INC NEWS - from fobclub2: Re: neighborhood revitalization fund (today's Herald-Sun) (fwd)

[kjj1 at duke.edu]

------------ Forwarded Message ------------
Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 5:27 PM -0700
From: fobclub2 <fobclub2 at yahoo.com>
To: pac2 at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [pac2] neighborhood revitalization fund (today's Herald-Sun)

I agree with the sentiments of the city council members below--we do need
to broaden our revitalization and redevelopment efforts beyond downtown.
There are many other neighborhoods in Durham--and lots of taxpayers living
in them--that deserve some focused revitalization attention and funds.
But before we increase taxes, why can't the city just redirect some of the
$500,000/year that is directed to DDI at the beginning of the budget
process? I must have missed the meeting or the referendum where Durham
citizens agreed that the city budget should guarantee DDI such large
funding every year ahead of any other neighborhoods.
If downtown redevelopment has turned a corner--as we keep hearing it
has--maybe now is truly the time for DDI to seek more private funding
sources so that city taxpayers' dollars can now be put to use benefitting
other neighborhoods.
And when we've begun to redirect some taxpayer dollars from DDI to other
Durham neighborhoods, maybe people will be more willing to talk about a
smaller tax increase to supplement additional neighborhood redevelopment.
Betty M. Greene





John Schelp <bwatu at yahoo.com> wrote:

 "I support downtown... However, there's another part
 of Durham we need to pay attention to."
 --Cora Cole-McFadden

"I like what we're doing downtown, but we need to
 start looking at the core neighborhoods."
--Diane Catotti

"I think we've come to a point in our history as a
 city where we need to pay more attention to our
 neighborhood revitalization programs."
--Howard Clement


City Council ponders revitalization
 Herald-Sun, 23 May 2006

Durham officials need to figure out a way to establish
 the same sort of incentives program for "neighborhood
 revitalization" projects that they've used since 2000
 to promote investment downtown, two City Council
 members said Monday.

That would mean devoting about $1.6 million -- the
 revenue raised by a penny on the city's property tax
 rate -- to a fund that would subsidize projects in
 five inner-city neighborhoods.

While City Manager Patrick Baker has said the idea's
 worth considering, last week he stopped short of
 asking for the money his staff would need to implement
 it in fiscal 2006-07. But on Monday, council members
 Diane Catotti and Howard Clement both said elected
 officials should think about launching the fund as
 they ponder the city's next budget.

"I think we've come to a point in our history as a
 city where we need to pay more attention to our
 neighborhood revitalization programs," Clement said.
 "I hope we can find this $1.6 million."

Catotti agreed. "I like what we're doing downtown, but
 we need to start looking at the core neighborhoods,"
 she said.

Clement and Catotti offered their comments as the
 council began a weeklong, department-by-department
 review of Baker's 2006-07 budget request. The
 discussion occurred as officials examined the budget
 for the Office of Economic and Employment Development,
 which administers most of the city's business
 incentives programs.

Monday's conversation was obviously influenced by
 activists in the Fayetteville Street corridor and
 other areas who allege that the council has been more
 enthusiastic about investing in Durham's downtown than
 it has been about putting money into the neighborhoods
 that house large portions of the city's black
 community.

Six years ago, the city created a downtown
 revitalization fund and stocked it with the revenue
 raised by increasing the tax rate by a penny. Much of
 the money helped underwrite the American Tobacco
 project downtown next to the Durham Bulls Athletic
 Park.

The downtown fund endures, and in fiscal 2006-07 is
 supposed to devote about $1.1 million to incentives.
 Money from the fund also continues to underwrite debt
 payments on one of the parking garages associated with
 the American Tobacco project.

The 2000 decision to create the downtown fund provoked
 dissent of some of the leaders of the city's black
 community, and while the criticism doesn't appear to
 have had any repercussions at election time for Durham
 officials, it has continued to this day.

The question reared its head again this spring when
 shopping-center owner Larry Hester and other members
 of the Fayetteville Street Planning Group urged city
 officials to devote the equivalent of 3 cents on the
 tax rate -- $4.9 million at the current rate -- to
 economic development projects in their neighborhood.

Baker's suggestion of a penny's allocation would cover
 a wider set of neighborhoods. In addition to the
 Fayetteville Street corridor, he would target Old Five
 Points, the area around the intersection of Angier
 Avenue and Driver Street, the area around the
 intersection of East Main Street and Alston Avenue,
 and an area along West Chapel Hill Street.

All five neighborhoods are already listed as potential
 beneficiaries of at least some of the city's existing
 incentive programs.

Economic and Employment Development Director Alan
 DeLisle noted that businesses in the Fayetteville
 Street corridor already can qualify for most of the
 department's programs, including one that provides
 "downtown revitalization" loans of up to $250,000.

Beyond the question of funding, officials have offered
 few details about the potential neighborhood
 revitalization fund. Baker and his staff haven't
 spelled out who might qualify for funds or how the
 program might be administered.

And on Monday, council members didn't say whether
 they'd be willing to finance it by adding a penny to
 the tax increase Baker has requested for other
 programs, 3.75 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Members made it clear, however, that they'd like more
 attention paid to the neighborhoods.

Councilwoman Cora Cole-McFadden said she thinks the
 Office of Economic and Employment Development's
 personnel assignments are too heavily weighted toward
 downtown projects. Councilman Mike Woodard asked
 whether DeLisle's office could shift money from lesser
 priorities into things like an effort to help
 teenagers finds jobs.

"Citizens are tired of us dragging our feet on these
 issues," Cole-McFadden said. "I support downtown -- I
 think it's fantastic. However, there's another part of
 Durham we need to pay attention to."







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