A Cynics View Of Canyon Cliffs Negotiation
Posted by Jeff Pruitt - 6/17/08 @ 10:23 pm - Filed Under Local Politics
So tomorrow ACRES will sit down to negotiate with Bodenhafer and Mike Thomas to see if they can purchase the property in order to preserve it for common good. ACRES has acknowledged they are willing to pay market value so what might the hold up be? Well the cynic in me sees two potential roadblocks:
- The city sees this as an opportunity to expand their sewage empire and bring relief to a housing division that badly needs it. With the engineers firmly behind the project you can bet the administration is pushing for development as well.
- This project isn’t about Canyon Cliffs - it’s about all the future development that will inevitably follow. The developer knows this and they know it will be difficult to get the next big
paydayproject if a compromise is reached with ACRES
Good luck to ACRES and hopefully Bodenhafer and Thomas make the right decision
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3 Responses to “A Cynics View Of Canyon Cliffs Negotiation”
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Regarding #1: If relief truly is the optimal desire then I believe they can provide such relief without this development, again if that was the desire. However the Allen County Planning Commission should make the decision based on this fact and not feeling this development is paramount for this lingering sewer relief. Lets not forget Homestead Acres was denied twice before in the past, even when wanting to pay for it themselves. So why now is the city/county concerned — See # 2
Regarding #2: Agree fully with the developer(s) desire for a big payday.
The facts from todays meeting will be interesting. We will just have to wait and see Cynic. Keep us posted ;-)
“Q. ACRES Land Trust, which owns land near the proposed development has offered to buy the property and met Wednesday with representatives of Oakmont Development.
Is the issue moot?
A. Not until a deal is signed. Many landowners donate their land or sell it at a significantly reduced price. But that seems unlikely in this case given the plans Bodenhafer currently has for the land. After all, he has a right to sell the land and make a profit. With luck he will consider the long-term interests of the community as well as his pocketbook.
Jason Kissel, the executive director of ACRES, said the meeting went well, but the group was “in the very infant stages of discussions.” ACRES would still need to seek board approval, and the project would be the largest fundraising effort ACRES has ever undertaken. But Kissel said the group was interested in the property because it would tie together eight ACRES nature preserves as well as land owned by the local chapter of the Izaak Walton League and the Limberlost Girl Scouts for a total of about 700 acres of preserved land.
Q. What is the next step?
A. The executive committee will meet at 11:30 a.m. today to decide the Minor Plat Ordinance issue, and the plan commission will meet at 1:30 p.m. to consider lifting the restrictive covenant.”
Full Story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080619/EDIT07/806190327
[...] doubted the Canyon Cliffs developers would sell their land to ACRES even for market value. Here was my rationale at the time: This project isn’t about Canyon Cliffs - it’s about all the future development [...]