dangerboy wrote:
I'm going to defend Yael here. He's not hating Kansas City, just pointing an important weakness that we need to work on correcting.
I might buy into this if it weren't for the fact that he doesn't point out these problems with any other community. Â It's always how they are doing everything right and we're doing everything wrong. Â He even goes out of his way to try to create problems or controversies where they don't exist. Â Everything Barnes or Cauthen does is somehow sneaky or underhanded and any improvements coming to the city are not improvements but a means for them to shortchange someone else. Â He has a way of putting spin on every positive thing in KC to make it look negative. Â If we focus on rebuilding downtown then we're ignoring the needs of the northeast side. Â If we spend money trying to take advantage of the untapped potential of the airport or Richards Gebauer then we're blowing off the residents on Troost. Â It's never bravo to KC for addressing one of it's problems. Â
Even if his comments were stated out of genuine concern for the city he'd still be an idiot based on the fact that a city the size of KC can't fix everything all at once since we don't have an endless supply of cash to work with. Â Even much smaller communities filled with people whose incomes on average are in higher tax brackets can't pull that off.
Thrillcekr wrote:
Why does the Star allow this? Â The answer is quite simple. Â It sells newspapers in Johnson County because most of those people love to read anything negative about KC. Â It gives them a false sense of superiority. Â Strokes their fragile little egos.
Yeah! You go girl. That must be why they endorsed Democrats in 15 of 16 races this past November.
(1 exception being Bond, and that, with a warning that his voting record is "disturbing")
Yael started out years ago as a rah rah supporter of everything. Only after the city and county screwed up so many projects has he started questioning things. Its fine to be optimistic and a cheerleader for our city but when you constantly screw things up someone has to be held accountable. Yael is a dyed in the wool liberal but the community should be beyond liberal/conservative or D/R. It is about integrety and responsibility, things in very short supply in KC and Jackson County. Yes maybe in other suburbs and certainly across the US the same things happen. Doesn't mean it can't be different here.
Yael is no liberal. He just claims to be one. When he was on public television on the Ruckus program he postured as a liberal but on every issue sided with the conservatives. The guy is just a fraud.
Urban development is hard and risky. There are going to be some bumps along the way. Yael tries to convience everyone that urban development is just as easy as greenfield development on the suburban fringes, then claims that any of the very predictible problems that occur in urban development are the result of mismangement. He gets away with that in part by pretending to be to incompetent to actually examine what happens in other cities.
He loves to bash Union Station and the bi-state that paid for its renovation for example. As someone who has lived in Kansas City for 28 years, I remember how depressing it was to drive by an abandoned train station. The bi-state was used entirely to renovate the building. Union Station currently receives no tax subsidies at all. I consider it a major civic achievement that KC saved and renovated that station. Furthermore, name the other projects in similar cities that survive with no continuing tax subsidy. In addition, renovating Union Station has definately contributed to the neigborhood as evidenced by the IRS relocation. Does anyone believe the Freight House district rennovations would have occurred if it was accross the tracks from a hulking abandoned Union Station?
Sure Union Station isn't perfect, and apparently the Sience City part is dull for adults. But to relentlessly and dishonestly attack it like Yael does is just plain wrong. But that's Yael, all pandering to the high income demographics all the time.
Last edited by knucklehead on Fri Jul 15, 2005 8:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
After re-reading the article, I don't think he's bashing KC at all, but simply stating that our track record of sound decision making and follow through sucks. If all the items he mentioned were actually taken care of and adequately managed, can you imagine the synergy and excellence that would already be in place downtown?
Yael is still anti-suburb........I don't care for him and would like to see him deported, however his points in this opinion column are right on.
Urban development may be hard and risky for some but for the politically connected its a cakewalk. The city gives huge tax incentives, issues low interest bonds, uses eminent domain and the developer reaps any profit. If it fails they walk away and try again. While unfortunately that is also happening in the burbs it is still wrong. A lot of the good things happening in the urban environment have happened without the City's involvment.
I guess I really don't understand the reactionary criticism leveled at Yael. What the hell is wrong with holding our civic leaders accountable for their broken promises? Just because the man is spouting negative items doesn't mean he's anti-downtown.
Geezus, you guys remind me of Kool-aid drinking Bush supporters who refuse to say anything bad about the administration and claim anyone that says anything negative hates America. Its called accountability people, and our civic leaders haven't done a sparkling job over the last 30 years, and I'm glad to see someone call them out on it.
knucklehead wrote:
Does anyone believe the Freight House district rennovations would have occurred if it was accross the tracks from a hulking abandoned Union Station?
And furthermore, the Freight House renovation gave way to the Arts surge in the crossroads (I think a lot of that can be traced to the placement of the no defunct Video Post in the area). And the Crossroads surge certainly helped the decision to do P&L and much of the condo projects. Which in turn are leading to the development of the MAX line.
What next?
Union Station was money well spent (Liberty Memorial was a big factor too).
Every museum in the country is a loss leader, Science City’s problems are just exaggerated by the maintenance on the Union Station.
LenexatoKCMO wrote:
His article left out an important item:
-local newspaper promises to construct fabulous new facitlity promoting downtown but then lets city down by paving over thriving neighborhood with surface parking lots.
Some of you guys need to actually go back and read some stuff he's been writing for years. ANyone who thinks he's pro-suburb has eaten a HUGE bowl of brain tumors for breakfast...he despises the burbs and especially the use of Tax Incentives in burbs. Yael is so incredibly LIKE 90% of the posters on this board it comical to see you canibalize one of your own.
The guy was merely pointing out that KCMO's track record of delivering promises AS PROMISED is lowsy. No different that some of you crying about the design of a proposed crossroads grocery store or the design of a new building downtown. He's entitled to his opinion...in fact, HE GETS PAID FOR IT.
Rather than whining about what he wrote, refute it. Can you? Is anything he wrote incorrect or are we so freaking sensitive about the cesspool we've built that we can't stand to recognize it?
Slappy the Wang wrote:
Some of you guys need to actually go back and read some stuff he's been writing for years. ANyone who thinks he's pro-suburb has eaten a HUGE bowl of brain tumors for breakfast...he despises the burbs and especially the use of Tax Incentives in burbs. Yael is so incredibly LIKE 90% of the posters on this board it comical to see you canibalize one of your own.
The guy was merely pointing out that KCMO's track record of delivering promises AS PROMISED is lowsy. No different that some of you crying about the design of a proposed crossroads grocery store or the design of a new building downtown. He's entitled to his opinion...in fact, HE GETS PAID FOR IT.
Rather than whining about what he wrote, refute it. Can you? Is anything he wrote incorrect or are we so freaking sensitive about the cesspool we've built that we can't stand to recognize it?
Hates the burbs? Here is a link to his last 11 columns in the Star. Three of those are pro JoCo and the rest are all attacks of one kind or another on the city of Kansas City, Mo or it's leadership. From what I've read, the people who feel he is anti-KC have plenty to stand on. I don't think anyone is trying to say he shouldn't bitch every now and then. It's pretty obvious once you open the link below that this is all he does while simultaneously licking the boots of the burbs and those steering them.
Slappy the Wang, I don't know what has happened to Yael or who has told him to change his writing style, but he is about as pro urban core anymore as Steve Rose. Every single one of his columns in the past year or so have had such a Johnson County twist it's not even funny. He consistently leaves out important information just so he can make a point, mostly comparing KCMO to JoCo without comparing the all the facts to show the entire story and frankly I can't stand his columns anymore. He has become just another moron in the press who is misleading the general population about what’s going on in KCMO. I’m not sure what the benefit is, but I used to look forward to what he had to say, now I cringe and wonder what kind of misleading garbage he is putting out there now.
dangerboy wrote:
Plaza Library - paid for by the office building developer in exchange for air rights above the library.Â
Berkley Park - mostly paid for with tax revenue from the Isle of Capri casino
Nelson - private donations.
The Central Library hasn't been a total success. The utility and staff costs have been much higher than anticipated. The library system has had to cut back hours and book buying for all branches in order to offset the cost of the new facility. Plus, a year later they still have no tenant for the cafe space.
Small correction: The Riverfront Park was developed using lease payments from Hilton / Isle of Capri. No tax revenue was utilized.
KC0KEK wrote:
So Capri leases land from the city? Granted, that's not tax revenue, but it's still money that goes into the public coffers, right?
The Capri leases land from the Port Authority of Kansas City, a quasi-government entity authorized by state law that is run by its own board, which is appointed by the Mayor. The Port Authority also owns Riverfront Park. The money is technically public, but it is not generated from a tax.
"Keep the Status-Quo! Yes on 1, No on 2!" - Jackson County Voters
Ole' Yael is acting true to form on Ruckus right now. JoCo is the best thing since sliced bread, but it remains to be seen whether anyone or not will ever patronize KC Live.
