Comments on: Oregon City residents eager to save mall /news/2011/02/04/oregon-city-residents-eager-to-save-mall-project/ Building and Construction News in Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:55:45 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.6 By: Peasant Pundit /news/2011/02/04/oregon-city-residents-eager-to-save-mall-project/#comment-51689 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:55:45 +0000 /?p=66993#comment-51689 The project will redirect some current retail activity in the region to The Rivers – as it designed to do with its emphasis on easy freeway access.

I don’t see how this project will benefit downtown Oregon City – rather it may be the opposite – and $17 million would go a long ways there.

And is there a better use for the site? Good freeway access is also important for a vibrant industrial sector – which I’m always reading (in 91ÊÓƵ yet) we have a shortage of in the Metro area. Imagine converting an old dump into a family wage, added value manufacturing/industrial jobs instead of more low wage retail.

Or not.

]]> By: prt /news/2011/02/04/oregon-city-residents-eager-to-save-mall-project/#comment-51616 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 21:33:08 +0000 /?p=66993#comment-51616 And what the taxpayers get back for their investment (“subsidy” if you like) is an enriched tax base, jobs and clean up of a site that currently has issues.

It’s the deal that’s on the table – the city can take the deal and get the benefits, or it can reject the deal and keep the status quo if the deal is not appealing.

Maybe a different deal for this site will come along in the future. Maybe not.

It’s about putting together a transaction that financially pencils out so that it can actually go forward. The urban renewal funds are what is needed to make the deal pencil I presume. Confirming those financials, understanding what deal points are appropriate in this market and assessing risk is up to those working on the deal on behalf of the city.

There is a cost to doing the deal, and there is obviously an opportunity cost of not doing the deal.

]]> By: NativePDX /news/2011/02/04/oregon-city-residents-eager-to-save-mall-project/#comment-51602 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 16:41:17 +0000 /?p=66993#comment-51602 If this was a good project, it would not need the taxpayers to subsidize it.

]]> By: Susan /news/2011/02/04/oregon-city-residents-eager-to-save-mall-project/#comment-51574 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 02:59:29 +0000 /?p=66993#comment-51574 There is a push to move all these decisions to a vote, because they know they can overwhelm all media channels with unrlenting negative advertising (for which no one will ever be held accountable) using unlimited funds. It is the Citizens United model. Overwhelm the system with money and democracy doesn’t function so well.

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