By: Diane Benjamin
Years ago a guy wanted to buy the old Coachman Motel property on East Washington and turn it into a parking lot.
Instead of collecting money and handing over the property title, the City told him they didn’t want a parking lot there.
Instead, under City ownership, this is what it looks like:
Capitalism is dead in Bloomington. Government decides what commerce happens. TIF’s, tax abatements, and taxing you more are the agenda. Yes – everybody else pays more because of government discounts!
Allowing citizens to make free market decisions isn’t an option.
I wonder who else hasn’t been allowed to buy this property because they weren’t the “right” fit?
Expect more of this in your future.
Meanwhile, staff has to mow it occasionally. No property tax revenue is generated. An eyesore 4 blocks from downtown does nothing to create a destination.
Tonight the Council will discuss AGAIN how to change that. Government will again fail.
It’s way past time for a Council who understands their job. Developer isn’t one of them.
I’m watching Committee of the Whole right now on YouTube and they sure are trying to act like Developers.
Spending other people’s money is easy!
Perhaps they should create a bike obstacle course for the Bike Blono crowd.
They probably want a bicycle store or organic store there. I mean really with all of those millennials flocking to the downtown to live what would you expect? Wait I just woke up from a dream.
Quite the eyesore if you ask me. It ranks right up there with that Front and Center building that needs to be razed. Maybe they should go after that owner like they did the Coachman Motel owner. The Coachman Motel at least had some historical significance didn’t it? Nancy Reagan or someone famous stayed there didn’t they? Well there went that tourist attraction. It would have been the perfect tie in with that Rte 66 museum exhibit.
Yes, Nancy Reagan… “Nancy Reagan stayed at the then popular Coachmen Motel while still an actress.”
https://localwiki.org/bloomington-normal/Fun_facts
Good gawd and they razed that building without preserving it.
Build it and the millennials will come. Yeah right! I read this today and thought of the Bloomington mayor.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/08/15/many-downtown-luxury-apartments-sit-empty/88621454/
Somebody should have learned from ensenbergers
Yes on coachman! Except the offer was for doing much more than parking lot. Lots of landscaping and improvements were planned.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone
Would have looked a lot better!