A reap what you sow moment ocurred Monday night for some City Council members who intemperately voted three years ago to sell an old gas station on State Street to one preferred person for $30K while other established businessmen sat in the audience offering $80K. Now the inability or unwillingness of the property owner to make desired improvements has the same Council members threatening a shut down of an auto detailing business now located there.
While not the Tim Horton's donut shot promised when lawmakers (me excluded) voted to sell the property, the detail shop is a viable business and yesterday, I worked on some language that hopefully will allow it to stay open. I am sure Council members do not want to see it close because the property owner will not pave the lot, as lawmakers want required.
Meanwhile the tenant owning the business says he is not able to make improvements to property he does not own.
Watertown Daily Times Watertown City Council takes no action on auto repair shop
11 comments:
Whenever I drive down State street it always bothers me that the lot is not paved.
Nothing else bothers me. Not the giant red roof on Cheney tire built so close to the road you can barley park. Not the curb sticking out of the ground next to the sidewalk at Rite Aid. Not the bottle return machines outside Great American. Not the Garish colors on the Tattoo parlor or the new garish colors on the Cole Muffler building. Pavement is what I notice more than anything.
Go just a few feet down some of the streets in Syracuse...see what you see. Watertown in a fresh breath compaired to else where.
The Watertown City "fathers" have a tradition of selling properties to "favored" buyers. The Coleman situation at the Fairgrounds and the Friendly's situation on Arsenal St come to mind. These sleazy dealings have not been the high point of integrity for city government. This is no different. I'm kind of surprised you would bring it up, Jeff.
I would bring it up because of two reasons....one is the other incidents did not involve other interested parties...and by the time the State Street issue came up, I had learned something from previous transactions...
The State Street property was an inside deal for a friend...Clear and simple.
Don't forget Micks place.
Asbestos and underground petroleum is a factor in how things should be done with property sales.
Don't forget PJ got a couple properties on the cheap too.
And then he put a giant billboard up
But heaven help us if there is a little doggie doo sign on state street.
Jeff, you say these incidents did not involve interested parties. I thought the Friendly deal was disputed, by that Fear guy. Maybe I'm wrong.
Even if there were other properties done poorly. Graham is right and the state street deal cost the city a lot.
You are wrong about the friendly deal. It was about a dude who saw a chance to make big cash on property....to fracking late. He stepped in after the deal was on the table trying to buy it out. He thought cash made the world go around. He is a greedy man. Anymore questions?
How about taking those involved in another questionable real estate deal, be taken to the middle of public square, and forced to wear a dunce cap? Put public ownership of property out , to the highest bidder, period. Any potential property owner, can promise you the moon, as we have seen. Then the fair and proper owner, can follow the rules. And we wonder why the parks and rec. got screwed up.
And the Friendly's property is not going to build a NEW restaurant as promised by the owners, Have they even bought the land??????????
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