Lund<br>
<br>
<br>
"Dispel the anti-growth myth<br>
<br>
I agree that having the "perception" of being
anti-growth/anti-business is<br>
harmful to the city of Moscow, and I was driven to find out why
that<br>
perception exists when Wayne Krauss expressed concerns and asked,
"Why do we<br>
have this perception?" at a recent forum.<br>
<br>
Since the most recently elected council came into office in January
2006,<br>
more than 35 new businesses have opened in Moscow, including Old Navy,
Bed,<br>
Bath and Beyond, Cramer's Furniture, Dad's Diner, Marco Polo,
Nectar,<br>
Lilliput, Sisters Brew Coffeehouse, West of Paris, Palouse Scoots,
Moscow<br>
Bagel and Deli, Anytime Fitness, San Miguels, Sure Shot Sporting
Goods,<br>
Subway, and BioTracking just to name a few. Many businesses have
expanded</blockquote>
<blockquote>and moved into larger spaces during this time. Only two
businesses were<br>
denied by the city and these were both handled in the way that Walter
Steed<br>
states he would address a pig farm wanting to locate behind his
property;<br>
they were denied in the specific proposed locations in accordance
with<br>
zoning regulations. Never did city officials say they were not wanted
in<br>
Moscow.<br>
<br>
Back to the question posed by Krauss: "Why do we have this
perception?" For<br>
the answer, I would look to recent advertisements in the
Moscow-Pullman<br>
Daily News for Krauss, Steed and Carscallen in which the headline
calls the<br>
current city leadership "anti-growth politicians." I would
pay attention to<br>
who is repeating this anti-growth message over and over.<br>
<br>
I believe Dan Carscallen is concerned when he says, "Changing the
perception<br>
is the thing that needs to happen," and if we can all agree that
this is<br>
harmful, we should all agree to stop, to dispel this myth and to
promote<br>
Moscow.<br>
<br>
Brandy Sullivan, Moscow"<br>
<br>
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serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>
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mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>
=======================================================<br>
<br>
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serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>
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mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>
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</blockquote>
</blockquote>
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