UAPA council candidate recommendations
UAPA council candidate recommendations
In our recent survey, you overwhelmingly asked UAPA’s leadership to voice opinions on candidates and issues so you could make informed decisions in this November's City Council race. We took these words to heart and prepared a 2007 voter's guide. We hope you find it valuable and we welcome your feedback and contributions.
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Election hot topic: Kingsdale redevelopment
The re-development of Kingsdale is a hot topic this election, and we explore it in depth in this newsletter and in our voter's guide. Regency, the owner of the Kingsdale shopping center, submitted a proposal to City Council recently -- the first proposal in its 10-year association with Kingsdale. Their plan, which includes a "big box" store like Target and a strip mall, would not substantially increase our tax revenue or enhance the quality of life in UA. Serious negotiations about the future of this critical piece of commercial real estate have begun for the first time in more than a decade.
Now is time to hold tough, and Krauss and Seidel are prepared to do just that. They want to think outside the “big box,” and build on the progress they have made negotiating with a new, more flexible Regency team. But candidates Leslie Heath and Dan McCormick want to walk away from the negotiating table, letting developers 'dictate' the future of Kingsdale.
The full Kingsdale article appears below.
The UAPA Voter's Guide will also provide you with information about the following subjects:
- An overview of the city council race, including our opinion on the best outcome for progressives.
- High-quality town center or McKingsdale --- Which way will it go? Your vote on election day decides the outcome.
- Leslie Heath in support of library censorship?
- Thinking Outside the "Big Box"
- Can UA compete with surrounding suburbs?
- If you love Ciatola, you'll really love Heath
We've got some big decisions coming up this November, and we need to make them together. With only a few additional votes per precinct, UAPA could swing this election in favor of the moderate council candidates. Hope to see you at the polls on November 6!
UAPA Executive Committee
Member Quotable:
"Regency has stonewalled us for way too many years and a short-sighted “quick fix” is not enough for this critical space."
Member Editorial: Krauss and Seidel Have a Vision for Kingsdale
A bit of background
Regency, the mega-corporation that owns the Kingsdale property and 400 others like it, has only this month submitted its first development plan since they purchased the property nearly 10 years ago, giving Council a concrete idea of what the developers envision for the site.
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They propose what we call "McKingsdale" --- a mega-strip mall surrounded by a sea of asphalt. It addition, their plan includes a huge "big box" Target store that would encompass 8 to 10 acres of land. The Target store's side wall would be 300 feet long -- the length of a football field -- running along Northwest Blvd!!
High-quality town center vs. McKingsdale
At the city council candidates’ forum last week, redevelopment of Kingsdale was a hot topic – and it should be. Kingsdale represents a large plot of land, in the heart of our community, that has the potential to become a development that enhances our community. In its current state it is more of an eyesore -- not to mention its lost potential to generate tax revenue for the city.
You may not be aware that our tax revenue is derived from the income that people working in Upper Arlington earn – and professional office space tenants bring in more tax dollars than do retail employees earning minimum wage --- and reduce our heavy dependency on property taxes. A combination of retail, residential, civic and commercial spaces would best complement the needs of our community.
The leadership of UAPA wants our city council to be proactive and to negotiate the best solution that generates ample tax income while meeting the many, varied needs of its constituents.
Council members Mary Ann Krauss and Ed Seidel have a balanced vision of what can be accomplished when business and government collaborate and want to reinvigorate the property by negotiating with Regency for a more visibly appealing property that will meet several needs in our community, boost the City's tax revenues and provide Regency with a rate of return on its investment .
- Imagine the boost our tax base would get from several stories of medical and professional square footage at the site.
- Imagine how relaxing it would be to enjoy outstanding cuisine and then stroll around a beautifully landscaped green space and fountain in the square.
- Imagine inviting boutiques and shops luring you in to “boost the economy” as well as a Mom and Pop hardware store.
- Imagine senior citizens being able to live in affordable housing and to shop within walking distance.
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If you can’t use your imagination, go to www.gahannacreekside.com to see what the possibilities for our quality of life could be. There are numerous great examples of public/private partnerships around Central Ohio, Gahanna Creekside being the most recent example.
At the forum, candidates Leslie Heath and Dan McCormick were in lock step lobbying for the center to become purely market driven. Well, in the 10 or so years since Regency has operated Kingsdale, that’s exactly what has happened. The market has driven Kingsdale into the ground. Stores have migrated to more attractive malls and suburbs except for a scant few. The market-driven approach of Heath and McCormick will result in a mega-strip mall surrounded by a sea of asphalt. A vote for Heath and McCormick means that Kingsdale is left to more of the same.
Regency has no particular connection with UA. It is Council's responsibility to negotiate with Regency to ensure that Kingsdale is developed in ways that both benefit our community and make economic sense. We need members of Council, like Mary Ann Krauss and Ed Seidel, who are committed to forging these public/private partnerships, and who will direct Regency in our community's best interest-- not ones who will bypass the negotiating table to rely solely on letting the "market dictate" our community's future.