Richard Administration Defends Harrison Square Land Acquisition
http://indianasnewscenter.com/Story.aspx?type=ln&NStoryID=5867
From article:
"The Richard administration says it did not get some of those appraisals up front for fear it would draw attention and drive the purchase prices up."
"City Council Member Don Schmidt had argued getting appraisals after the fact is silly, because those appraisals serve to guide the two sides toward a fair sales price. But a city council lawyer who looked into the issue believes the city indeed is within its rights to get the appraisals later."
"The city has also provided council with new projections on attendance at a downtown ballpark, estimating it would jump by more than one-hundred thousand tickets sold annually, compared to attendance at Memorial Stadium in 2006."
Harrison Square Referendum Chances: Slim and None
http://wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=6404637
From the article:
"Indiana House leaders say it's highly unlikely the Harrison Square referendum will go anywhere in the General Assembly."
"Last week, State Senator David Long of Fort Wayne told NewsChannel 15 there's no way a referendum regarding the Harrison Square downtown redevelopment project can be added to any of the Senate bills currently under consideration this session. "
Monday, April 23, 2007
Pre-Hearing News
Posted by brian spaulding at 4/23/2007 06:31:00 PM
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6 comments:
Wow, the City expects to sell over 100,000 tockets more a year by moving the baseball Field Downtown...
There must be a lot more "young professionals" that enjoy single A Baseball then I thought...
Mike Sylvester
Mike,
In my travels to small towns around Ft. Wayne a lot of 40 to 50 year old factory workers would come downtown to see a game, shop and eat out. Just
as they get excited about going to Down Town Indy. I suggest you expand
you circle of friends.
Ken
Oh please. Those attendance figures are ludicrous. They might meet those figures in year one although I doubt it; they will certainly not meet those figures in the long term. I propose a bet - any takers?
I would certainly like to hear their rational for claiming they were within their rights to get the appraisals post-sale. I've read the statute and it's pretty cut and dry:
The redevelopment commission shall first approve and adopt a list of the real property and interests in real property to be acquired and the price to be offered to the owner of each parcel of interest. The prices to be offered may not exceed the average of two (2) independent appraisals of fair market value procured by the commission except that appraisals are not required in transactions with other governmental agencies. The prices indicated on the list may not be exceeded unless specifically authorized by the commission or ordered by a court in condemnation proceedings.
My reading of this is that the Redevelopment Commission can pay more than appraised value for a property but they must get 2 appraisals and offer fair market value before doing so.
Perhaps someone else can convince me of an alternate reading...
Mr. Sylvester, it is amazing to me how you know more about minor league baseball than minor league baseball owners; you know more about developing than developers; you know more about the city finances than the city controller; you know about accounting for the project than Crowe; you know more about what young professionals want than the young professionals. You truly have amazing gifts. Remember those old Bo Jackson commercials "Bo Knows", they need to start running some "Sylvester Knows" commercials.
Amen and thank you, anonymous. I don't think any of the rest of us could have said it any better!
Tim
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