Quote:
Originally Posted by beyeas
I don't see how saying that empty lots are an eyesore and suggesting that they be greened and turned into temporary open space is something that requires a huge tax base? In fact I would suggest it should be a condition imposed if a developer flattens a site to avoid the taxes and then leaves the lot undeveloped.
Not to mention the fact that sometimes I think this city needs a wake up call. There is no doubt that Halifax is a great city... but sometimes I see a temptation to get a bit big for its britches. For example anyone who things that Halifax is such a historic jewel should go to Quebec City, and anyone who thinks that everyone outside of NS doesn't laugh at us for the HRM moniker needs to get their heads out of the sand.
We look foolish, and far to often local politicians spend to much time navel gazing and not enough time actually realizing what people from the outside think. She is by far not the only visitor to think this... in fact I would go so far as to say that any visitor to downtown Halifax this summer will drive away thinking of empty lots, empty stores and floatables.
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Because its obvious, duh!
First and foremost... I don't really care about the visitors, I LIVE HERE THE REST OF THE YEAR! If its not good enough for me in 365 days of the year than clearly it sucks for tourists who are here for a brief period and don't even fully experience the lack of development or services at this current point in history.
Why we don't have BRT in the railcut as a top priority is downright rediculous to me and the development situation downtown is laughable. I don't even mind the HRM in concept that much, as it is similar to a european model. I think our brand could be updated, but she's missing the boat on the real structural issues... who cares about the fluff when its the actual policies and lobby groups that have hurt Halifax. It almost reminds me of the Christian right's influence on the Bush administration's policy decisions, except these people are on the opposite end of the spectrum.
If she wants to know why all of these lots are like this... look no farther than the HT. I know it sounds like the same old from me, but I honestly believe a number of developments would have started before the recession screwed their chances of financing. That would be a number of sites that we might have buildings on right now.
Why are we gettting somebody else to tell us what is right in front of us? Are people in Halifax seriously not aware that they are being screwed by their own decisions in electing certain individuals or provincial groups.
It doesn't take a fucking luncheon with some person from Chicago to let the public or our leadership figure this one out.
Like Someone123 says, there is a small town mentality here and no matter how many times we beat the drum on the pro-development end we are still going to have obstructionists throw a wrench into the mix and we will hold more and more meetings on a "what if" Halifax.
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