TEHACHAPI IS AT THE FORK IN THE ROAD - jrmortensen's Blog

TEHACHAPI IS AT THE FORK IN THE ROAD - jrmortensen's Blog - Tehachapi News http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jrmortensen We are all interested in the Quality of life in the Tehachapi Valleys. We want a safe environment for our children & grandchildren; we want educational & recreational facilities and programs. Growth is inevitable, but quality growth is planned. A quality community takes creative leadership, intelligent planning, and effective implementation. Presently, sorry to say, I think we are short in all three areas, but it's not too late. I think we at the fork in the road, which will help determine the quality of Tehachapi's future growth and the quality of life in our valley. The location and design of our City Hall will greatly influence Tehachapi's future image. Let me share some thoughts. At present I think that Capital Hills is my preferred location. I feel it has many advantages especially when compared to the Curry/Valley (shopping center) location. Curry/Valley (shopping center) location: * A "City Hall" in a shopping mall has no class. It's typical of "small town" thinking. * Be too small and has no space for expansion. * Create unacceptable traffic and parking problems, which will cost a fortune to correct later. * Addresses or meets only one of our needs a "city hall". Capital Hills location would: * Create a fresh/new city area while retaining the unique original historic Tehachapic sites, which can be enhanced. * Have adequate space for the City Hall, Civic Center, landscaping, parking, other appropriate community facilities and supporting businesses. (Set desired image or city theme) * Have excellent access potential to both the freeway and the city, which the developer would be required to provide. * Have new and adequate infrastructure, which the developer would be required to provide (some is already in place). * Bring in much needed transit revenue without impacting our way of life. * Require "thinking outside-the-box" to implement. It will need creative planning, financing and management. Some of our present leaders may not be up to it. The "good-old-boy" style of management will not get the job done. Some also carry too much baggage in nepotism and cronyism history, which will always be a point of contention. My preference to Capital Hill over Curry/Valley is based on my experience in Thousand Oaks. They had very similar decisions to make (i.e. historic Thousand Oaks development, new city hall, civic/cultural center, new regional mall vs existing mall upgrade, freeway transit business, etc. WHAT SAY YOU? We are all interested in the Quality of life in the Tehachapi Valleys. We want a safe environment for our children & grandchildren; we want educational & recreational facilities and programs. Growth is inevitable, but quality growth is planned. A quality community takes creative leadership, intelligent planning, and effective implementation. Presently, sorry to say, I think we are short in all three areas, but it's not too late. I think we at the fork in the road, which will help determine the quality of Tehachapi's future growth and the quality of life in our valley. The location and design of our City Hall will greatly influence Tehachapi's future image. Let me share some thoughts. At present I think that Capital Hills is my preferred location. I feel it has many advantages especially when compared to the Curry/Valley (shopping center) location. Curry/Valley (shopping center) location: * A "City Hall" in a shopping mall has no class. It's typical of "small town" thinking. * Be too small and has no space for expansion. * Create unacceptable traffic and parking problems, which will cost a fortune to correct later. * Addresses or meets only one of our needs a "city hall". Capital Hills location would: * Create a fresh/new city area while retaining the unique original historic Tehachapic sites, which can be enhanced. * Have adequate space for the City Hall, Civic Center, landscaping, parking, other appropriate community facilities and supporting businesses. (Set desired image or city theme) * Have excellent access potential to both the freeway and the city, which the developer would be required to provide. * Have new and adequate infrastructure, which the developer would be required to provide (some is already in place). * Bring in much needed transit revenue without impacting our way of life. * Require "thinking outside-the-box" to implement. It will need creative planning, financing and management. Some of our present leaders may not be up to it. The "good-old-boy" style of management will not get the job done. Some also carry too much baggage in nepotism and cronyism history, which will always be a point of contention. My preference to Capital Hill over Curry/Valley is based on my experience in Thousand Oaks. They had very similar decisions to make (i.e. historic Thousand Oaks development, new city hall, civic/cultural center, new regional mall vs existing mall upgrade, freeway transit business, etc. WHAT SAY YOU? en-us City Crisis Management: http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jrmortensen/26151 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jrmortensen/26151 Based on their past track record and recent comments, the City Council and staff do not inspire great confidence in the hearts and minds of your readers. I’m referring to the following issues: ·        CCI expansion impact - Ed Grimes - “Tehachapi is going to have a voice,” and Mayor Hand - “We’re a little more sophisticated now than we were ten years ago,” ·        Development Mitigation Fees - City Manager Greg Garrett - “You are trying to make the [city] staff look stupid,” and Director David James - “We acknowledge the chaos and animosity this has created,” followed by “Nothing could be further from the truth,”. <o:p></o:p> Observation: (If action fits, then you deserve the title.) ·        Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. (Attributed to <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Albert</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Einstein</st1:sn></st2:personname>) ·        If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it must Be Time to Resign.<o:p></o:p> We could use less “voice” and “sophisticated” and more wisdom and effective action from our representatives. Our city and staff wouldn’t “look stupid” if their actions didn’t create so much “chaos and animosity”.  Development Impact Mitigation fees are typically paid by a developer before a building permit or certificate of occupancy is issued. Getting business tenants in the middle of the fee payment is not being “business friendly”.  Developers/Property Owners should pay the fees. Mitigation & Impact fees are authorized by the state and imposed by local agencies on new development to pay for a portion of the added costs that the new development will create or impose on the existing public infrastructure (ie. utilities, education, transportation, etc.)   These fees are a charge on new development to help fund and pay for the  needed expansion or improvements created by the development (residential or commercial). These fees are to help reduce the economic burden on local agencies (tax payers), who are trying to deal with the problems growth brings to the area. -- Those who profit and create the need for expansion should pay Impact Fees to Mitigate the Problems. Developer are experts at "HIT & RUN"   HIT=Create Problem, and RUN with the profits. Most communities are slow or hesitant to impose realistic fees due to local politicians dependance on developer contributions. - FOLLOW THE MONEY