New Haven Independent

Posted by: notice | February 27, 2007 2:45 PM

Please take note that just like Shaw's the city economic development had nothing to do with getting C-Town to locate on Dixwell. We need more stores, but nobody working for the city even talks to the potential operators. Good for the neighborhood and good for C-Town. Maybe the mayor needs to look at why economic developpment does not lead in this area, instead of being totally out of the picture. Whalley Special Services, and mainly Ms. Masterson, were the leaders. We have great people in the community, but no leaders in city hall. If you tried to lead out of city hall, you were alienated. Just look at the Cottage St stories, and the building department now claiming no permits, then look at permits and associated costs accepted by the building dept. New roofs on huge houses for $3,000, when will this end?

Posted by: SWHAT | February 27, 2007 4:37 PM

didn't the city sell to ctown?

Posted by: Come on | February 27, 2007 5:14 PM

The city sold this building to C-Town after encouraging them, and other quality developers to take a serious look. Sounds like NOTICE has a beef unrelated to this transaction.

Posted by: notice | February 27, 2007 8:07 PM

Selling city owned property due to tax liens is much different than having an economic development plan in place and being the driving force behind the project. The city sells lots of land thru LCI. That's not economic development. C-Town saw the need, after it's success in Fair Haven. hey also purchase the old portuguese club (excuse the spelling)

Posted by: SWHAT | February 27, 2007 11:56 PM

notice get over yourself. selling land is not as purely transactional and attenuated from economic development as you think. determinining or recognizing the needs of a neighborhood; identifying a buyer that can meet those needs and ensuring that such a buyer has the wherewithal to bring his proposal to fruition is all a part of development. i am sure the ctown people are phenonomenal but a property like this with its history just doesn't get turned around magically. remember a few years back the paper ran a story about an asian couple who wanted to set up shop but was chased out of town because they had the audacity to be asian and want to operate in Dixwell.

Tsk...maybe if you didn't view the universe in such a vacuum you would not have been alienated at city hall.

by the way, what is so wrong if we get to a point where the city was not the driving force behind every development deal? think about it, would that be so bad? when you are not busy blogging, take a look at the wealth of nations and the concept of Laissez-Faire. I don't think most neighborhood commercial spots are there yet but if and when they do become successful on their own, must we always have gov't interfernce. what is this mentality?

Posted by: Vision | February 28, 2007 12:28 PM

The city sold C-Town the property for zero dollars on 1/10/2006, according to the VisionAppraisal website.

Posted by: notice | February 28, 2007 6:23 PM

swhat...please name one project that economic development has brought to the city aside from Gateway, which will be on some of the commercial land left in New Haven, but now exempt like almost 50% of the Grand List. I know city hall well, and am not alienated, that's why I use a screen name.

I think it would be great if the city stopped one major give away progarm that benefits only the developer. That is the deferral program. People that have built condo's in good areas and sold them for big dollars, were able to offer the extra incentive that the new owners had a tax deferral. Is that really needed in the Wooster Square neighborhood? Why, when it expired a few years ago, did the ED leaders reshape it. Why didn't any BOA memebers ask any questions?

Any city needs to sell itself to investors. Every city needs effective economic growth programs. Last I knew Bond rating agency looked at this when grading a city's bond rating. In fact, did New haven get a lower rating last year. What contributed to that?

So please, name a company that has moved to New Haven due to being recruited by our Economic Development Department, whose is responsible for selling the city and fostering economic growth. There are no new office tenants, vacancy has been the same for years. The only major credit retail tenant is IKEA and they came here on there own. No manufacturing, and all Bio-Tech come to get the tax advantage for seven years and then move when it expires. Does Cura-Gen ring a bell? There is tons of space in Science Park, but the State tax incentives to remian in New Haven were used up, so off to Branford.

We have no plan for the area around the train station, not even a proposal. We almost spent $3,000,000 for a small parking lot on Elm St., thank goodness someone pointed out that deals foolishness. In fact, it appears some people in city hall believe industry will locate on River St. where there is no easy highway access, no rail access, and no water access. In fact no bridge on Ferry St.

So good for C-Town and the neighborhood. This is evidence that the market will work even in a dysfunctional environment as New Haven. Everty thing you mention is called feasibility study, some C-Town did, as they should have. They located the need and presented the idea, which is my point. The city knows it needs shopping, but has done nothing.

Posted by: SWHAT | March 1, 2007 10:15 AM

i can't speak to what govt workers "brought" to the city. you work there so I must take your word for it. all I know is that city hall helped my neighbor's small business establish itself in new haven and last i checked small businesses represent a substantial portion of the nation's economy. I am sorry that only big boxes like IKEA float your boat when it comes to economic progress.

you seem to know more about city hall than anyone else here but you make your point with a forked tongue. do you think big businesses are knocking down the doors en masse to setup shop in New Haven and CT for that matter? How do urban areas attract new corporate residents who almost always come with their hands out? Not by mere charm and personality. do deferral programs work?..maybe in the long run. I have no empirical studies to support that but the entities who seem to have benefitted from it are sticking around and contributing to the tax base, they employ people who contribute to the economy etc.Citing science park as an example does not get you anywhere as that problem is not unique to new haven, check out the west coast and cambrigde. i don't get your point on wooster square. seems pretty ideallic over there.

is there more that could be done in terms of planning and economic growth for the city, sure. should the mayor get some credit for improvements to the city, why the heck not?

still, I just find your announcement after the ctown story a bit "personal".

Posted by: Willie Williams Jr | March 1, 2007 10:26 AM

C-Town On Dixwell Is NOT! The ONLY! Super Market That Has Been At That Location Since 1974. There Have Been Five (5) Other Super Markets. Whom Ever Comes There Seems To Have A Problem Paying Their Property Taxes. Other Hussles Like That FAKE Fast Food Restaurant Down The Street..."Jarmins", The City of New Haven Gave Them $100,000.00, Trainned Their Personnel and They Stayed Open Five(5) Months, The Owner Lived In Washington, D.C.. Remember Macys? Give Us $100,000.00 and We'll Stay. Remember Malleys? Give Us Some Money and We'll Keep Our Store Open. But! Also Let's Give The Store Employees and The People Who Live In The Dixwell Neighborhood Some...Employees Pilferging From The Store, Cash Register Fraud, Credit Card Fraud, Shop Lifting, Destroying Property, Breaking Into Peoples Cars. The Super Market Is ONLY! As Good As It's Employees. Dixwell Avenue and It's Peoples Have Had Numerous Chances Over The Years To Have Economic Prosperity and Glory. They Choose To Steal and Hire People With Criminal Records, Not Bonded, No Police Background Checks, To Work In Sinsetive Areas. Check The Property Records and Tax Records...Everything They Do Is About Being Slick or Getting My Cut...They Wouldn't Even Pay The Oil Bill, Light Bill, Water Bill, Maintain Liability Insurance, Pay The Basic Telephone Bill At The Dixwell Q House. Not Only That They Refinanced The Q House 2-3 Times and The Money Is UnAccounted For...Where Is The Money???. I'll Give This NEW! C-Town On Dixwell 2-3 Years. The City of New Haven Has Never Given A Black Veteran or A Black Vietnam Veteran Money To Start A Business. The City of New Haven Is $7 Million Dollars In Debt. The City of New Haven Needs To Cut It's Personnel Staff By 25% Accross The Board. Property Taxes For Home Owners Will Be Reduced 15%-20% and The City Can Function More Effectively.

Posted by: Notice | March 1, 2007 7:13 PM

Mr Williams is correct all breaks have gone to contributors to the Gov campaign. After the election all the mayors campaign got jobs in the city. Jobs that were held against union regulations for Derek Slapp and Rob Smuts. Now Slapp is gone. The small businesses you are talking about are being pshed around. How do the small bussinesses on College St feel being pushed out? What about the little restaurant that they took the land from for the charter school on George and College? What about the small businesses that have left Chapel St.?

Yes small business is important, so why aren't they being helped. Do an FOI of the Small Business Initiative Program and you will see who benefitted. The city has never helped the small guy. Look into Star Distributors. They got into defferal for the new Gando Dr location even tough they remodeled the entire building prior to even applying. FOI the application at Economic Development. Mr. Mayor wanted Mr. Cohen (Star's owner) to keep giving money.

I appreciate your desire to think the city was run with some level of care, but that is not the case. I and you have been decieved. That is what angers me and I would hope that you would look into these things so you could contribute based on fact, not opinion founded on no information.