DOWNTOWN PROJECT SOOO SLOOOW

There have been a group of people very insistent on the fact that the Downtown Project is moving too slowly. They seem to blame the current Council for a project and conditions that the previous Council voted to approve. Take whatever side you want for the time spent on the recusal motion made by the developer against a councilmember. The subsequent bias brought against the Mayor. Not to mention the town fighting for the 100 year flood rules to make sure citizens down stream were not adversely affected. So what is the problem? Why is it taking so long to get the thing started and finished?
1. You have to understand that projects of this size carry long lead times. Austin Village was approved long before land started to be cleared. Its been almost two years and the project at Fincher and Potter still not showing any movement. There are more examples, but the point is just because the project has been approved, doesn't mean construction will start the very next day. Projects like the Downtown Project have a two year window for a start date from approval the way I understand it. Please, check for yourself I'am going off of memory here.

2. The developer himself stated that if all were cleared to go, the project was still 2 years away.

3. The Downtown Project was passed I believe in February of 2005. The previous council attached 44 conditions upon the project so that it could be completed.

4. July 2006 some 17 months later...the developer asked for conditions to be eased and the Planning Board heard the case.

5. August/September 2006- The council was to hear the case but the developer asked for the recusal of Councilmember Schallenkamp. The delay from the council involvement begins.

6. The council I believe agreed to most of the conditions that were presented to them except for primarily 2 or 3. The 100 yr flood restrictions...that provided some delay. The problem solved by involvement on both sides, and in the end, the developer didn't have to worry about CSX and its 18 month delay with no guarantees. Rather the problem was fixed with the reflecting pond.

7. Looking through the files...the big issue causing the biggest delay and headache is the road/traffic situation. Primarily, the construction of this project with current road conditions will make the roads totally impassable. Most intersections rating F/F-. If I understood the paperwork...the requirements call for the improvements to raise the level to a C. A big chore considering only 2 lanes of traffic and a railroad so close to the project.

8. Just for giggles, throw in the Sewer/Water permits...which I believe the state has stopped until Union county gets some capacity...not to happen until late 2007/early 2008...depending on when the state signs off on the expansion of 12mile Creek.

Questions arise from the above:
1. What was going on those 17 months that nothing seemingly took place? Is that the standard delay for a project? Was the project delayed by the original 44 conditions placed on it by the previous council? It is the right of the developer to bring the project back and ask for easing of conditions, but is it prudent to challenge the governing body that way? You can attract more with honey....
2. Did the CSX approval delay the project?
3. How bad are the roads and transportation in that area? Wouldn't it have been more prudent pending the approval to have a traffic study in hand prior to approval?
4. Why was the Medical tennants brought up in the first place? The tennants have nothing to do with the project...not under the control of the town unless the percentages are out of standards that the project was passed under.
5. Does the delay of the potential land swap/building of town hall/ the road to South Fork all play into the delay?

As much as the more vocal group of citizens would like you to believe that somehow the council is preventing this project from going forward, my opinion is that is just not the truth. There are a lot of issues slowing this project. Looking at the file, my opinion is that the overall major slow down of this project is Indian Trail Road, the capacity, the current congestion and the size of the project itself. Not to metion the lack of traditional roads in a grid system of roads. Its all about the roads right now and unfortunately there are no silver bullets that will magically fix the situation.