Comments on: Our Des Moines City Council Online Candidate Forum Position #3: Melissa Ponder vs Carmen Scott http://www.waterlandblog.com/2009/10/26/our-des-moines-city-council-online-candidate-forum-position-3-melissa-ponder-vs-carmen-scott/ Local News, Events, Photos, Videos & More for Des Moines, WA Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:35:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Greg Fox http://www.waterlandblog.com/2009/10/26/our-des-moines-city-council-online-candidate-forum-position-3-melissa-ponder-vs-carmen-scott/comment-page-1/#comment-936 Greg Fox Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:52:00 +0000 http://www.waterlandblog.com/?p=3168#comment-936 The pac ridge developement agreement is good for some 15 years. A long time to wait for construction and development. I thing it's safe to say that developement isn't going to happen for at least a few more years. I understood that the business park street improvement money came from other than the city budget (state or fed funding?)? It would seem to be good business to develope the roads and clean up all zoning and legal issues when every thing is slow (like now) so that when development is ready to start, the infastructure is there and the only thing to do is build. It was my understanding that the first development company pulled out for a number of reasons. The first being that none of the infastructure was ready and it would be several years before any construction could begin (the next being that the economy tanked). So why would the city want to withhold road improvement construction now? I am confused Ms. Scott with your statements regarding these isuues. Could you expound on them to lessen this confusion? The pac ridge developement agreement is good for some 15 years. A long time to wait for construction and development. I thing it’s safe to say that developement isn’t going to happen for at least a few more years.
I understood that the business park street improvement money came from other than the city budget (state or fed funding?)? It would seem to be good business to develope the roads and clean up all zoning and legal issues when every thing is slow (like now) so that when development is ready to start, the infastructure is there and the only thing to do is build. It was my understanding that the first development company pulled out for a number of reasons. The first being that none of the infastructure was ready and it would be several years before any construction could begin (the next being that the economy tanked). So why would the city want to withhold road improvement construction now?
I am confused Ms. Scott with your statements regarding these isuues. Could you expound on them to lessen this confusion?

]]> By: Dezmoinian http://www.waterlandblog.com/2009/10/26/our-des-moines-city-council-online-candidate-forum-position-3-melissa-ponder-vs-carmen-scott/comment-page-1/#comment-927 Dezmoinian Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:20:43 +0000 http://www.waterlandblog.com/?p=3168#comment-927 Ms. Scott, As a resident and local business owner, I take issue with the fact that you seem to think the problems affecting our business community are related to parking. We have heard you say this before, but why is it that you are the only candidate talking about it? If you were truly clued in to our business community you would realize we have an abundance of parking. There are plenty of spaces on the street and no shortage of big empty parking lots. In fact, many of my customers have even joked that on any given day a person could park their care across 3 spaces and no one would even notice. As a business owner let me suggest what the problems are: 1. Permitting ( fees, signage, bureaucracy, etc) 2. Zoning ( no new buildings and no developers interested in building) 3. Costs ( the city charges everyone the same fees no matter how big or small the business is) 4. Traffic ( shoppers don’t have a reason stop in or visit because they don’t know we exist) 5. City Council ( wants to keep Des Moines as a sleepy retirement community and is unwilling to change the laws of yesteryear) On top of this we have an enormous parking lot called the Marina. Hundreds of cars can park there and it is only a 2 block walk to Marine View Dr. If parking were an issue for funding a business, then how would anyone ever open a business in Queen Anne, Capital Hill or Fremont??? Ms. Scott,

As a resident and local business owner, I take issue with the fact that you seem to think the problems affecting our business community are related to parking. We have heard you say this before, but why is it that you are the only candidate talking about it?

If you were truly clued in to our business community you would realize we have an abundance of parking. There are plenty of spaces on the street and no shortage of big empty parking lots. In fact, many of my customers have even joked that on any given day a person could park their care across 3 spaces and no one would even notice.

As a business owner let me suggest what the problems are:

1. Permitting ( fees, signage, bureaucracy, etc)
2. Zoning ( no new buildings and no developers interested in building)
3. Costs ( the city charges everyone the same fees no matter how big or small the business is)
4. Traffic ( shoppers don’t have a reason stop in or visit because they don’t know we exist)
5. City Council ( wants to keep Des Moines as a sleepy retirement community and is unwilling to change the laws of yesteryear)

On top of this we have an enormous parking lot called the Marina. Hundreds of cars can park there and it is only a 2 block walk to Marine View Dr.

If parking were an issue for funding a business, then how would anyone ever open a business in Queen Anne, Capital Hill or Fremont???

]]>