We read the agendas. We watch the news reports on the television. We even watch the Greensboro City Council Meetings take place but do we really know what's going on? Take for instance tonight's proposals for the renovation of the City owned Renaissance (Bessemer) Shopping Center on Phillips Avenue right around the corner from my house.
The Renaissance Community Co-op, a community group based in my neighborhood but with members all over Greensboro, wants to borrow the money from the City of Greensboro and from private sources and pay it all back with interest over the course of 10 years. Keep in mind that the City of Greensboro owns this shopping center because the Greensboro City Council bailed out rich bitch developer Katherine Weaver of the Weaver Foundation in a blatent effort of corporate welfare that left the city stuck with a property it can't collect taxes on.
Well known local developer George Carr has also offered to redevelop the shopping center. He has extensive experience in this type of thing and would no doubt be successful. His offer: Mr Carr wants the City of Greensboro to loan him 100% of the amount on a 40 year interest free loan. Which the City Council previously approved.
And then there's good ol' Skip Alston who last I heard was trying to talk Greensboro City Council into gifting him the Shopping Center plus the money needed to renovate the property. Has he upped his ante? A Dollar maybe? His proposals are still on the table so I can only assume he's still in the game.
Will the Greensboro City Council make the decision that's in the best interest of the citizens of Greensboro? Seriously? They already voted once to give George Carr the 40 year interest free loan, what do you think? He backed out then because his anchor tenant backed out. Now that my neighbors and friends have done the hard work of founding the co-op, George Carr wants to become their landlord at taxpayers' expense.
Of course, if I'm wrong about any of this it's only because of Greensboro's lack of open government... (My proposal for the Mayor's Million Dollar Economic Development Challenge) I mean, how could I not be confused?
Please, be at the Greensboro City Council Meeting tonight at 5:30 in support of the Rennanance Community Co-op and the citizens of all of Greensboro.
PS. There's also some BS on the agenda about loaning money to developers to grade properties out next to the county lines outside the city limits or something like that. Here we are with a $7 Million Dollar deficit and City Staff is talking about turning the city into a private bank for wealthy developers. Tell the rich bastards to spend their own money.
