On Tuesday, March 8, during Dr. Steinhauer's town hall meeting to share new revenue sources for the schools, the Mt.Lebanon Commissioners will be discussing the recommendations of the land use ad-hoc committee, trying to generate additional revenue for Mt. Lebanon. Recommendations of the land use ad-hoc committee include possible sale of a portion or all of the Mt.Lebanon Golf Course for development, and getting Right of Ways into the tax base. Another recommendation by the committee includes Parks development such as selling off parcels of Bird Park.
So now, the choice is ours. Do we go to Dr. Steinhauer's town hall meeting or do we go to the Commissioners' meeting? I know which meeting I am going to.
Update 4:00 p.m. The Commmission Discussion Agenda has been posted. http://www.mtlebanon.org/archives/35/Discussion%20Session%20Agenda%203-8-11.pdf
Ad-hoc land use committee discussion has been moved to March 28.
1 comment:
I do not profess to have all the facts, but a number of the proposals or recommendations appear to have merit and are certainly worthy of further and careful consideration by municipal officials.
Several proposals involve reallocating land and property to residential development. A friend of mine suggested we not overlook the results of Lebo's "Strategic Financial Plan" completed last October by TischlerBise (fiscal, economic & planning consultants) at the behest of the Commission. I'm sure you are all familiar with or at least aware of that undertaking and work product.
In any event, as the Land Use Ad-Hoc Committee recommendations are being further reviewed, the following statement should also be considered and not overlooked or dismissed out of hand :
"TischlerBise has prepared over 700 fiscal impact evaluations across the nation. The large majority of these analyses indicate that adding additional housing units does not generally yield a return that exceeds the cost of services. On the other hand, in almost all cases, expansion of non-residential or commercial activity increases revenues beyond the cost of services provided." (page 26)
This by no means is to say that residential would not be a correct option for Lebo to pursue...just exercise some unbiased caution and study along the decision path. Lets be sure we don't end up subsidizing further residential development, particularly if Tax Increment Financing (TIF) subsidy would be an added contributor !
For example, we sometimes have tended to choose political rather than advisory paths to development in recent years...to name a few examples :
1) the certified appraisal for the ill fated *condo* site at Washington/Bower Hill Roads consisted of two parts...one based on a Lebo specified multi-family housing development (allegedly to enhance the value and income potential of nearby Uptown commercial properties, several of which just happened to be owned by public officials) and a second part that never saw the light of day, which was the appraisers gratis opinion of the highest and best use of the property site...a non-residential commercial building development for which the land value was appraised at 50% more than the residential value. Lebo chose the residential option 15 years ago; and, 2 developers later the property remains undeveloped; and,
2) what has become a $2 + million (it will amount to $3 million in total debt service) absolute embarrasement and misappropriation of our tax dollars...the 23 acre McNeilly *Park*. The former owner came to Lebo to see if the R-1 zoning classification could be changed to Commercial to accomodate a reported "big box" buyer/developer. A Commissioner partial to athletic fields did an end-run and Lebo bought, financed and planned what turned out to be a massive financial and legal boondoggle; and,
3) what is now known as the 25-acre passive Twin Hills Park was proposed by Lebo public officials to us as a "need" for open space, park land for folks in the 1st. Ward....of course the highly sloped land is actually located in Scott Township. We bought the property for $1 million from a close friend of one of the then Commissioners who happened to be an athletic supporter as well. The Park has since become a real problem. It is also recently becoming increasingly recognized that the property was very likely really acquired to build an athletic field in an area accessible only via a private Scott roadway owned by the *friend* who sold us the entire property....the *friend* would not provide Lebo public access to build and use a field.
"If you fail to learn from history, you might be doomed to repeat it."
Bill Lewis
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