As you may be aware, Greensboro voters approved a $7.5 Million Dollar bond project in 2008 to provide streetscaping improvements to the Lee Street-High Point Rd corridor-- the stated goal to provide improved economic development to the area. That same year the City of Greensboro completed a streetscaping project on East Market St with the same goal of improved economic development to that area.
In 2009, Senator Christopher Dodd introduced the Livable Communities Act. As part of the effort to push the bill through the United States Senate, Bruce Knight, Planning Director for the City of Champaign, Illinois, and president of the American Planning Association, spoke on behalf of the Livable Communities Act before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee On Financial Services on September 23, 2010.
Mr Knight cited the lack of "shovel ready" projects as being a major challenge to cities everywhere. He spoke of the importance of regional cooperation. He spoke of creating jobs, eliminating waste and promoting greater government efficiency while also allowing people to craft a vision for new development and growth based on local values. Mr Knight spoke of opportunities to build a more sustainable, livable future.
Mr Knight cited Greensboro, North Carolina, the streetscaping of East Market St, the very first project undertaken by the APA, the East Market Street Development Corporation, as an example of the success of the efforts of the American Planning Association.
The Livable Communities Act failed to pass Congress. Did Greensboro and the streetscaping of East Market St reflect so poorly on the United States government that Washington found it impossible to believe Bruce Knight and the experts at the American Planning Association?
I contacted the APA in July of this year. I asked them if they ever revisited their projects to determine the long term results of their efforts? I offered to show them around the East Market Street corridor in a way East Market Street Development Corporation Director Mac Sims would never do if they were so inclined to revisit Greensboro. Like I said, that was July. It's the end of September, the APA never replied to my e-mail.
On September 4, 2013 I sent the following public information request to the City of Greensboro:
"The City of Greensboro completed a streetscaping project on East Market St in 2008. It was said such a project would improve the economy of East Greensboro and East Market Street in particular. Please provide to myself and my publisher, Rick Baker, whose e-mail address is above, any and all data indicating what positive economic benefit East Greensboro, East Market Street and Greensboro as a whole has received from the East Market St streetscaping project to date.
I'm sure more questions will follow.
Please keep Mr Baker informed.
Thank you -Billy Jones
Greensboro Free Press"
As you may or may not be aware, Mr Baker has since decided not to launch a Greensboro Free Press. So I'm back to the blog.
It was my assumption that with a new streetscaping project in the works the City would already be chomping at the bit to brag about the economic development successes of having streetscaped East Market Street 5 years ago. I was absolutely certain I would soon find myself overloaded with more facts and figures than I could wade through in the next 6 months. I just knew the City of Greensboro was going to bury me in positive economic benefits brought about by the streetscaping of East Market St over the course of the last 5 years. I just knew they were planning some kind of PR campaign in anticipation of spending $7.5 Million of your tax dollars and would already have this information ready to go. What did they send me?
To date: Well, I'm still waiting to hear back from the City of Greensboro but according to the IFYI (Items For Your Information) published by Greensboro City Manager, Denise Turner Roth on September 20th, 2013,
"Staff is determining if this information exists and is available."
You mean to tell me the City of Greensboro is prepared to spend $Millions upon $Millions of Dollars of your tax dollars on streetscaping a new project when they've no idea if the last time they did it worked or not? Look here, I'm all about science and experiments and stuff but wasn't somebody supposed to be keeping some records?
The City of Greensboro website claims there has been "more than $150 million in new private and public investment." along the East Market Street corridor but nowhere on their website do they list positive economic benefits. Not one thin dime. Investment is when you buy something. Positive economic benefits are when that investment pays off. Where's the pay off on that $150 million in public and private investment?
Wait a minute! Did I read that right? I had to go back to the City of Greensboro website and take a second look. That's what it said, $150 million was spent on East Market St. The streetscaping project on East Market was 1.5 miles long. One and 1/2 miles. The planned streetscaping project on Lee and High Point Road is what eight, ten miles maybe? Yes, I realize some of that $150 Million went to other things but that's the subject of another story. One hell of another story!
Yes, the voters approved the $7.5 Million Dollar bond package for Lee Street and High Point Road. I think the voters got duped.
Who was on City Council in 2008 and is still seated today? Robbie Perkins, Yvonne Johnson,
Click below to download and read the IFYI.
http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=21702http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=21702
Update: Friday, September 27, 2013 Today, I got the following reply from the City of Greensboro confirming everything I have previously written:
"Hello Mr. Jones,
We apologize that your request has taken so long to complete. We have requested several departments to review your request to see if they had any information pertaining to your request. Unfortunately, the City has not measured the economic impact directly attributable to the East Market Street streetscape project.
Sincerely,
Public Information Desk
City of Greensboro"
Like everything else I've written, I can provide this e-mail at anyone's request.
