Showing posts with label Action Greensboro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Action Greensboro. Show all posts

Friday, May 12, 2017

Action Greensboro, City Center Park, And Greensboro Partnership Audits Made Public


Recently Roch Smith jr reported that Greensboro makes Civil Right Museuem audits public but hides Downtown Greenway audits.

As it turned out that was true and remains true today. The City of Greensboro still refuses to make available any information that might show just how the money spent for the actual construction of the Greenway which was first projected to cost $20 Million Dollars and is now thought to cost $36 Million Dollars.

That is, except for what was spent on trips to Bermuda.

But thanks to Roch's efforts we do now have audits of Action Greensboro, City Center Park, and The Greensboro Partnership made public for the first time.


Attachments
Attachment for Request #6734
Attachment for Request #6734
View Action Greensboro Audited Financial Statement - 2013 (FINAL).pdf
Added by: Meta Carter on 4/27/2017 1:23:59 PM
Attachment for Request #6734
View Action Greensboro Audited Financial Statement - 2014 (FINAL).pdf
Added by: Meta Carter on 4/27/2017 1:23:54 PM
Attachment for Request #6734
Attachment for Request #6734
View Audit - Action Greensboro - 2015 (FINAL).pdf
Added by: Meta Carter on 4/27/2017 1:23:45 PM
Attachment for Request #6734
View Audit - Greensboro Partnership Consolidated - 2015 (FINAL).pdf
Added by: Meta Carter on 4/27/2017 1:23:38 PM
Attachment for Request #6734
View Governance Letter - Action Greensboro - 2015 (FINAL).pdf
Added by: Meta Carter on 4/27/2017 1:23:33 PM
Attachment for Request #6734
View Governance Letter - Greensboro Partnership - 2015 (FINAL).pdf
Added by: Meta Carter on 4/27/2017 1:22:14 PM
Attachment for Request #6734
Attachment for Request #6734
Attachment for Request #6734
Attachment for Request #6734
View SAS114 Governance Letter - Action Gso - 2014 (FINAL).pdf
Added by: Meta Carter on 4/27/2017 1:21:50 PM

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

2010 Moser, Mayer, Phoenix Associates Greensboro Downtown Economic Development Strategy Returns

A few years ago I linked to the 2010 Moser, Mayer, Phoenix Associates Greensboro Downtown Economic Development Strategy which was posted on Action Greensboro's website as evidence of why Downtown Greensboro has struggled for so long. The nice folks at Action Greensboro almost immediately removed the study from their website.

But being that the City of Greensboro is also party to the study and helped to finance the study I recently forced the City to place the study online in reply to a recent Public Information Request. I think downtown business owners are going to find Page 38 to be of particular interest: http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=8564
"Despite demand retail growth has been slow Despite the fact that downtown is attracting significant spending from visitors and a growing residential base, businesses have trouble staying open. Assuming an industry standard of 10% rent‐to‐sales ratio for successful retail, a business would need to generate $420,000 in annual sales in a typical downtown space of 3,000 SF with $14/SF rent. Local market data suggests that retailers in downtown Greensboro are achieving a lower sales volume, and spending closer to 25% of sales on rent. High start‐up costs compound already tight operating margins and impede the success of many storefront retail businesses. Downtown’s retail is currently approximately 15% vacant along Elm St, and anecdotal evidence suggests that many businesses do not survive the first year of operation.


Poor building conditions are the greatest economic barrier to the success of new retail. Many buildings in Greensboro were constructed in the early/mid‐1900s and are in need of major renovations. The cost of rehabilitating ground floor spaces and creating a “vanilla box” for retail use will range from $40‐$80 per square foot depending on the building’s condition and original design. This either drives rents higher or creates an extra upfront burden for the tenant. Many buildings have likely remained vacant because owners are unwilling to undertake the upgrade cost on a speculative basis."



And this one:

“Retail rents cannot fully support the cost of rehabilitating blighted buildings… Absent financial intervention, storefronts will remain vacant or will attract tenants of marginal quality and with a high probability of failure.”

And the link Action Greensboro/the Greensboro Partnership took down: http://www.actiongreensboro.org/live-well/documents/Downtown_Econ_Dev_Strategy_6-18-10.pdf

You see folks, I was telling you the truth in 2013 while Nancy Hoffman, the N&R and the rest of Mayor Vaughan's cronies continue to lie to you today.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

If I Were Mayor Of Greensboro: Part 21

This is one of many in my series, If I Were Mayor Of Greensboro. All are linked is series as I prepare my platform to run for Mayor in 2017. I recommend you read them all.

When I first posted to this and other forums that Mayor Vaughan had left her husband several people told me that her marital status was nobody's business. I guess that all changed when the local media outlets began letting you know Mayor Vaughan is suspected of billing her separation and/or divorce proceedings to the City of Greensboro.

When the people who control taxpayer dollars have changes in their life that might cause them to act in desperation, everything they do becomes the people's business.

And it is the media's business to report those changes. Despite the fact that the  Greensboro News & Record has reported that Mayor Vaughan is seeing an attorney who specializes in divorce, the N&R has to date failed to report that Mayor Vaughan is A. no longer living with her husband, B. has changed the address of her voter registration to a home bought by her mother last December, and according to the Rhino Times, been involved with other men.

Quite honestly, I've met Eric's wife-- Mayor Vaughan can't hold a candle in looks, charm, grace, style, brains or sex appeal. If John Hammer ever discredited himself it was with his accusation that Vaughan and Robert had some sort of an affair.

Regretfully, people who have lived lives of plenty are all too often the quickest to become desperate when hit with hard times. The life-long poor, having always been poor, simply struggle as they've always done knowing that somehow there will be just enough to survive until there is no more. Then they accept the death whose time has come. That's the way the poor have always lived, it's why they so rarely rise up against the ruling classes.

But people of means, when they get desperate, they start looking for the fastest and easiest way back to the life they once knew. Generally speaking, they simply don't know how to survive being poor. After all, it's not something you learn at school. Quite the contrary, our schools, even our most esteemed universities, only teach survival with ample money, if they teach that.

When rich Developers go broke and their projects are too risky for bank loans they look to government to finance their projects.

When Politicians go broke they look to the government to pay their bills.

None can admit they've failed. Who can remember President Richard Nixon saying, "I am not a crook." when in fact everyone in the nation knew he was a crook.

Ever notice how every time you read a biography of someone running for public office you see a list of that person's successes but not a list of their failures? I'm betting most had more failures than successes. And I'm betting most of their successes aren't really successes at all-- just things they managed to attach their names to. Real leaders don't just serve the people and attach their names to successes, real leaders bring ideas to the table.

But here in Greensboro our leaders spend your tax dollars to buy the same tired old ideas that are failing everywhere else, then fail to implement the ideas they paid for, and then hire speech writers to explain to you what they, themselves cannot understand. Every Greensboro economic development plan that has been pitched to date has been purchased from consultants but none of the plans have been followed through on-- money down the drain.

And most were ideas that had already failed elsewhere.

If I were Mayor of Greensboro I would never buy ideas. As Mayor of Greensboro it's my job to come up with ideas, to see problems as opportunities to make things better and to create a city that people from all over the world will want to emulate instead of trying to copy other cities. And I will never hire a speech writer.

And should I fail, rather than claim victory or delay, obfuscate & manipulate, I'll man up and admit my failures just as I'm admitting now that most of my life has been filled with failures.  But it was never for lack of ideas.

So far this series, If I Were Mayor Of Greensboro has been filled with ideas-- more than I'll ever be able to accomplish-- but you've yet to hear any ideas from existing City Council members as of the date of this posting. Why? Because most are only there to serve themselves and not the Citizens of Greensboro.

You see, it's not that I don't respect authority...

 Also, from the dedicated research staff here at EzGreensboro.com: (Yes, we really do have a research staff made up of dedicated professionals who volunteer their services for the good of Greensboro.)

"Occupation Forecast for North Carolina

Billy,

I thought you might be interested in the data I found through the Bureau of Labor and Statistics which show the projections for job loss/growth for North Carolina through 2022. I sorted this by industries most likely to be lost or stagnant through high growth based on average annual openings.

No surprise, the most available positions are fast food, retail sales, cashiers, waitstaff.  Also not surprising are the disappearing skilled labor (wood working, leather working).

What did surprise me is some of the zero or less than 1 growth industries. Agricultural engineers.
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors. Electro-Mechanical Technicians.

Just something to chew on."

And if you really want an awakening as to the job market in North Carolina check out the far right column labeled Average Annual Openings in the chart our researchers sent us. This is the kind of information normally available only to Mayors and other elected officials who continue to do nothing but allow you to pay their bills.

More from our research staff:

"State Occupational Projections is a site that allows you to look up the short-term (3-5 years) and long-term (10 years) employment projections for your profession. The source of the national projections is the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. State projections are developed in the labor market information sections of each State Employment Security Agency.

Note that this is not the NC Chamber of Commerce material; it comes from the federal level."

And this:

"Actually, compare that to the NC Chamber of Commerce presentation of the same data.


They carried over the numbers for "total, all occupations" but narrowed the occupational categories from 745 to 22."
And who funds the various chambers of commerce? City and county tax dollars everywhere you go. In Greensboro the Chamber of Commerce has multiple names including Action Greensboro, the Greensboro Partnership, Chamber of Commerce, Young Greensboro Professionals, Entrepreneur Connection, Economic Development.....

Continue reading If I Were Mayor Of Greensboro: Part 22

Monday, June 6, 2016

If I Were Mayor Of Greensboro: Part 11

This is part of an ongoing series of posts that begins with If I Were Mayor Of Greensboro and is linked in succession back to here. If you haven't already I recommend you read them all before continuing.

In my post Was Billy Yow Right All Along? I promised to explain to readers how to "make downtown Greensboro and the rest of Greensboro a success for many decades to come." In this post I will explain to you what our problems are.

And seriously folks, if you think solving them can be painless you are horribly mistaken. The Greensboro Disease has long infected us but it has never been what the status-quo would have you believe it is.

The answer lies in the 2010 Action Greensboro funded, Moser, Mayer, Pheonix Associates, Greensboro Downtown Economic Development Strategy which stated:

"Despite demand retail growth has been slow Despite the fact that downtown is attracting significant spending from visitors and a growing residential base, businesses have trouble staying open. Assuming an industry standard of 10% rent‐to‐sales ratio for successful retail, a business would need to generate $420,000 in annual sales in a typical downtown space of 3,000 SF with $14/SF rent. Local market data suggests that retailers in downtown Greensboro are achieving a lower sales volume, and spending closer to 25% of sales on rent. High start‐up costs compound already tight operating margins and impede the success of many storefront retail businesses. Downtown’s retail is currently approximately 15% vacant along Elm St, and anecdotal evidence suggests that many businesses do not survive the first year of operation.

Poor building conditions are the greatest economic barrier to the success of new retail. Many buildings in Greensboro were constructed in the early/mid‐1900s and are in need of major renovations. The cost of rehabilitating ground floor spaces and creating a “vanilla box” for retail use will range from $40‐$80 per square foot depending on the building’s condition and original design. This either drives rents higher or creates an extra upfront burden for the tenant. Many buildings have likely remained vacant because owners are unwilling to undertake the upgrade cost on a speculative basis."

And this one:

“Retail rents cannot fully support the cost of rehabilitating blighted buildings… Absent financial intervention, storefronts will remain vacant or will attract tenants of marginal quality and with a high probability of failure.”
I first pointed this out back on Friday, February 8, 2013 so Action Greensboro reacted by removing the Moser, Mayer, Pheonix Associates, Greensboro Downtown Economic Development Strategy from the Internet.  As you can see both the Greensboro Partnership and UNCG have copies of the same study posted online but both copies are missing the Executive Summary. The UNCG copy even has the words "Executive Summary To Be Inserted" on the last page but no where is the Executive Summary or the full report to be found.

Even Downtown Greensboro Inc has a direct quote from the missing page of the study on their website:





Sad isn't it? They all know what the problem is but none are willing to admit it.

And therein lies the problem: There is simply not enough money to be spent in Downtown Greensboro to support small businesses who must rent the buildings they do business in. There never has been.


And yet, in order to maintain a higher tax base, the Greensboro City Council subsidizes the owners of these buildings as one small business after the other folds. And it's not just downtown. If you are paying rent your business is not sustainable in Greensboro's economy.Never has been, never will be.


Downtown Greensboro was first built by shopkeepers who owned the buildings they did business in. For well over 100 years Downtown remained a success. Then as second and third generation family businesses lost interest in their family businesses and decided they would rather become landlords than actually work for a living, downtown Greensboro, like downtowns everywhere, began to fail.

This is the true story of dying downtowns-- the story those who control our cities like Greensboro don't want you to learn.

Having spent their lives sitting on their asses and with no real skills with which to earn a living or the desire to actually work these entitled adult children cried out, "Save our downtowns!" and as they were best able to pad the pockets of those who would run for political office they got passed bills and resolutions at the Federal, State and local levels to subsidize their rental businesses through something we like to call Downtown Renovation.

Say you've been here 10 to 15 years and you remember when downtown was a ghost town? So what?

I grew up here in Greensboro and am currently witnessing the 4th round of Downtown Greensboro Renovation since 1956. I've seen it become a ghost town 4 times now.  In other words, downtown renovation, as we know it, is not sustainable and does not work over the long term.

But downtown renovation could be made to work. City wide renovation could be made to work. All we need are a few simple changes in how we go about doing it and who gets our help. And it could return a profit to the City of Greensboro.

So how do I propose we do that? For the answer you must read If I Were Mayor Of Greensboro: Part 12.

And folks, even if you don't believe I'm the right man to be the next Mayor of Greensboro you know my ideas are dead on so why not share them with everyone you know so that all of Greensboro will know what they must expect from the next Mayor of Greensboro.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Walker Sanders And Lomax, Part 2

On Saturday, September 1, 2012 I posted part 1 of Walker Sanders And Lomax and it quickly became one of the most popular posts of all time here at EzGreensboro.com.

Was it the fact that I posted photographs of Walker Sanders of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro and wealthy local developer John Lomax lounging in a private swimming pool in Bermuda just 3 weeks before?

Was it because the trip was said to have been paid for with money siphoned away from the taxpayer funded Downtown Greenway Project by none other than Walker's wife, Dabney, who was at at that time director of Action Greensboro the non profit the city of Greensboro placed in charge of the project?

Was it because my September 5, 2012 update included information that John Lomax had removed that same photograph from his Facebook page?




Could it have been because my September 6, 2012 update included information from Alex Jakubsen of the Rhino Times that Action Greensboro and it's non profit subsidiaries were at that time among those non profits who were by contract not allowed to be audited by the City of Greensboro?

Perhaps it was my December 17, 2012 update and link to Sanders on Bermuda trip: "Everyone paid their own way"by Roch Smith jr that kept the public's attention for so long.


Then Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan told me while seated at Bernie's Barbecue on East Bessemer Avenue in early 2013 that she saw no reason why Ms Sanders could not produce the meeting minutes authorizing the work go to John Lomax. As Roch Smith jr wrote:

"Sanders also took issue with the idea that she "steered" the contract to her friend. She says that while she is the project manager for the downtown greenway, she does not have the authority to steer construction funds for the project and that "the downtown greenway oversight committee made the decision."

Sanders did not respond to my request for the minutes from the meeting at which the committee decided to recommend Lomax"


But you see, all the while I've known that Dabney Sanders was lying. And I'm not the only one who knew Ms Sanders was lying. Others who I had hoped would expose her were keeping what I am about to tell you a secret. For you see, as director of Action Greensboro at that time Dabney Sanders was also the sole person in charge of the for profit Action Greensboro subsidiary Greensboro Downtown Greenway, LLC.

 

So when Dabney Sanders indicated to Roch Smith jr that "she does not have the authority to steer construction funds for the project and that "the downtown greenway oversight committee made the decision." Dabney Sanders lied. Walker Sanders lied. John Lomax lied. And Mayor Nancy Barakat Vaughan who is on the board of directors at Action Greensboro/The Greensboro Partnership/Chamber of Commerce lied too.

And thus the reason Dabney Sanders never produced meeting minutes or even credit card receipts to prove her and Walker paid for their own trip.

Greensboro Downtown Greenway LLC is a fully owned for profit subsidiary of the non profit Action Greensboro and there is only one reason to form a for profit business-- to make a profit for you and your partners. Now you know why the cost of building the Downtown Greenway have been out of control for so long. Please share this post so that everyone else knows as well.


Please continue reading Walker Sanders And Lomax, Part 3

Saturday, March 5, 2016

More Greensboro Tax Dollars To The Richest

I learned yesterday that the City funded Greensboro Partnership is moving into the Myers Building on Elm Street, owned by none other than John Lomax who also received city funding via the Downtown Greenway project, state taxpayer dollars via under the table deals in Charlotte involving Zack Matheny, attempted to buy a Greensboro incentive package and so many more.

The Greensboro Partnership, Action Greensboro and Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, all one legal entity, is currently residing in a building that has long been owned by the Chamber of Commerce, meaning there was no rent to pay. But to make way for the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts the Partnership will now be using taxpayer dollars to pay John Lomax the monthly rent.

And so it is we have yet another undisclosed cost of operating the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts levied against Greensboro and Guilford County taxpayers and paid to the richest of the rich Developer elite.

Here at EzGreensboro.com we give you details no one else gives you. We operate entirely without a budget, no government funding, do not accept donations, receive nothing for our efforts and remain non partisan as best we can. (Admittedly, we make mistakes) We hope you will take the time to spread the word of our existence so that more people will know of the graft and corruption that threatens the very existence of liberal, conservatives, moderates and even apolitical people all over Greensboro and the Piedmont Triad.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

DGI, Action Greensboro, The City: Who Keeps The Money?

Folks at Action Greensboro are understandably upset that the recent decision by Downtown Greensboro Inc. and the City of Greensboro for City crews to again take over duties downtown that in recent years were handled by Action Greensboro, will result in funding cuts to Action Greensboro and layoffs.

Now honestly, I'm no fan of Action Greensboro. Had it not been for their corrupt management's years of stealing from Greensboro taxpayers this would have never taken place and the workers who do the actual lifting, cleaning, picking up and carrying away of the trash? No one is letting them handle the money so it damned sure wasn't their fault. They're stuck in the middle, screwed and getting layoff slips.

And knowing I spent years exposing the corrupt bosses at Action Greensboro, DGI and the City only to see the innocent workers get laid off while the bosses go own about their lives doesn't make me feel at all good about this so-called victory.

But something much bigger than my own personal feelings are at play here.

It seems that the folks at Downtown Greensboro Inc are wanting to keep the money they are now saving by not paying Action Greensboro to clean up 99 blocks downtown.

Problem is: Downtown Greensboro Inc gets that money from the City of Greensboro who has now assumed the responsibility of cleaning up downtown. Well, DGI gets part of that money from the City and the rest comes from a special tax DGI is allowed to collect from downtown merchants and business owners.

But the idea of dumping Action Greensboro and having the City take over was so that the City could save money. If we dump Action Greensboro, the City takes over and DGI keeps the money then the City of Greensboro hasn't save a dime, 6 workers have lost their jobs and DGI has more money than before.

DGI should be returning the City funding plus paying the difference from the tax they collect. That is the only thing that is fair to the citizens of Greensboro who have long subsidized downtown Greensboro in the name of economic development for an entire city which never came.

Six loyal workers laid off, forced to draw unemployment in the North Carolina city with the highest unemployment in the entire state, over 21% poverty, rising homelessness and rising forclosures and someone is planning on running off with the money? Not on my watch.

Now Folks, if you don't want me to start naming names this problem will be fixed this week Do you understand me?

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

What Is This, Allstate?

"Instead of a third floor walk up without furniture or occupancy, our crack creative economic development team decided it would be a better idea to entertain the 10th largest craft brewer in the country ( from California) in the clubhouse of a generic apartment complex. " I kid you not. 

These are the folks who run Greensboro-- morons.

And who wants to bet that not one location shown to Stone Brewing is in East Greensboro where unemployment is the highest overall and real estate the least expensive and closest to the railroad tracks the brewery will need to ship their beer by the most cost effective means.

You can thank Action Greensboro, Downtown Greensboro Inc, The Greensboro Partnership and Councilwoman Nancy Hoffman for putting efforts to sell Ms Hoffman's properties ahead of the needs of our city.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Ben Holder Catches Nancy Hoffman With Her Pants Down

It seems Councilwoman Nancy Hoffman and Mayor Nancy Barakat Vaughan are up to their same old tricks again:

" Nancy Hoffman's building does not have the proper occupancy permits to host this event. She needs a general assembly occupancy permit for the top floor and doesn't have it.  She is also scheduled to hold a fund raiser for Preservation Greensboro on her roof top as well.  Her roof top hasn't been approved to host events either.

 Who is coming to this economic power play event?  Who is the company being hosted?  Are we already talking incentives?  Why is this such a secret?  How come Hoffman is not being held to the same requirement standards as everyone else?  Why is Cecilia Thompson (Action Greensboro) working to help Hoffman stage an event at Hoffman's unlicensed/no permit location?"

I highly recommend you click on the link above and read what Ben has to say. Then read what Eric has to say:

"At least one council member was not aware of this event even taking place, and yet, Action Greensboro was involved in every intimate detail of the deal... "


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Action Greensboro's New Location

For all you folks who think it's still a secret: Action Greensboro's new location will be in the Kinder Music Building on Church Street.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Your Children Are Being Used As A Downtown Economic Development Tool

That's right, come downtown, enjoy the free show, spend what little money you have and get the hell out by 11:00. What they got:

"Most of those listening had connections with one of the bands involved in the event."

And what they were hoping for:

"Moffat said Parks and Recreation will have held 60 summer events by the end of August. She estimated that the city had hosted 4,200 youths at events this summer.

“This event doesn’t reflect that,” Moffat said of Saturday night’s concert, which attracted very few people. “We’ve had challenges with weather.”

It's just another of the many problems created by the Greensboro City Council, Downtown Greensboro Inc, Action Greensboro and the rest of Greensboro's crony capitalists who will do anything to fatten their wallets as long as can they stick you with the bill.

With any luck we'll have horrible weather every weekend from now until election day. By then even the few Downtown business owners who still support them will be ready to vote them out of office.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Where Do Your Non Profit Donations Go?

This isn't your usual rant about the percentage of donations that actually make it past the professional fund raisers and to the causes you support. This is about the causes you support. Today Quidestar published a graphic showing the causes most non profits serve and those least served. If you'll take some time to study  I think you'll begin to discover some very troubling trends.

One thing is for certain, we Americans are contributing to the demise of our very own existence and getting tax breaks for doing so. And here in Greensboro, North Carolina our local government and area foundations are prime examples.

Don't believe me, look at where the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro spends their money.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Greensboro Police Announce 43% Searches When Conducting Drug Busts

I still don't understand how anyone can claim 43% is an audit. That would be like being stopped by the police for suspicion of illegal drug possession while driving your car down the road and the cops only searching 43% of your car.

 Update: Then there's the searches that only covered 38%, 45% and 29% respectively. Nope, no drugs found there either.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Action Greensboro On The Hook Again

How much money does Action Greensboro owe the City of Greensboro? No one is talking.

One guess is that is where DGI came up with all the extra money DGI cannot account for.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

What Action Greensboro Didn't Tell You In Their E-mail About The "Good Repair Ordinance"

Got the following from Action Greensboro, perhaps you got it too?

"From: Action Greensboro
Date: May 10, 2013, 3:04:23 PM EDT
 To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Subject: Good Repair Provision Coming Soon
Reply-To: info@actiongreensboro.org

 Our friends at the City of Greensboro are notifying downtown property owners this week about enforcement of the good repair provision in the city's Land Development Ordinance, which will begin June 1. As downtown boosters, Action Greensboro was interested and thought you might be too. (Read the ordinance at http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/index.aspx?page=3063). It basically applies to windows and exterior doors and requires repairing broken, peeling or boarded up windows and doors.

To help downtown property owners come into compliance with the good repair provision the City will offer grants of up to 20% of the cost of these repairs-up to a maximum of $20,000. (Property owners will have to match at least 20% of the cost of repairs, and they can apply for loans from Carolina Bank.)

For more information contact John Shoffner in the City's Economic Development office at 336-373-2293 or jshoffner@greensboro-nc.gov
 
 If you do not wish to receive email from Action Greensboro, please use the SafeUnsubscribe feature at the bottom of this message.
 
 Judy Morton
Office & Communication Manager
Action Greensboro
317 South Elm Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
Direct: 336-387-8351
Office: 336-379-0821
Fax: 336-379-9719
 www.actiongreensboro.org"

Of course, what the kind folks at Action Greensboro failed to mention was the fact that their own 2010 Action Greensboro funded, Moser, Mayer, Pheonix Associates, Greensboro Downtown Economic Development Strategy stated:

"Despite demand retail growth has been slow Despite the fact that downtown is attracting significant spending from visitors and a growing residential base, businesses have trouble staying open. Assuming an industry standard of 10% rent‐to‐sales ratio for successful retail, a business would need to generate $420,000 in annual sales in a typical downtown space of 3,000 SF with $14/SF rent. Local market data suggests that retailers in downtown Greensboro are achieving a lower sales volume, and spending closer to 25% of sales on rent. High start‐up costs compound already tight operating margins and impede the success of many storefront retail businesses. Downtown’s retail is currently approximately 15% vacant along Elm St, and anecdotal evidence suggests that many businesses do not survive the first year of operation.

Poor building conditions are the greatest economic barrier to the success of new retail. Many buildings in Greensboro were constructed in the early/mid‐1900s and are in need of major renovations. The cost of rehabilitating ground floor spaces and creating a “vanilla box” for retail use will range from $40‐$80 per square foot depending on the building’s condition and original design. This either drives rents higher or creates an extra upfront burden for the tenant. Many buildings have likely remained vacant because owners are unwilling to undertake the upgrade cost on a speculative basis."

And this one:

“Retail rents cannot fully support the cost of rehabilitating blighted buildings… Absent financial intervention, storefronts will remain vacant or will attract tenants of marginal quality and with a high probability of failure.”

You see, even if you borrow the money to fix up your old building you might not be able to pay back the loans. As I wrote months before, the "Good Repair Ordinance" is designed by Mayor Perkins, Councilwoman Roy Carroll, Dawn Cheney and Nancy Hoffman, Downtown Greensboro Inc and Action Greensboro to be a land grab-- the Great Greensboro Land Grab.

And don't forget to read the part about the bars on your windows. Are you still falling for this BS?

And is it any coincidence that Mr Bob Braswell sits on the boards of directors of Action Greensboro (The Greensboro Partnership and Action Greensboro merged in 2005) Carolina Bank and was seated on the board of directors at DGI at the time the "Good Repair Ordinance" was written and passed into law by the Greensboro City Council.

It just happens to be Bob Braswell's Carolina Bank who is offering these great loans under duress from the City of Greensboro? Wow, talk about banksters and crony capitalism! Talk about corruption! If I owned downtown property I'd be hanging ropes from my buildings and practicing my hangman's knots.

And just so the rest of Greensboro knows: while the current "Good Repair Ordinance" applies only to Greensboro's central business district, there are secret plans in the works to extent the land grab throughout the entire City of Greensboro. Some who read the quotes above will be fooled into thinking the "Good Repair Ordinance" is the City's way of saving you from those problems. Like they say, a sucker is born every minute and Greensboro's elite are counting on it. That's how they became Greensboro's elite.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Will Beautiful Street Art Ever Come To Greensboro?

Over at Avant Greensboro, Charles Woods laments the lack of art in downtown Greensboro. Especially colorful and beautiful graffiti like is found in so many thriving cities around the world.

“When I was in Switzerland,” says Cranford, “there was beautiful graffiti everywhere with no effort to cover it up.” Such is not the case in Greensboro.

“Most of our work was taken down quickly,” adds Nicole, “the Bill Hicks piece we did was taken down in less than a day.”


‘Tis the DGI, Action Greensboro, Greensboro Partnership, Chamber of Commerce mindset. They see no difference between beautiful graffiti and gang tags: There’s no profit in it. But should Mr Hicks demand "extravagant" payment for his works of art you will no doubt see our Downtown boosters lobbying City Council for taxpayer funding to pay Mr Hicks a pittance while scraping their huge cuts off the top.

Want beautiful graffiti in Downtown Greensboro? You just have to know how to work the good ol’ boy system. It was put in place by Southerners, the Yankees learned to work it well… and if you can live with yourself you can do it too.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Downtown Greensboro Inc: Transparency Or Death!

In a meeting with city officials last week in which one N&R reporter attended, the subject of DGI's lack of transparency came up. Ms Turner Roth and the City Attorney as well as three City Council Members agreed with me that according to the NC School of Government, DGI and other City funded "non profits" should always be 100% transparent but neither DGI, Action Greensboro nor many other city funded "non profits" are transparent. Transparency or death! It's their choice.

As a matter of fact: Ms Turner Roth suggested that the "non profits" sometimes refuse to be transparent with city officials, perhaps even the City Manager herself.