michael gill wrote:The issue I see with respect to Lakewood's race to be like everyone else is that our chief assets are a challenge to maintain, and the economy is stacked against their replacement.
We have all these old buildings, which are great for independent and unique businesses of all kinds, from West Side Skates to the Root to Plantation Home. By that choice of examples, I mean to point out that it is not all bars and hair salons. You can do business here. Those old mixed use buildings are a great incubator for the mom-and-pops. Though we do have an awful lot of bars.
The problem comes when someone fails to maintain one of those buildings and is forced to demolish, as was the case with the Hilliard Theater and the building at the corner of Edwards Ave, or when someone just decides it is time to cash out to the highest bidder, as seems to have been the case with the Detroit Theater.
It seems there is a very limited range of developers who have the money and motivation to build new on these small lots. Drug stores and fast food lead the charge, which means national chains, which makes Lakewood feel more like everyone else.
Mr. Gill
If someone fails to maintain their buildings or homes, the city should enforce their codes. For far too long the City has enforced residents while letting businesses and favorite business owners slide or completely break rules and norms. This underlines City Hall preferring business over residents, which is a complete shift and departure from a century of thinking. For ever businesses in Lakewood were thought of as a way to serve our residential base. Almost ZERO industry, all small shops catering to walk in traffic.
During the FitzGerald Administration that changed drastically. Business and friends first, screw the residents, the seniors, and everyone not willing to play Ed's way. Hence so many of the cuts and shifts in City Services for residents, and many that not only brought residents in but set us apart from the rest of the county. As noted here when Ed was running for office, his group were regionalists. No longer did Lakewood matter, his place in the region mattered and oh yeah Lakewood a little bit. Ed was ambitious, and made no bones about it, he was going to finish Bobby Kennedy's walk to the White House, and he would tell anyone willing to listen.
But there were fundamental problems with his, and his supporters dreams and visions. Major flaws, that they loved to ignore or skip over as it never really affected them or their neighborhoods. Residential neighborhoods, ones that were designed for living, education and raising families start to deteriorate with the encroachment of business, commercials zones and their favorite stepping stone, "mixed use zones." And whenever a glaring problem cropped up with the idea, the supporters and sycophants were there to lie, misrepresent and cover it all up with words not actions or proof. It is like "trickle down economics" on paper it could work, but it never has and for many reasons and facts that have been proven time and time again.
And as they continue to fail, and far farther and farther from their miscalculated dreams and lies, they become more and more desperate grasping for straws, and screwing up more and more of an idyllic community that was vibrant, growing and maintaining itself with little or no maintenance outside of typical services from a city. Witness the promises of Marc's Plaza. Witness the promises of "Downtown." These items failed in their promises so badly, this group of misguided losers had to grab City Hall, self off our largest and most profitable assets just to take one more crack at their lies and dreams. We were promised $120 million in outside development, great new health care, and a vibrant DowntowN. What they delivered was a black hole multi use strip mall where they could house their club to manage funds they boosted, a cafe, a dry cleaner and maybe, maybe a Mitchell's Ice Cream shop. Over promise, LIE, LIE, LIE under deliver is their history, and should be on all of their tombstones. In this constant search from very bad dreams and fractured fairy takes they have once again left the city worse off than before. Hell as pointed out elsewhere our new healthcare is costing us million and thousands a dollars per each visit more than before!
But there might be no better person to kick this with than you. Editor of FreeTimes as community after community made wild promises only to fall short, as reported regularly by the FreeTimes. Or you who have watched this City destroy once quiet streets with drive thrus and drunk parlors galore, that in the end add less to the economy then the neighborhoods they ruined. The City desperate to break all rules to put a drive in Taco Bell next to your house. Then they discovered a loophole that paid Taco Bell to stay where they were. OK maybe a Wendy's, or a Beer Garden for 640 with parking for 6. Anything new, anything at all to take our minds off their failures.
And to take our minds off of one other thing. The best place to develop, the best place to keep taxes low, and make real money for the community is their neighborhoods. Develop the Lakefront we are still not allowed to touch. Develop the Gold Coast west into Nicholson, Homewood, Wilbert, and we could cash in. Open Clifton Beach and build high rises and restaurants along our lake's edge like every community bringing in serious dollars. Yeah let's get new people in office and open the lakefront, then 98% of the community could once again live in peace, with low taxes, vibrant businesses and well funded schools. Let's go NORTH!
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