The Alerus Center is Failing to Bring More Development
One thing that’s funny is how the Alerus Center apologists keep bringing up how the Alerus will lower our property taxes. They say that the new construction it brings will pay property taxes will which will reduce the property taxes we all pay.
That leaves me to ask what are they talking about. The Alerus is surrounded by empty lots even though the place is almost 9 years old. The Canad-Inn hotel was brought in with massive incentives. I’ve heard that their package was worth up to seven million dollars. Rather than saving us any money they’re costing us.
Apologists then claim credit for a couple new hotels built on 42nd street. The problem is that they are on the extreme south end of 42nd street. The hotel operators built there to be close to the shopping district.
So in today’s paper they finally admit that their claims of the Alerus bringing development is a failure. They want to pay people to build in the dead zone around the Alerus. Makes sense. Who’s going to spend their own money building next to the Alerus. They’re probably afraid the suckage will leak over and hurt their business.
Grand Forks City Council members are mulling a somewhat underused tax abatement policy to encourage growth on underdeveloped properties, among them the 42nd Street corridor.
The topic has been under discussion since AE2S, an engineering firm, approached the city for a tax exemption to help it and Icon Architectural Group build a new corporate headquarters building just off 42nd and across the street from the Alerus Center.
Growth on the properties along the corridor has been stubbornly slow despite the presence of the city-owned events center and the attached Canad Inns entertainment complex. Some hotels have emerged on the corridor as have a gas station and a bank, but there’s plenty of vacant land available.
Tax abatements could help by offering businesses that build in underdeveloped or blighted areas reductions in property taxes or special assessments for a period of five to 15 years.
I have to laugh at these guys. Their vision of the Alerus Center and the reality is so at odds that they have to keep shoveling money at it in some ways while chanting to the world that it’s a success.
I don’t see any reason at all to pay businesses to locate near the Alerus. The story when they built the failed events center was that by subsidizing it we’d be bringing in all kinds of businesses. Of course those promises were phony just like nearly everyone of their promises.
Right now there’s a architectural firm looking for a handout to build a new headquarters in the neighborhood. They should be told no. They’re expected to pay property taxes just like everyone else. Them moving their headquarters doesn’t do a thing for the city. Why don’t they just go down to the welfare offices in the county building?
