J.B. Reilly, Chairman of the urban growth regime, was in all his splendor
last week for the groundbreaking at Three City Center in the "Miracle That Is Allentown." The property is part of the Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ), special 130-acre zone created just for the Queen City by a 2009 state law in which development will be funded by diverting state and some local taxes. The major "announcement", dutifully reported in both dailies, is that the Norris McLaughlin law firm will be occupying two floors of the building. RETTEW Planning and Consulting, will be moving into the building as well. No new business was attracted to this site from outside the Commonwealth. No new jobs. Just shuffling employees and businesses from one municipality to another. And this is supposed to be good economic development? Instead of announcing this, J.B. Reilly should be hiding somewhere in his Upper Saucon estate.
Losers:
South Whitehall Township - lost Norris McLaughlin
Hanover Township, Lehigh County - lost RETTEW
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania- lost money and gave it to winners
Winners:
City of Allentown - Pawlowski astounded at how easy this is
J. B. Reilly - ditto
Joe Topper - ditto
Ed Pawlowski - ditto
Norris McLaughlin - will get to gorge on NIZ benefits, in terms of legal fees for Reilly and subsidized rents
RETTEW - will get to gorge on NIZ benefits, in terms of engineering and planning fees for Reilly and subsidized rents
Jim Gentile - continues to get fat on CM fees from Reilly, et. al.
But the biggest loser of all are the people who are supposed to be helped by Commonwealth taxes. .
25 comments:
The biggest losers are those few of us who still get up and go to work and pay taxes that will cover these corporate welfare schemes. Most of us aren't rich developers and nothing happens for the needy (at a government administrative cost of 90 cents on the dollar) without our toil.
It's hard o summarize the NIZ scheme in just a few words, but here goes . . .
A careless gift of precious state taxpayer dollars. Shameful, actually.
Fred Windish
Pat Browne should also be on the list, he is just as crooked as the rest of these freeloaders!
This is what happens when you allow the government to control economic development. Politics trumps sound established business practices.
Scott Armstrong
Pat Browne should also be on the list.
So should his wife Heather who is raking in lobbying and consulting fees.
Why are you not happy? These Internal Improvements, and the resultant displacing of non-anglos, are the cure to all that ails.
It worked for me, anyway.
Sincerely,
Dishonest Abe
Still waiting for a developer other than Reilly...
VOR
... along the Waterfront you'll have Twiggar and Dunn.
If this was dreamed up by Bill Heydt, the Repubs would be falling over themselves praising the foresight and accomplishments.
Scott,
There are times government should control development and provide incentives. The NIZ while a good concept was shady from the start. Bernie has never argued against the edgy and tax incentives that don't reach a successful end (like KOZ) or where people look to enrich their friends and other rich guys (like the NIZ).
However, look at the TIFF and the former Bethlehem Steel site. South Bethlehem is really booming in areas and there is a trickle down effect to the rest of the Southside and Bethlehem as a whole.
If there is no government skin in the game that site would be a polluted waste land generating no revenue at all.
If that site did not exist you would be complaining about high taxes from citizens that own property. This development keeps taxes lower for all and soon when the TIFF ends Bethlehem will have a lot more revenue because they used proper planning and a tax incentive the way it was intended to be used all those years ago!
But it WAS dreamed-up by Republican Pat Browne. I still don't think the plan is in best interest of ALL Pennsylvanians, and I don't think it will be exactly repeated elsewhere for that reason.
It happened, it's here, and much of Allentown is happy. Residents of distant Pennsylvania municipalities? Not so much (if they even realize how this works and the cost).
Careless legislation should be questioned, regardless of party. Our traditional news media once served that purpose.
Fred Windish
Careless legislation
As it effect me, I get an excellent venue for concerts and Phantoms hockey. And downtown looks a hell of a lot better already.
Hopefully, you sour pusses will stay home when it opens. The same crew crying about the sweetheart deal given the Iron Pigs owners.
Don't forget to list Mr. Alan Jennings along with the winners.
"Thank you for your service."
This is so ridiculous that I had to write an entire blog post in response.
http://livinghereinallentown2012.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/niz-refocuses-growth-into-cities.html
Wow, a blog every five months. Tell us more about kiffles
"uk"
We have to go to Great Britain to find NIZ Cheerleaders nowadays?
God Save The NIZ!
I heard that the Brooks Group sent a cease and desist letter to the Lehigh Valley Little Phantoms that play at the LV Ice Arena in Whitehall . While the Little Phantoms use a different logo and are in their third season, the LV PhaNIZs felt compelled to pursue legal action after they partnered with Steel Ice in Bethlehem to form Phantoms Youth. Apparently, the Leagues merged and the Brooks Group compelled the League official to prevent the LV Little Phantoms from playing until the the legal issued is settled in court or the team changes names. Seems like the kids were used as pawns by the league to muscle a resolution without due process. So much for trying to promote hockey in the LV and regional benefit of a taxpayer subsidized minor league hockey. The PhaNIZs have failed to reach out to Scholastic League who plays most of their games in Whitehall.
The rumor circulating around southside is that Brooks partners are going to buy steel ice and build a third rink. If so, that may provide some perspective.
Seems like the Phantoms could extended their partnership agreement considering their are several other youth teams that use the Phantoms name and logo.
This cannot be a good marketing decision for the brand.
Our founding fathers believed that government that governs best governs least. Over time politicians have managed to corrupt this principle and now have their fingers in every aspect of American life. One may point to examples of positive government interventions but overall the results are unsatisfactory and have often led to even greater problems. One obvious concern locally and on other levels is the potential corruption that results from government intervention in commercial development. What is going on should be clear to everyone with eyes to see. In Allentown we have government working very well for a few people not for the greater good.
Scott Armstrong
Ed Pawlowski can't spell or construct coherent, grammatically sound sentences. He's simply stupid. This is not a personal attack, as his emails and other communication illustrate this. I wouldn't trust him to run a lemonade stand. Again, he's demonstrably stupid and a perfect standard bearer for the voting majority in his city.
"Jim Gentile - continues to get fat on CM fees from Reilly, et. al."
Exactly these guys and their government friends are always fleecing the taxpayer in our own interest according to them. Look at the sweetheart deal 'triple net' lease Jim Gentile got from Northampton County last year.
He pays no maintenance, no taxes, nothing but the county pays him over a million a year plus a two and half percent bump a year for the next thirty years.
Now that is really a winner deal that makes Gentleman Jim a winner rand the taxpayers a loser.
7:27, actually that is an anonymous attack and you must think we are all stupid not to see that.
Ed Pawlowski can't spell or construct coherent, grammatically sound sentences. He's simply stupid. This is not a personal attack, as his emails and other communication illustrate this. I wouldn't trust him to run a lemonade stand. Again, he's demonstrably stupid and a perfect standard bearer for the voting majority in his city.
Not to defend Paws because I know little about him but it seems many "professionals" lose their ability to communicate coherently in email. I think these idiots believe that email isn't real and can cut corners.
Then theres the other side, you sit on your fat ass and business goes else where. Remember Mack trucks. On this issue neither side has all the answers. So just sit on your fat ass and bitch about everything.
Wouldn't it have been great if taxpayers would be even greater 'winners' than they are right now with this project?
All of the new office buildings will most likely be sold in the future. A creative ownership stake written on behalf of citizens could have resulted in a return of part of the funding by taxpayers from the proceeds of the sales. At present, where does all this instant 'free' equity in the properties go?
I have a pretty good idea.
Maybe if this type of contract was not legally possible to write, one of the many legal experts who read here will clarify.
Fred Windish
Hey, lets talk about some more of the winners like all the new employees at the New Hamilton Kitchen.
http://livinghereinallentown2012.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/the-niz-and-little-guy.html
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