Best laid plans

Pioneer Press Sat, 09 Feb 2008 20:10:05 -0700
East Metro / Suburban downtown projects suffering

Office and retail spaces are staying vacant in the suburbs. Many plans for condos have been scaled back to apartments. Developers have deserted or downsized projects. Quaint, pedestrian-friendly city centers that seemed like a good idea five years ago run the risk of tanking along with the real estate market. From Burnsville to Lino Lakes, suburban downtowns are costing some cities millions of dollars, hundreds of hours in staff time and ramped-up voter scrutiny. Critics say city leaders are too attached to their projects to abandon them. But when should cities walk away from a struggling project in a bad market? "Sometimes governments do it, pull it off, and it works well," said Gary Krueger, professor and chairman of the economics department at Macalester College in St. Paul. "It's really a lottery." ... When Gustafson ran for City Council four years ago, he campaigned with the message that he would support building a performing arts center in Burnsville, he said. When he runs for re-election, he plans to point out that he accomplished that goal. "If someone wants to slam me for getting the job done that I said I would get done, I'd say: 'What do you want in an elected official?' " Gustafson said. "It's unfortunate the economy shifted in the last 90 to 100 days, but it did."

Professor Krueger's comment seems to discount the affect of decision-makers on outcomes. If this is true, why do we bother to vote, screen employees, and act in other ways to improve the quality of decision making? Stephan
[[keywords: LandUse;PropertyTax;Metro;]]