There are several articles in today's print media news which should be of interest to our gentle readers:
First, we find Standard-Examiner sidebar blurb, reporting last night's Emerald City council approval of Colorado developer John Peddie's American Can development agreement, under terms of which Mr. Peddie will accept a fat chunk of tax increment dollars, and invest $21.5 million in improving the American Can "complex."
The only major fly in the ointment for the Emerald City taxpayers, it would seem at this point, is the question of the legal posture of Emerald City with respect to a Governors Office of Economic Development grant. $900 thousand of state money was apparently provided for renovation and improvement of the historic canning factory back in 2002, with the express condition that such funds be expended to build a high-technology school campus. Inasmuch as this condition has not been fulfilled, state government officials are pondering whether they want their money back.
The incessantly optimistic Emerald City Economic Development Director, Dave Harmer, assures us, of course, that this is no problem at all, and that an unidentified "group" of supposed local naysayers simply don't understand the grant provisions.
The Salt Lake Tribune's Kristen Moulton also reports on this story this morning by the way, sans Mr. Harmer's rosy optimism.
Secondly, our favorite Ace Reporter informs us that the Emerald City Council last night approved a new mixed use zoning ordinance, affecting about 50 acres in the second and third phases of the proposed River Project, which extends from 20th to 18th streets between Washington Boulevard and Wall Avenue.
Despite the objections of a number of "several" affected property owners (our sources counted eight) who showed up at last night's meeting to vigorously protest these zoning changes, four of the six council members in attendance (Safsten was absent) nevertheless saw fit to rubber-stamp the latest cavalier invasion of Emerald City property rights. We suppose that from way up there behind the council dais these mere "whiners" and "complainers" (whose property values are adversely affected by this decision) looked as insignificant as ants.
Being the curious type, we dialed out a couple of times this morning, contacting the two citizens mentioned in this morning's article, just to flesh out the meager information which Scott Schwebke provided.
Ruth Kendrick, of Ogden Chrome Plating, graciously took our call, framed the issues, and set forth for us her neighbors' general objections (to which we've added our snarky editorial embellishments):
• The new zoning changes are premature at best; even the Boss Godfrey admits phases 2 & 3 of the River Project may not be implemented for years -- if ever they are to be implemented at all.
• The new zoning effectively rules out expansion for any of the industrial business owners in the area. We speculate whether the new vision in our Brave New MattGodfreyWorld apparently embraces only cutesy little restaurants and boutiques.
• Any future expansion occurring in the area will be henceforth faced with niggling new "aesthetic" restrictions. We suppose that all future expansions in the riverfront area will be well-adorned with grassy lawns and palm trees.
Mrs. Kendrick only mentioned it in passing, but her company does employ a substantial number of employees (fifty or so) at her Emerald City facility. One wonders how long her company will be inclined to continue employing people -- in such a palpably small business-unfriendly environment.
We also spoke with Creative Welding's Ray Jensen, who was not the least bit reticent in expressing his displeasure with last night's council action. He tells us he's been battling the city for years. Bad enough as it is to be situated in a redevelopment project area, he now has to cope with an additional industrial-unfriendly zoning ordinance. His property is currently up for sale, and he's leaving town as soon as he can find a buyer who can live with current zoning restrictions.
And there's more! Mr. Jensen also reports he has filed a lawsuit. One thing's for sure: the Boss Godfrey administration contributes to a full-employment economy -- for litigation lawyers, at least.
As to our question whether Mr. Jensen would consider relocating his business to another Emerald City location, he succinctly told us this:
"If Ogden City GAVE me another Ogden City property, I'd refuse it."
Such is the condition of the small business owner in Emerald City.
Such is what amounts to the Emerald City news today.
The floor is open for our readers' comments.
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22 comments:
"If Ogden City GAVE me another Ogden City property, I'd refuse it."
Such is the condition of A single DISGRUNTLED small business owner in Ogden.
Talk about bias reporting.
Don't throw this small business owner in with your bias.
Unfortunately there are numerous "DISGRUNTLED" small business owners in Ogden that have been abused by Mayor Godfrey and his development staff.
If we do not go along with his grandious schemes, or if we do not fit his profile of a "sexy" business, he will do what he can to harrass us.
There are several that I know of that intend to move out of Ogden as soon as their leases are up, or when they are able to sell their buildings - including me.
Stop Overgeneralizing:
If you dismiss all those unhappy with the business climate in Ogden as biased, seems to me you'd have to dismiss all Godfreyistas who praise his business policies as biased as well. Sauce for the goose....
I'm not in business in Ogden, and I certainly don't claim to have my finger on the pulse of the Ogden small business community, but I did notice that there were eight or twelve [can't recall which] business owners I think who spoke out against the zoning change applying the new Mixed Use Ordinances to phases two and three of the River Project.That's not one or two.
I wonder what percentage of businesses still operating in the River Project phase two and three areas eight to twelve business owners represent.
You might at least consider... and so should the Administration and Council... that when a small business owner complains about city policies that make doing business here difficult in his [or her] view, the proper way to deal with their complaints is (a)take them seriously (b) investigate to see what the problem is they are complaining about (c) determine if the complaint has merit and be willing to explain, document and defend your determination; and (d) look for ways to eliminate the problem if possible, whether it involves one aggrieved businessman or eight or a dozen. Or more.
I am beginning to wonder, from the number of complaints and the similarity of their tone, that have appeared over the past couple of years, that perhaps this administration's attitude toward small business may well be too cavalier, and that, sadly, cronyism may be an unhappy part of the policy mix.
I wonder, does Mr. Moyal have a permit to go ahead with the restaurant he wants to open in the building he owns on the land he bought in the River Project area yet?
And if not, why not?
Curmudgeon:
One of the affected business owners who spoke against the new MU ordinance last night was none other than Mike Moyal.
I spoke with Mike by phone this morning, while doing "background" for today's article.
During our conversation he told me that he and his attornies had worked out a settlement with Boss Godfrey's Emerald City lawyers, and that we can all expect to attend the Grand Opening, sometime soon, of Emerald City's first "Indian Cuisine Restaurant."
Your blogmeister's mouth is already watering over this...
We'll add parenthetically that Mr. Moyal's "settlement achievement" occurred only in the context of battling lawyers.
It cost him thousands of bucks, and great personal aggravation to do what ought to have been done honestly and forthrightly by Boss Godfrey and his Uncle Greg Montgomery, upon his original purchase of his Emerald City properties.
Frankly, we believe Boss Godfrey ought to have rolled out the red carpet for Mr. Moyal from the get-go.
And how does Mr. Moyal measure his success?
Remember... he never wanted to litigate. He merely wanted to open his restaurant.
See ya all at the grand opening!
You're evidently a moron, Stop Overgeneralizing.
If you're actually an Ogden small businessman, you obviously haven't met Boss Godfrey up front and personal in an importatant transaction.
Businessmen who deal with him regularly know what an asshole he is
It's you dopes like you -- Chamber of Commerce types -- who "love the hell" outta Boss Godfrey... at least until you have to deal with the little nazi shit in a personal transaction.
This is a call to "wake up," ferchrissake, you thoroughly
bothched Godfreyist faithful.
In a normal and just political world, Boss Godfrey would already be "doing time" here already:
Utah State Prison (USP)Draper, Utah
Rudi:
Thanks for the update. Sorry Moyal and his partner had to threaten attornies to get action on what should have been a very simple matter. I will inform Mrs. Curmudgeon that Indian cuisine is on the way. She was introduced to it in Seattle a couple of years back and is well and truly hooked. Thanks again, and happy to hear Mr. Moyal and his partner now can go ahead with their business plan for their business financed by their money.
Imagine that....
The word I have heard is that a new arrival to Ogden was planning to buy Teazers but the owner was told by none other than the Mayor not to sell to the newcomer.
That kind of control in New York City by Boss Tweed from 1790 to 1960 was known as Tammany Hall politics. The political boss had you under his "heel" so he was known as the Ward Heeler. Interesting that the word "Ward" enters this.
In Chicago that kind of control is currently conducted as Mayor Dailey politics by some 60 Assemblymen or Women.
In Godfrey country this kind of control is done by the Mayor himself to control who comes and goes to fit his concept of who is right for his concept for Ogden.
Some could call that racial profiling. I prefer to expand it to racial and religious bigotry and probably political if you don't agree with his brand of politics which is an exclusive form of dictatorship.
The announcement of Stuart Reid's munificent condo project listed 2 restaurants.
Does anyone think he is going to have any problem getting a business license for those?
I am just wondering where all the patrons are going to come from for the existing restaurants on 25th Street and the Junction eateries and the Stuart Reid diners.
The history of downtown Ogden restaurants has not been very promising if you remember the one in the Hampton Inn.
Which movie theater will prevail? The OGDEN Newgate Mall Tinsel Towne or Miller's?
Which will have to close?
Is the grand opening of the mall still set for June 11?
Will all the workmen still be 'constructing' around the rec center and Miller's?
That'll be a pretty sight for the thousands pouring into Ogden!
Before we get in a hurry to salivate over curry, we should be concerned about small business owners, some of whom hire a goodly number of employees!
These SBO's are being run out of town by an out of control ego (SOB?) who appears to only want 'cool and sexy' businesses. It's not enough that he envisions a goofy gondola as his legacy, now he intends to turn a huge chunk of Ogden into the Gateway of SLC.
WHO will be the clientele? The close up neighbors of the River Project are still those living in the inner city.
Most people who eat out on limited incomes prefer McDonald's, Taco Bell and the like.
Of course, our snob policeman, Patterson, wouldn't let THESE people in the door of any 'fancy' establishment.
They may pee on the sidewalk!
What do you think of Harmer disengenuously telling the Council that the City probably doesn't have to pay back the $900,000. ?? The Governor's Office doesn't seem to see it the same way as Harmer.
Only 5 months and a couple days til November!!! Liberation day is coming. There will be dancin' in the streets!
Speaking of restaurants there is a new one where Wall Avenue and Riverdale meet on the West side, the Texas Steakhouse, or something like that.
The food is exceptionally good and they make everything in house, even to churning their own butter.
Please explain the financial thinking behind this deal on the Business Information Center (BIC).And please correct whatever I have not understood correctly.
The way I understand it, the BIC building on Washington was sold for $370,000.00 even though it was appraised at $500,000.00. Then that $370,000.00 was taken by Godfrey to put in the sinkhole known as the Junction on the old Mall site.
Now Kristin Moulton fills us in with the information that Ogden City is going to rent space to house the BIC employees from Jon Peddie for $10.00 per year for 5 years and then buy the building they will be in for $10.00. What building? And why would Peddie be selling any building to Ogden City to house the BIC people for $10.00?
But in the meantime the Ogden RDA is going to pitch in $70,000.00 the first year to the Jon Peddie development deal with $20,000.00 per year ever more after that. Is that money going to Peddie to keep his deal afloat?
The deal makes no sense at all for Ogden City.
Can someone on the Council please explain this or better yet let's hear Dave Harmer's explanation as the financial genius why this is such a good deal for Ogden?
Observer 1
You wrote: What do you think of Harmer disengenuously telling the Council that the City probably doesn't have to pay back the $900,000. ?? The Governor's Office doesn't seem to see it the same way as Harmer.
Let's not jump the gun here. Both stories [SE and SLT] reported that the state office is looking into the matter. I agree that raises the complaint about the 900K grant from "wild unsubstantiated claim" to "serious question." But neither story said that the matter had been decided against the city and that the money would have to be returned. All that was reported was that an investigation into how Ogden dealt with the grant it got was under way, possibly leading to the city having to return the money.
However many problems [if the state decides against the city] this may create for the Godfrey administration --- for such a decision would establish on the record its incompetence [charitable interpretation] or its malfeasance... that result will not be good for Ogden city.
Two reasons: first, and this damage may already be partly done beyond saving, next time the city is competing with other cities for grant money from the state, you can bet grandma's false teeth lobbiests for the other cities will point out that "you can't trust Ogden; look what they did with the 900K you gave them for a high tech center." Granted, replacement of the Godfrey administration by the electorate in November may undercut the argument some. But only some.
Second: if Ogden has to pony up 900K out of its current budget to pay back a mis-handled state grant, that money will have to comeout of the rest of the budget, and that will create some real problems, I suspect. Hell, the city was desperately trying to sell the Shupe-Williams property downtown to a tile firm that didn't want to buy it to raise the money to finish the parking structures for the new mall development. Where would the city find 900K suddenly for the pay back? What other city services would have to be trimmed to raise the money? I really don't want to find out.
So however much it may please those who can't help but chortle every time out stumble footed Mayor drops the ball yet again, it would not be good for Ogden to have the decision go against the city. It won't be the Mayor who will bear the burden of the payback. It will be the rest of us.
curmudgeon--
Don't shed tears yet about the possibility of Ogden's repaying the $900,000.00 grant.
In the event that happens I suspect that the Ogden Community Foundation will come up with some cash for Ogden since they got the $3 million for the sale of the property to Peddie.
There is too much that is still unexplained in all of this money maneuvering around the Ogden Community Foundation with the Mayor and all his buddies being on the Board.
Ogden's reputation was shot before the issue of the $900,000.00 grant ever came up. A lot of the deals promoted by Godfrey and the RDA smell to high heaven besides the $900,000.00 grant issue.
The only way that Ogden will recover some semblance of integrity is for Mayor Godfrey and the Ogden Community Foundation to disclose to the public for all the world to see what they have been up to with tax credits and cash and the fact that Curt Geiger signed the deed December 29, 2006 on the American Can property as the President of the Foundation when there has been no evidence he had ever been the President until that day.....and there had been no board meeting called to elect him president that day if you check with the people in the know at Da Vinci..
Nothing else is going to bring back respect to Ogden City government and get rid of the stench except full disclosure.
Mayor Godfrey is not smart enough to let that happen. That is too honest for him.
The Governor, Republican that he is, is not going to go against and embarrass the Little Lord (also a Republican as Curmudgeon is fond of pointing out) in the months leading up to the election.
The governor may or may not like Godfrey, but he is not going to hang him out to dry - ever - for any reason. That is not how it works in Republican and LDS land. Remember, we do not criticize leaders, even if it's true.
Republican leaders do not attack or show up other Republicans in Utah. Godfrey would have to be caught red handed in some very serious traditional crimes dealing with moral turpitude before any other Republican would criticize him. (Like congressman Loyd who was caught with the hooker in SLC a few years back)
Even tho we all know that he does in fact commit crimes routinely, they are not the common street type crimes it would take for him to be indicted by other politicians. (sorry, stealing money from the tax payers to enrich his buddies doesn't count in this game unless it can be proven that the money went into his own pocket)
Even our lame assed democrat county attorney will not go after Godfrey in spite of having been given plenty of reasons by plenty of citizens.
Our very strange and evil State Attorney General has had any number of citizens file charges of criminal conduct against Godfrey, and good Republican that Shurtlef is, the most he has ever done is assign a low level para legal to take the complaints and humour the complainers.
The game is rigged, there is absolutely no one in power in state government that will protect the citizens against predators that are also in government. This $900 thousand that Godfrey and his circle ripped off the State is small potatoes to these people. They routinely throw more than that away on a lot less than this. It is tax payer money and Huntsman, Godfrey, et al could not care less about losing it to this American Can scam.
The Governor gave Amer Sport $12 million bucks to come to Utah. They are going into the American Can bldg. None of these predator politicians are going to queer that deal over a lousy $900 thousand grant that the Godfreyites ripped off from the State.
Sorry to be so cynical on this matter, but this is just the way it is here in Republican Utah.
The only hope is at the ballot box in November, and that is not a sure shot by any stretch. The sad truth is that the immoral, arrogant and criminal Godfrey may very well be with us for years into the future unless a very strong and capable candidate takes him on and shows the people just how corrupt the little pig really is.
Ozboy: With all due deference, let's not be libeling Sherman Lloyd -- that was Allan Howe, D-UT, who got busted on 2nd South back in '76.
Hopeful but Negative: The viable restaurants on 25th (Roosters, Union Grill, Karen's, etc.) will surely hold their own against anything in Ashton Square. The clientele on 22nd St. is likely to be those whose stomachs begin grumbling as they sit through yet another vicarious endowment ceremony across the street -- not those who are already patronizing the Two-Bit Street beaneries.
Moroni
My apologies to Sherman Lloyd. Of course you are correctomundo on the infamous whore hound (and disgraced former US Congressman) being that nefarious Democrat Allan Howe and not Republican Sherm Lloyd. (Take that Curmudgeon!)
If my memory serves me, Howe's actions with the hooker decoys helped start this infernal Republican tide that has swept over Utah these last 30 years. His actions helped give traction to the idea that Democrats were a morally challenged group.
It is comforting to know that I can blather on off the top of my pointed little head and I will have knowlegeable scholers like you to gently bail me out. We sure as heck don't want to disseminate false information here in the land of Oz!
Oz:
You wrote: The Governor, Republican that he is, is not going to go against and embarrass the Little Lord (also a Republican as Curmudgeon is fond of pointing out) in the months leading up to the election.
Thought of that when I read this at the end of Mr. Schwebke's story today:
If the GOED forces Ogden to return the grant funds, the city could take legal action or ask the state Legislature to affirm that Peddie's plans for the AmeriCan Center comply with the intent of the original grant agreement, Harmer said.
English translation: if the decision at GOED goes against Ogden, the Administration will immediately appeal to the courts and/or the legislature, which will push final resolution of the matter well past the election.
Yeah, Oz, I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head on this one. The state GOP will bail him out if they have to.
Oz:
You wrote: My apologies to Sherman Lloyd. Of course you are correctomundo on the infamous whore hound (and disgraced former US Congressman) being that nefarious Democrat Allan Howe and not Republican Sherm Lloyd. (Take that Curmudgeon!)
Permit me to quietly note that the incident you speak of occurred by my count a third of a century ago. I'd reply at greater length, but I'm too busy at the moment reading on the web excerpts from Tom Delay's book explaining why his adultery was not nearly as bad a thing as Newt Gingrich's adultery. Highly recommended as lunchtime reading....
I'm pleased you noticed how eminently fair I, a rabid Democrat, was to concede Howe's political affiliation. Unfortunately the Howe scandal erupted decades before Curm migrated to the Behave, er, Beehive State, but he has surely Googled its details by now.
While Howe was still hot news, a journalism professor at WSC (it wasn't yet WSU) lectured us on the evils of sensationalism, but then confessed that she "enjoyed reading about Allan Howe as much as anyone else."
And vy not? Ve luf to read about the peccadilloes of our elected officials, yes?
I luffed and vas titillated by Bill Clinton's antics weeth the cigar and the action under the Oval Office desk.
Does anyone know if the stain on the blue dress was removed?
I vas only a child then, but was not Bill Clinton a democrat?
Ah, to this is what the Republican Revolution has come down to... all that talk about restoring honor to the government, family values, raising standards.... It's all come down to this: an endless whine that "Clinton did it too!"
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