A Tale of Two Parking Garages
As I drove past the intersection of Michigan and Garfield this weekend, I noticed the excavation going on in earnest for the Hospital Parking Garage. As I continued down Michigan to downtown, I decided to check on the Permian Plaza Parking Garage, and noted the weeds had grown a few inches taller. My prediction that the Hospital Parking Garage would be finished first seems pretty secure.
Tale of the Tape:
Midland Memorial Hospital Parking Garage
April 2008 - Fund raising for Tower/Garage Starts in Earnest.
May 2009 - Bond Issue Passes for Remaining Funds.
February 2010 - Parking Garage Construction Begins.
Parking Garage Cost: $8.6 Million
Spaces: 790
Taxpayer Cost Per Public Space: $10,886
Basic Energy Service Permian Plaza
August 2007 - Basic Energy Buys Permian Plaza Property
November 2007 - Basic Energy Announces their Private Permian Plaza Project w/ 600+ spaces.
February 2008 - Basic Energy Approaches MDC for "Informational Purposes"
May 2009 - City Council Approves $2 Million forgivable loan from MDC for project.
Parking Garage Construction - Announced as March 2010
Cost: Unknown - Never Published $5.7 Million
Spaces: 440 470 (75 "Public")
Taxpayer Cost per Public Space: $26,667 (for now)
Basic received a $2 million forgivable loan from the Midland Development Corp., and its application to obtain tax funding for part of its infrastructure costs is pending.
Update: Talk about being slightly ahead of the curve, a mere 3 hours after I post a parking garage update, the MRT has an update on Permian Plaza all ready to go for Sunday.
However, I'm more confused about the "Public" Parking after reading this new story:
Public parking will be rented during business hours and be used on a first come, first served basis after hours and on weekends, architect Mark Wellen said.
So we paid $2 Million for 75 spaces of after hours and weekend parking?
Ohh and for the "Misstatement of the Day":
"It will add desperately needed parking, spur commercial development and take taxation pressure off homeowners."
Not until the expiration of the TIRZ and not unless the Appraisal District fully appraises the complex upon completion. I have yet to find an MDC project that had a taxable value near the "required capital improvements" and all property tax increases in the CBD above the floor set when the TIRZ was established for every taxing entity except MISD, do not go to the bottom line to reduce the tax burden of homeowners, but are reserved for the TIRZ, and the TIRZ alone.
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7 Comments
Again, here would be a great place to have the full development agreement posted online.
After reading the old stories, I'm not even sure the number of parking spaces is even in the "development agreement." I feel this is more of a verbal understanding of what the MDC wanted the spaces to be perceived in the public's mind.
The careful language of the quotes all through the process, by the Council, the MDC, and Basic has been the same:
With 75 spaces for the public or third party non-tenants...
[The MDC Board] urged the company to make 75 parking spaces available to the public or third-party non tenants of the Permian Plaza development...
"Third Party Non-Tenants?" Who talks like that?
I never really noticed it, but what this tells me is that full-time access "Public" parking has never really been part of the deal, otherwise, why couch the comment with legal speak like "Third Party Non-Tenants?" They're reserving the right to lease those spaces during the day to non-tenants. Seems somebody dropped their careful use of language.
So, we paid $2,000,000 for approximately $15,000,000 in taxable property improvements and 50 jobs.
Now I know why Trace asked for 25 jobs at $400,000, it was still a tougher deal than Basic got.
Back in the day in Midland ,If you wanted something from the city you would be required to put on a pretty face , sashay a bit , and bend over..and then the powers-that-be would decide if they liked the cut of your jib and stick some lucre in your back pocket .
They had names for people like that .
Still do .
Today some city departments are SO desperate for some action they remind me of drunken sailors after a year in a submarine .
I have written this post four times . One through three were funny and clever but would get me permanently barred from ever posting here again .
I am mad .
Again .
The purpose of the MDC is to bring TAXABLE employment to Midland ! Instead they act like office people intent on keeping their jobs doing mindless things by "looking" busy !
Think "Dilbert" downtown and you've got the MDC .
(This is the opinion I get which is shared by many)
The TIRZ and MDC were built upon "good intentions" and now many of you are being soured by their actions. Sorry . I told you so ! Neener neener neener ! Damn that felt good !
In many cases the MDC IS the TIRZ !
Do yourself a favor Midland and realize the TIRZ and MDC are self-interest groups that have NO business being supported by our tax dollars !
NONE !
Funny how a "conservative" town uses the same tactics as Obama to convince the people spending more money will cost them less.
Personally, I think this is brilliant. And forward thinking. Award-winning even. Midland needs after hours parking four blocks away from the center of downtown that we can be proud of!
Yes, but did you read the comments? MANY of them are clailng the mail for what they are and even mothers with children admit that there are not enough disabled parking bays. Lets face it, the mail would print any old shite to create a story, and this is their attempt at a non-story which backfired on them. Hey! want to hear about one of the good guys? I pulled in to one of the Little Chefs on the Northbound carriageway on the A1 just north of Peterborough and parked my little white Citroen Berlingo van in one of their disabled bays. The manager actually came out to ask me to move OUT of it, just before he noticed me putting my blue badge in the windscreen! If only everyone was so concienscous.Also the bottom Tesco in Lincoln are wheelclamping anyone who illegally park in a disabled bay. (not that there are very many of them) Very good, I say!
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I think you understate. We paid $2 million for 75 spaces of after hours parking that no one will ever use for after hours parking.
What facilities near this parking garage are to be serviced by these parking spaces that can't already be served by existing parking?
The only people that will use these spaces on the weekends are people who work in Permian Place who have gone in on the weekend because, presumably, these "public spaces" will be on the lower floor of the garage. And if they are not on the lower floor it is guaranteed by its very design to never be used by the publc.
Is this the first time it has been mentioned that these parking spaces deemed so critical to downtown development by the MDC will only be available after hours?