As I suspected... "even the two blocks around Proctors" is not really a good thing.
So... would it be a good thing if those two blocks around Proctors just disappeared??? Went back to the way it was before the downtown re-do?
Would you rather have the 2 blocks around Proctors, with the revenue and jobs they produce, or go back to the pre-revitalization downtown??
Well, lets see
THEN: Private business running successful retail operations, without tax payer funding High end jewelry stores News stands OTB Cultural events Pedestrian traffic busses bringing people TO downtown (as a destination) - rather than just a transfer point, where they'd spend the day shopping, socializing - then go back home.
NOW: Mostly tax exempt property Jobs (mostly gubermant) relocated from other communities, employees brown bagging No free parking No retail shopping No family dining No tax generation from the businesses (offices, etc) Bankrupt hotels Rapes, gunfire, harassment, panhandlers
I tell you what Box...what don't you pose those question(s) to the people that LIVE in the city and in those war zone neighborhoods???
If you want to ignore the state of the residents of the city, you might as well fence off the Proctors business area and call it Mall of America East.
I agree conditions are awful in parts of Schdy... and everyone should be working to fix the problem or at least improve the situation. But Would you rather that the Proctors 2 blocks were in the city... or would the city be better with out them??? Is that two block area a plus or a minus for the city???
IMO, most "mill towns" along the Mohawk would LOVE to have those two blocks transplanted to the middle of their downtown. No one from this board seems to think that those 2 blocks are a GOOD THING.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
I agree conditions are awful in parts of Schdy... and everyone should be working to fix the problem or at least improve the situation. But Would you rather that the Proctors 2 blocks were in the city... or would the city be better with out them??? Is that two block area a plus or a minus for the city???
IMO, most "mill towns" along the Mohawk would LOVE to have those two blocks transplanted to the middle of their downtown. No one from this board seems to think that those 2 blocks are a GOOD THING.
I have no problem with a re-vitalized downtown, I do have a problem with how it was done and how city has ignored the neighborhoods. You do realize that most of the businesses, new and otherwise in the revitalized downtown pay little or no tax? How are you going to revitalize the ENTIRE city if you don't have revenue from the busy portion of it? What I see is owners of these businesses getting rich and the leaving the city to go to the suburbs when its closing time. Most of residential Schenectady is awful. The only "good section" of the city is upper union st and the surrounding area... and even that is moving toward Niskayuna as the years go by.
"Arguing with liberals is like playing chess with a pigeon; no matter how good I am at chess, the pigeon is just going to knock out the pieces, crap on the board, and strut around like it is victorious." - Author Unknown
I have no problem with a re-vitalized downtown, I do have a problem with how it was done and how city has ignored the neighborhoods. You do realize that most of the businesses, new and otherwise in the revitalized downtown pay little or no tax? How are you going to revitalize the ENTIRE city if you don't have revenue from the busy portion of it? What I see is owners of these businesses getting rich and the leaving the city to go to the suburbs when its closing time. Most of residential Schenectady is awful. The only "good section" of the city is upper union st and the surrounding area... and even that is moving toward Niskayuna as the years go by.
This has always been a problem for declining cities... if you don't have an anchor store to draw customers how are you going to revitalize the downtown.
Amsterdam built a mall, then added The Carl Company as an anchor. When the anchor stores left... the building is mostly empty.
My guess... Schdy is better off with the Proctors 2 blocks to help draw people to the area. If these businesses pay no, or little tax... that isn't much different than if the buildings were all abandoned, and paid no tax, except they DO provide jobs and they DO bring people to downtown.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
My guess... Schdy is better off with the Proctors 2 blocks to help draw people to the area. If these businesses pay no, or little tax... that isn't much different than if the buildings were all abandoned, and paid no tax, except they DO provide jobs and they DO bring people to downtown.
The difference between doing nothing and having businesses pay little or no tax? in this instance Tax money WAS spent to entice these businesses to re-location or build in the city. So, in reality the government as a whole is in the red on these businesses. I don't see anything wrong with enticements, but giving away the store is something I can't support.
"Arguing with liberals is like playing chess with a pigeon; no matter how good I am at chess, the pigeon is just going to knock out the pieces, crap on the board, and strut around like it is victorious." - Author Unknown
Schenectady IS only downtown, didn't you all know? That is all there is.
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Don't worry..according to Boxy, this stuff happens in every other town/city
This happens in every NE City-no? Minor raped in daylight in Central Park, Luigi's burns to the ground, shooting on the unused bike path. What a holiday! Thank God the City elected a self described "law enforcement expert" as Mayor. Keep the DEM implosion going! No need to change anything over there- lol.
This happens in every NE City-no? Minor raped in daylight in Central Park, Luigi's burns to the ground, shooting on the unused bike path. What a holiday! Thank God the City elected a self described "law enforcement expert" as Mayor. Keep the DEM implosion going! No need to change anything over there- lol.
So... Benny is Responding to Tbird who invented words attributed to me by Tbird! LOL!
LMAO! If I can continue that process... So don't worry... according to Tbird, the world is flat, and according to Benni... the moon is made of green cheese.
Inventing what you imagine that others might post is very productive isn't it???
According to Cicero... both Tbird and Benni are fascists!
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
...You hold that title Box, don't be sharing it with the undeserving.
Sure Cic... You can invent any definition you want in your imaginary little world... but you and I both know what the REAL definition of "Fascist" is... and it involves RIGHT WING EXTREMISM.
If you're in doubt, look it up in a dictionary... if you want to continue to play imaginary dictator... in your imaginary world... with your imaginary words... then continue.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
As I suspected... "even the two blocks around Proctors" is not really a good thing.
So... would it be a good thing if those two blocks around Proctors just disappeared??? Went back to the way it was before the downtown re-do?
Would you rather have the 2 blocks around Proctors, with the revenue and jobs they produce, or go back to the pre-revitalization downtown??
Actually and in all seriousness we would. Just think if that 100 million downtown revitalization covering 2 blocks were distributed throughout the city in the hoods. During the previous Mayor regime it was stated that it would take 30 mill. to repave and fix EVERY street in the city. With some additional $ the curbs would be replaced as well. Then the rest of the $ could have dismantled every derelict bldg. in the city, thereby improving the appearance of EVERY hood. A total spruce up of ALL the parks with new picnic tables, landscapping, etc. would ensue without volunteers (who through their taxes are paying twice through taxes AND their labor). Couple these initatives with any leftover $ going toward additional lighting upgrades in the hoods ( which would assist in some crime deterrent) and it would be real hard for the residents of the city to NOT take more pride and care of there city. As it stands now with a decline in most of the hoods, there is not much to take pride in other that the bandied about stretch of a 2 block area downtown. So sheer logistics dictate that the 1% of a city that is improved cannot compete with the other majority % that is truly lacking in attention. The masses do not live and breath in a downtown, that is a SUPPLEMENT to our day to day living. We LIVE in the hoods, drive the dilapidated roads, walk the damaged sidewalks,walk in inadequately lit hoods,bombarded with bldg. neglect/blight, and frequent our falling apart/neglected parks. These are the issues/concerns the masses have in their quest for quality of life. Not in the feathering of various financial nests via projects that are undertaken under the guise of an econ. devl. plan that caters to but a few blocks of a city while the greater whole is in such greater need. So yes if it meant 20 less bars/restaurants to improve the MAJORITY of the city for the greater good by all means you have our support. Then maybe just maybe people would want to live here even if they did not work here. And with a bit of a tax break to the homeowner and with the quality of life improvments prev. stated they could justify the taxes levied. The way it stands now there is not alot for a potential homeowner to justify the high taxes in regard to what they would be receiving in services. So there you have it Mr./Mrs./Ms. Box. An oppion backed up with a constructive plan.
Would you rather that the Proctors 2 blocks were in the city... or would the city be better with out them??? Is that two block area a plus or a minus for the city???
Without.
Proctor's can't be found anywhere else, but take the tax exemption away.
my neighborhood sounded like 'the hill' on the 4th.....pretty though....I watered my freakin' lawn to make sure it wouldn't spark from my neighbors celebrations....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
downtown needs shops...LIKE SARATOGA.....getting fat and drunk in Schenectady seems to be the norm....mayor bloomberg would be having a heart attack if he saw the birthday margarita....he would loove proctors but maybe not the bus schedule or the taxi service.....his hands are so pristine...he needs to live in schenectady as does cuomo....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
NOT a war zone (until someone fired the automatic weapon on the bike path)
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Logged
This happens in every NE City-no? Minor raped in daylight in Central Park, Luigi's burns to the ground, shooting on the unused bike path. What a holiday! Thank God the City elected a self described "law enforcement expert" as Mayor. Keep the DEM implosion going! No need to change anything over there- lol. 
