By Thornton Crowe
Mayor Jake Day and his group have forward this affordable housing deal to Salisbury citizens under this guise of gentrification of our flailing downtown without looking at some particulars which is alarming to say the least.
As many know, the two-hour free lot as well as the lots behind the Cannon Building and District court were all sold for a pittance to a local developer for this housing but one thing Day hasn't answered is this:
Where is everyone going to park?
Claiming he only had to provide half a parking space (per person) to residents as per his comments in a meeting last week, it is unsettling that Day fails to see that everyone working at the courts as well as litigants also have park downtown five days a week! With the city leasing the top floor of the parking garage and the county having parking behind the government building, that leaves very little left for people who need to be downtown for court business, much less workers or shoppers.
Furthermore, they claim it's to bolster business in the area through eateries and the like... where are those workers and patrons going to park? Mars?
Imagine during the winter months when its dark before court recesses and you're going up the stairwells in the lone parking garage? Is this safe? Does that make you a target for crime? Absolutely. Hence, this big plan was not thoroughly thought out.
A good friend always used to tell me that IQ doesn't necessary correlate into Common Sense. I'd say Jake Day is a perfect example of exactly what he was talking about. It doesn't take an Oxford education to see the myriad of issues and potential unnecessary danger posed to people working and patronizing the downtown area yet, it seems to be missed completely by the political bourgeois at City Hall.
How can the downtown become a place where people want to gather and spend money when they're put in harm's way? Common Sense dictates Section 8 housing has never been known for being safe. Look at any of those 'areas' in Salisbury and you'll find crime is a regular smorgasbord to get the clue on that one. However, Day continues to bury his head in the sand and pimp this balderdash about crime being down in Salisbury. Mind you, his argument is based on failure to report by our local media more than actual fact seen through the police reports shown here on Salisbury News.
So, Mayor Day, how say you? What are you going to do with all the people who need to drive their cars to the inner city for business? It's not like you have a subway system... so what say you?
53 comments:
Once again, Salisbury Mayor isn't using his head for anything more than a hat rack. Jake Day strikes out again. Seems Salisbury isn't afraid to keep on losing!
This whole concept is ridiculous. No critical thinking at all.
Glad I decided not to move into one of the beautiful lofts downtown. Section 8 ain't my scene.
Whatever happened to the real estate developer that made all those spiffy new lofts downtown? What's his feelings on this or did he take his money and run? With stabbings and thefts going on down there, it's a wonder anyone lives down there at all anymore. I certainly wouldn't open up a business there because the insurance will (or is) through the roof.
To much crime now, wait until this project is complete.
Excellent article! However, it's missing one thing. The County pays the City close to $100,000.00 a year for employee parking. Around $60,000.00 for the 3rd floor in the parking garage and almost $40,000.00 for the parking area across Rt. 50 / Division Street.
Mind you, at least the County PAYS ITS BILLS, unlike the City failing to pay its debt to the County for YEARS on end. The new boiler system wasn't purchased recently, nor was the HVAC system and many other expenses including the daily upkeep of the metered parking spaces at the GOB. That's right, the City is supposed to maintain it, they collect all that money from the meters and because the City refuses to do what they are under contract to do, the County has to keep it up.
You see Ladies & Gentlemen, while some of the things we deliver news wise may seem petty but when you put it all together you clearly see the pattern of incompetence.
And WHY has this gone on for so many years, perhaps a decade or more, because your local media simply will NOT inform the public of the TRUTH.
Jake is failing with this, the police department and fire department. He is destroying it all and won't hear the cries of citizens, police officers or fire. Jake wake up.
Joe for mayor. This will be an easy win for you this time
Considering Salisbury loses businesses and jobs everyday, more and more people qualify for Section 8 housing now more than ever.
If you get degrees from UMD, Carnegie Mellon, and Oxford and end up working for your daddy, you're a failure.
Ask Jake about the buildings he designed that were never built. I remember seeing a scale model of one at his parents place and laughing hysterically.
The bright side is: Criminals don't have to grab a cab to go see their lawyer. All the lawyers are right there in the soon-to-be new hood.
Joe you called the mayor incompentent maybe he's just criminal.
I don't understand why so many people are concerned as to what happens downtown. Hardly anyone on here admits to going downtown, there are very few businesses to attract customers, it is not safe after dark, etc. Why give a crap what they do or build. It is a pipe dream to think that Salisbury is ever going to be anything more than fancy ghetto. The neighborhoods on all sides of downtown are ghettos. No one wants to live in the middle of that. I feel bad for the people that must work downtown. They have no choice but to go there.
Everyone I've told about this Section 8 plan have asked the same thing. Where is everyone going to park? Court has a captive audience. It's not like you can Skype or conduct court business over the telephone or through email. Why haven't the lawyers complained about this? A number of them line Main Street and their offices use the parking lots. What about WMDT? Where will they park their satellite vans and sales department cars? Jake Day, you really didn't think this through at all. Are you an idiot savant?
Guess now the library will be petitioning for a new library somewhere out of the downtown area because people won't be able to use their free internet and computers.
What's a business with absolutely no parking? Closed for business.
12:22 PM How much did we pay that consultant to tell us how to revitalize? And why did we pay that consultant if we do not care what happens to downtown?
As far as I am concerned, Jakie put the final nail in the coffin for me as far as "downtown" is concerned. I do not give a rats behind what happens to it because I can see the writing on the wall.
Can anyone say Detroit? Baltimore? Chicago?
At least all the ghetto dwellers will be in one place, maybe that's the secret plan.
I also wonder where the rental organization is on this one (SAPOA?). Because that development will certainly be taking money out of their members pockets. How come we have not heard a peep from them.
I have notice over the last year, lots of "rentals" up for sale.
What will the people who were foolish enough to buy any property or condos going to do now? Their home values will tank like a lead balloon if they haven't already.
The current parking garage is far less convenient than the lot across from the library. Stairwells smell of urine. Costs to use and requires more time to find a space and to depart.
So Jake the Genius has a solution of plunking one or more like structures around town as his solution to a non-problem?
Glad he has the weather under control so his bicycle-centric plan for the population can function year around. Next up will be permitting golf carts ala his hero Pollitt's plan in metropolitan Crisfield!
In an uncontested election he got about 1,000 votes. Like his little clique, there is a self-fulfilling aspect to this. Wiser minds just discontinue residing in the 'bury leaving the 'metro core' to be occupied by those dependent partially or wholly on subsidies. He may have hung around prestigious colleges but doesn't appear to have grasped even the basics.
The tides ebb and flow; so do the fortunes of cities and towns. The 'bury is in the grasp of a small, inexperienced, self-dealing group of profiteers; their negative impact will be longstanding. To the detriment of the citizens.
12:29 PM half of them dont own cars. Thats why. Also that boxes it is to ALWAYS being section 8. It could never be anything other than that.
Not very visionary.
It's obvious that the elected ones don't have a clue when it comes to real economics . It's has a domino effect on expenditures as you know, ignorance is bliss as my mom used to say. Day an army officer isn't qualified for the position he holds , too many mistakes . His council is also a the bottom whenit comes to any knowledge of economics.
The trouble expands beyond downtown, all the bars have people wandering in the Presidents Neighborhood area, I guess they think it's a short cut to the city park but it's not, we already had enough crime downtown, Jake doesn't think things through. He and his buddies including Ireton only thought of good times, bars and third Fridays. He is just not accountable if he still had the Mayors Roundtable he would be getting direct feedback and looking people in the eyes.
12:32 rental properties up for sales because of city of salisbury license fee's and city buildings inspectors targeting rental property and turning away from violations to home owners.Most landlords take good care of their properties to keep the values up and tenants.Heard now the city is inspecting the inside of rental homes; if the people want to live in deplorable conditions, what concern is it of the city.This has been going on for a few years but it is getting worse. another 6 weeks and the inspectors will be going around with a ruler for the grass.
Great article. We agree..."where is everyone going to park?" Most people detest the parking garage and view it as an unsafe place to park. We have never used and never will.
SBY is just another liberal mecca like dozens of others in the country. The leaders WANT crime, drugs, unemployment, section 8, welfare, and no businesses except convenience stores and fast-food joints. It ensures government grants to "fight" all that, meanwhile they set up deals whereby only their few liberal friends (landlords, investors, developers) get mega-rich. Needless to say, all the above are democrats. It guarantees job security and nobody asking questions. After only a few years of gov't "service" they can slide into some cushy position set up by someone in the network of profiting from crime, blight, and destruction of lives and property.
Baltimore, Detroit, most of California, Newark, CHICAGO(!!!) and Salisbury...every liberal city in the country.
Liberals have ruined yet another city I can't wait until I can move.
12:22 - Right on! There is little reason to have parking for visitors who don't exist or for people living in low cost housing that can't afford a car. Just look at Baltimore's slums. At least Baltimore has mass transit.
Where can we find the results of the college study that was done on downtown?They were brainstorming revitalization ideas after no one else could come up with anything intelligent.Did they give Jake this idea?
Inexperienced Jake should be bringing permanent jobs to Salisbury. How does he expect those living in Salisbury to afford these 1200 to 2000 apartment with no jobs? Yeah keep bringing retail here and be sure to keep building new buildings that remain with a for lease sign on them.
2:19 PM Thats a big BINGO.
1:18 PM Hysterical! Landlords take good care of their properties?! What a frigging joke! Thats why they can't get more than 60K when they sell it because it is such a crap box.
219 Jake Day wouldn't know how to create a honest job if it killed him. The only thing mug heads like him understand is government. They all believe people should work for the government aka Big Brother. And they say conservatives are Nazis. Apparently they don't know what a Nazi is.
Before I retired I worked down town for 12 years. We had to park on the top floor of the parking garage. The only time we were permitted to park under the over hang was when it was over 100 degrees or the snow coved it. But we had to pay the same as anyone that could park any where in the garage. At one time there was a dead body in the stairwell. I wonder where they will park now. What can you put in a half parking space maybe a bike. If you park a car in that "half space" what will the ticket cost you. Follow the money. For people asking Mr. A. to run again. My question to you is where were you and your vote when he/we needed you most? (map)
Money talks, and that is why the developers always get what they want from elected politicians.
These decisions are made at the blue lodge.
2:40 Getting 60k for a rental property is just what a landlord wants. You don't understand the economics involved. A house is bought for 25K and needs 10k or so to make it rentable. At $800/mo., the property has paid for itself in 5 years. $40k profit every 5 years without any significant improvements other than paint and flooring. Selling for $60k with a cost basis of $40 plus additional improvement costs results in little to no capital gains tax. if you have 10 of those properties, then your income is $8,000.00 per month.
The average 1st/2nd time home buyer wants something all shiny and new like they see on those reality shows about home buying. They can't afford what they wand and aren't buying a fixer uppers because they cant change a light switch, so they rent in the newer apts that look like the homes they cant afford.
The whole situation downtown is just screwed up and the more Day and his urchins meddle the worse it gets. Maybe if they moved out of the way and let the downtown come back on its own rather than messing with it like picking a scab off a wound, it would come back on its own. Government is never the answer and people just keep voting for clowns and pimps of idiocy.
the library will be sold to gillis gilkerson for $2.57 so they can build housing to help our community. they are always here to help us. bless them
Jimmy a Jake!
uh, I mean, Gimmie a Break!
You really can't fix stupid.
Jake (off) Day really needs a reality check...of all things he has put forth since he has been mare, this is the absolute worst! They must have courses in Section 8 housing at the prestigious Oxford...I, for one, would like to see his transcripts, but I'm sure he learned from Obamamama
They are concerned because they keep pouring more and more money into the pit. Enough already taxpayers deserve better
Who's going to want to go to the library with section 8 housing so close. And it will destroy headquarters and the other businesses. It's not a safe area now, but will be worse with the section 8
this is what happens when you post articles like this on the weekends. all the fruit loops at city hall are hung over or still drinking on sunday and cannot retort.
who cares if it destroys the headquarters 700? there won't be anywhere for anyone to park including the band.
My big toe hurts, Jake, what should I do?
"Here's my .45, just shoot your whole foot off, and you won't be able to feel the pain in your toes any more!"
Oh, okay.... BOOM!
This is how stupid this is.
Does anyone know if there is a provision to have him recalled? It seems he is if not dangerous at least reckless for the city
4:10 PM WHAT?? you made no sense at all.
They sell for pennies on the dollar because they have NOT been painted, floored or upkept in 20 years. It is a rat and roach infested POS in the middle of the ghetto.
9:09 Better get off to bed so you can be a good employee in the morning. BTW, thanks for the rent, I'll spend it on new boat this spring.
Maybe someone needs to start an investigation to find out why it is that the same contractors constantly buy city property for pennies on the dollar.
The downtown will again become a terrible place for small business. Expect to see numerous empty store within 5 years.
The library is slowly devolving to a homeless hangout, anyway. Might as well push it over the edge so it's value goes to the aforementioned $2.57. That seems to be the Big Plan, right, Jake?
when did the library officially turn into a homeless shelter anyway
Lol he dont live in dabury anymore.
Hwadquters is just a write off for taxes u havent figured that out ??
John Cannon another POS slumlord.
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