Kent Morlan wrote a letter to the editor that ran in this morning's World. He brings up a valid point about the fire suppression requirements for older high-rise buildings -- that's a problematic issue no matter which side of the argument you're on.
However, rather than simply state his case for relief for downtown property owners, including himself, Mr. Morlan chose to attack the Vision 2025 downtown housing funds in an attempt to make his point. In doing so, Mr. Morlan showed little to no understanding of how the Vision 2025 downtown housing funds actually work:
- He did not know the location of the First Street Lofts project, calling it an "unidentified" Blue Dome property. The old Jacobs Hotel building on First Street was clearly identified during both the application process and the news conference announcing the funded projects.
- The wording of his letter suggests that he feels the funding is a gift from the city, when in fact the funding is a zero-interest loan that must be paid back. Generous terms, yes; but not a handout, either. There is a big difference, which he either does not grasp or chose to misrepresent.
- He describes the 4 properties that received funding as "uneconomic" and "uninhabitable", which must be perplexing to the current tenants of those four buildings. By the way, one of the four funded projects is the Mayo Hotel. Perhaps he feels the wrecking ball is a better choice for such an "uninhabitable" structure?
- He claims there isn't sufficient demand for downtown housing. Recent studies indicate demand for 600-800 new downtown units.
- His tone clearly implied that he felt the funding program was a thoroughly misguided effort.
Why is any of this important? Because Mr. Morlan was a candidate in the Republican primary for the open District 4 City Council seat. In case you don't know, District 4
includes downtown.
Considering his narrow, pessimistic, and largely uninformed views of downtown housing revitalization efforts, I'm of the opinion that the ol' CBD dodged a major bullet when Mr. Morlan was soundly defeated in the primary.