Monday, January 02, 2017

Happy New Year E.D.D. from the OCIDA . . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR and hat tip to the New Hartford Online Blog for this story!

There will be a public hearing by the Oneida County Industrial Development Agency on January 19, 2017 at 10AM in Butler Hall to consider whether OCIDA should give assistance to "Hartford Luxury Apartments LLC" (a) in acquiring approximately 14.5 acres of land at 161-169 Clinton St in the Town of New Hartford, (b) in constructing 4 condominiums containing 21 units and 4 apartment buildings containing 104 units, together with various other improvements and (c) in acquisition and installation of equipment in the improvements . . .

"all for the purpose of providing luxury apartments for lease to attract employers and to enhance economic development in the region . . ."

Have you ever heard of such B.S.?  

More power to the folks who want to build something new, but does it have to be with taxpayer assistance?  Instead of sustainable jobs OCIDA is giving us housing --- competing with plenty of housing already under construction in anticipation of "nano" -- which does not seem to be coming -- and existing housing coming on the market due to people packing up and leaving the region to improve their personal finances. OCIDA will ensure that the LLC folks will get all sorts of breaks from costs that average Oneida County residents will still be expected to bear when acquiring or improving their own properties -- properties that will become less valuable because of competition from this new, partially taxpayer-financed project.  If these breaks are so needed for economic development, why not just give them to everyone and eliminate the OCIDA and all the paperwork involved? It is better to spend money on bricks and mortar than complicated agreements.

Getting B.S. instead of Economic Development is a sign that Oneida County has E.D.D. -- Economic Development Dysfunction.  Is there a pill for that?

The complete legal notice is available at New Hartford Online Blog.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to be one of the former residents of Central NY.

Have had enough of this garbage so in just under 4 years I can follow my kids out of state and leave this place to the "connected crooks" that make life more difficult for everyone else

SOI

dave said...

Aye, paradise may be an elusive goal, but leaving NY State five years ago left me with only one regret ... that I hadn't done it sooner. I can't begin to list the advantages of being an ex-New Yorker. Just paid my annual property tax bill of $275. Driver's license was $9, and as a senior I get a free lifetime All Sport hunting, fishing, etc. license. How do we do it? With laws we all vote for that govern how tax revenue is used.

Anonymous said...

Tax breaks if given at all should be limited to primary job creation projects. That would not include commercial or residential projects which are secondary job creation projects. OCIDA used to limit itself in this fashion. Why the change?