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Burlington

(5 posts)

  1. spatny
    Member

    I see the Village is offering a resolution to dispose of all plantings on the two lots they purchased as "surplus property." Why do this now unless they are going to demolish those homes, and why do that unless they plan to go ahead and do something with that property. Has anybody seen any plans for this or know anything about it? I thought we were broke?

    Does anyone know how the situation stands with Scott Zimmer's new restaurant? I believe there was an impasse over asking him to provide off street parking. Could these two be related?

    Finally, where does the situation stand with Centennial Park or Plaza or whatever they call it these days? That's another needless $80-100K plus they've committed us to spending. Last time i remember they were talking about laying pavers on the West and Pine - an absolutely ridiculous idea. Perhaps that got junked when they stopped the VC from using them, but these things, like the "western approach" tunnel seem to have afterlives like plutonium, and keep resurfacing.

    Posted Friday Sep 12, 2008 10:26 #

  2. Frantzis
    Member

    Regarding Centennial Park (the triangle the Water Tower sits on), that is being paid for with a Federal grant that the Village procured and they are waiting for the interior work to be completed on the West Wellhouse (paid for with another grant) before beginning work on the exterior.

    Posted Friday Sep 12, 2008 11:37 #

  3. Catherine
    Member

    Wrong. We have to match the federal grant for Centennial Park with the substantial sum 84K. It is, in effect, an expenditure. See Mike Hullian:

    http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic.php?id=129&page&replies=36

    Even the administration draws the distinction between the more desirable grants that do not require matches, and ones that - in effect - cost money.

    Too bad we can't sell the houses as surplus! But likely their value has deteriorated.

    I did not know that was the hold-up. Chew-Chew didn't have any particular off-street parking. I would think there could be night parking in the nearby private lots, no?

    Posted Friday Sep 12, 2008 12:43 #

  4. Frantzis
    Member

    In my experience, doubling your money via a dollar for dollar matching grant is good financial management. Particularly if the money is going for a worthy project that will beautify and provide renewed infrastructure for Riverside's "front yard". I have read many posts here decrying the present ugly state of the western edge of Centennial Park. The decision last year to allocate 2008 funds to match the federal grant was an obvious one. Do you really think that the Village passed up "more desirable grants"? Grants of this type are always dollar for dollar match.

    Posted Friday Sep 12, 2008 14:05 #

  5. spatny
    Member

    Frantiz - I think the grant was $320K and our part was $84, or something like that. I don't think the concept behind the grant - extending the rail station environment into Centennial via laying pavers over the streets and cutting 10 ft. off the end of the park, and paving much of the little green space that is there, makes any sense.

    We don;t need this - Replanting and landscaping could be a community volunteer project. We had one nice big Austrian Pine that would have made a fine Christmas Tree for the Village and we could have dispensed with those shoddily decorated little "advertisement" trees that we put in every year. If they pave the streets with pavers it will be an unwelcome first for Riverside and they will look awful because the traffic markings will still have to be painted on them. The "Gazebo" and other "gimmicks" as a trackside concert venue is simply stupid. Making the well house into a museum is a nice idea but it continues to cost more and more to complete. If you are short on funds this is not the kind of thing you need to do.

    This whole project was fixed upon us because they wanted transform the CBD and adopted the mantra of "100 condos - as fast as you can build them. That's from the TIF/TOD studies. The wanted to tear down people's homes on Pine to build a multi-story parking garage which we don't need just to satisfy the TIF/TOD plans. Then the "western" tunnel would lead right to the Pine Street parking facility and more people could drive here, park and ride the train - like we need more traffic. That's why they called the process a Transportation Oriented Development Study and we got a partial grant for that too. If all that had happened then Pine Street could have been rezoned and could be filled with condos - and there were queries about rezoning there and on Forest, too. And there goes your quiet little town. We must be careful what we ask for or we may get it.

    Posted Friday Sep 12, 2008 16:31 #

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