What ever happened to Boss Godfrey's Manufacturers Outlet Stores That Dare Not Be Named?
By Curmudgeon
I have an economic development question. Driving this afternoon on Washington Boulevard headed for my clothier [Shopko on Washington and 12th], I passed the three city-rehabbed buildings across from The Junction. You recall them, I'm sure: the three buildings the Standard-Examiner was duped by Hizzonah just before the Council elections into reporting would soon house manufacturers outlet stores [none of which he would name]. Hoped they'd be open "within a month" (in time for Christmas), Hizzonah said and the SE meekly reported, even though at the time [Nov] the windows were not in, the back parking lots were holes in the ground surrounded by huge piles of dirt and sand. [I drove down to look after the SE article appeared.]
The same stores that, just after the election, the Godfrey administration announced "would not be done in time for Christmas" after all; and so The Manufacturers Outlet Stores That Dare Not Be Named would not be moving in until early 2010. Mr. Christopulos, I think, said the city was still negotiating the final lease details. Uh huh.
Passing the stores today [on which construction seems to be substantially complete], all three I think had signs in the windows saying they were available for lease.
Ah... available for lease? What happened to The Manufactures Outlet Stores That Dare Not Be Named that Hizzonah told the SE were coming and that the SE reported [press release journalism at its laziest] without doing even minimal fact checking?
Mr. Christopulos seems to be the front man for the Administration on economic development matters these days. Perhaps someone might want inquire of him how the [alleged] negotiations with The Manufacturers Outlet Stores Which Dare Not Be Named are going.
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4 comments:
Curm,
I find it interesting that the administration is looking to get back their investment in those buildings that he applied grant money to through rents collected from businesses that establish in those buildings. Of course we all know the money went to FOM.
If however the grant money had been applied elsewhere the city, the city may have been able to actually have gotten some revenue generation somewhere else or at a minimum reduced some of the city’s current costs somewhere else.
Ironic too, the administration is now entertaining the idea of condemning this area of the city which would mean that all the grant money the city spent to fix these building up would be demolished. Another words the city would have just thrown the grant money away, go figure.
Thank you, Curm, for having a long memory. Perhaps WCF should do a periodic "What ever happened to..." article. Some of the other examples I'm thinking of:
What ever happened to the promised Marshall White Center grant funding?
What ever happened to the velodrome?
What ever happened to the investigation into Blain Johnson's conflict of interest violation?
The stores are ready for business. They anxiously await a vendor to sell clothing to the king or mayor.
Do I see an outlet selling Geiger hydration systems in our future?
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