The following column was distributed as a “Special Bulletin” to our mailing list in advance of this publication. Responses received by August 25 follow the column.
Owensboro’s Riverfront Master Plan is BIG. Really BIG. Fifty million taxpayer dollars big. Officials intend to spend more on our riverfront than the amount spent to build Owensboro Community College, RiverPark Center, Riverport, industrial parks, public library, museums or parks.
One could challenge whether these federal grants reflect appropriate priorities with the nation facing alarming budget deficits, security threats and social problems. Most local leaders would acknowledge that if they had discretionary use of $50 million, the riverfront would not be the sole beneficiary. But it’s a done deal. The grants won’t be returned to Washington.
The master plan could spark a remarkable transformation of our riverfront, downtown and community. Like our hospital, colleges and cultural centers, the riverfront project will serve the whole region. Consequently, we should seize this opportunity and leverage the public investment as best we can to attract the maximum and most appropriate complement of private investment (retail, office, entertainment, hotel, housing, etc.) to our downtown riverfront area.
The dramatically expanded and redesigned Smother’s Park will be an attraction in itself, but the private investments on contiguous properties along Veterans Boulevard and nearby in downtown are what will revitalize the area, create jobs, enrich the tax base, accentuate the aesthetic appeal and ultimately justify the taxpayer expense.
With $50 million at stake, there is no reason for citizens and governments to be apologetic about protecting that investment. We owe it to the people to maximize this development opportunity. But it’s not just about completing a good project; it’s about community ownership of the project itself.
We have two choices: 1) We can take our chances and let the forces of the marketplace drive any development that may occur; or 2) We can control the development process to increase the likelihood that the best development possible will occur in the area.
If we do nothing and take our chances, things still could turn out fine. We might see an office building or condominium, maybe a new restaurant along the riverfront on properties that to this point are undeveloped or largely underdeveloped.
On the other hand, good things may not necessarily happen and the project could fall tragically short of its potential. Development could be held hostage by speculators or property owners who place profits above community improvement. We could see inappropriate uses, incompatible architecture, a project of a disappointing scale, or no significant change at all across the street or in the neighborhood of this unprecedented taxpayer investment.
Professional planners should establish a site plan framework and identify properties that are essential to the ideal development of the area. These properties should be acquired (or optioned) by a public or nonprofit entity – perhaps the new redevelopment authority planned as the successor of Downtown Owensboro, Inc. If the authority does not have the financial means to acquire the property, the funds should be borrowed through the backing of local governments and financial institutions.
Property owners should be allowed to make an appropriate profit and businesses should be compensated fairly for relocation expenses, but they should not be able to demand an unrealistic price that falls upon taxpayers to absorb. To serve the public interest, officials may need to use their legal authority and acquire property through the threat of condemnation. Had this same authority not been exercised in the acquisition of property for RiverPark Center, the arts center would not have been built on the site that author and city analyst Neal Peirce called “a stroke of genius.”
Another land acquisition strategy is for government(s) or a redevelopment authority to purchase property for a public parking garage (some or all of which could be built underground) and lease air rights for development.
Once a critical mass of strategic property is assembled, reputable real estate developers – particularly those with experience in downtowns, waterfronts and entertainment districts – should be invited to submit proposals for the development of the area based on various parameters and community goals set by the city with input from the public. The citizens group PRIDE (Public Responsibility In Designing our Environment) is a natural mechanism to facilitate such input.
Proposals from developers should include information about the firm (comparable projects, staff experience, financial stability, etc.), the amount of space planned for various uses, preliminary commitments from major tenants, preliminary architectural design, economic impact estimates and any public sector participation (parking, land lease, tax abatement, low-interest loans, etc.) requested by the developer to make the project viable.
Some may prefer a more entrepreneurial-driven eclectic cluster of quaint shops and restaurants along our riverfront, and more night life and spontaneity that would be unique to Owensboro as opposed to a project controlled by a developer. Developers may be more inclined to attract tenants from restaurant, retail or entertainment chains. Moreover, the riverfront traffic counts and downtown market may not be strong enough to attract significant interest from the private sector.
There are no guarantees, but given the dramatic infusion of riverfront improvements, such a process should produce some impressive proposals for mixed-use projects in the range of $30-$50 million or more.
Since fifty million taxpayer dollars will be used to create the environment that makes the area enticing to developers, and since additional tax dollars may be needed as incentives, citizens should have ample opportunities to review the proposals, ask questions, share impressions, consider the public’s return on investment and select their favorite proposal. This should involve a citizen review panel and public meetings through the coordination of PRIDE.
In fact, the project would be well-served to have dozens, if not hundreds of citizens involved in committees to select park amenities, design details, graphics, tenant mix, and much more. There should be forums, surveys, workshops, interactive websites and other ways for the people to have a substantive role in shaping this thrilling community project.
From a design, construction and functional standpoint, it makes sense to coordinate the private with the public. If we expect a three- to five-year construction site to build the riverfront master plan, would it not be better to have as much of the private sector construction occurring simultaneously rather than stretch out the inconvenience another three to five years?
Given that many Owensboro-Daviess Countians do not feel that their voice matters and that power is concentrated among the few and the privileged, the riverfront project is a unique opportunity for us to speak and act as one and demonstrate that major community decisions can involve people from all walks of life. In so doing, we will advance the common good and foster trust in our public institutions. An open, transparent and participatory public process can be an uplifting, unifying experience for our community instead of a divisive one. It can be an exciting time as citizens see public and private improvements transform our riverfront and the image of our community.