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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Mailbag: CDA’s Urban Renewal Agency & “Blight”

Informed Idahoan: I wish I had the time to collect the data and do the math to equate the amount of property tax dollars which were shifted to nonURD property owners. I just wonder if the old IFI Atlas Mill which was purchased by Chesrown(SP) is a URD property. It is obvious, the Atlas river front property is econonmically blighted. The rest of Kootenai County tax payers who own nonURD property get to help out Mr. Chesrown since he needs that money to develope his blighted property. Jack up my property taxes so that Mr. Chesrown gets richer, now that's fair! By the way, is the property owned by Hagadone located on Blackwell Island located in the URD? We should help out Hagadone as well, he needs a bigger Yacht and Leerjet.

DFO: An interesting discussion re: Coeur d'Alene's urban renewal district broke out while I was on vacation here. The thread was launched by a Berry Picker who asked: "Who serves on the boards? Who appoints (or anoints) them, who do they answer to? How much authority do they have? These Urban Renewal Districts have been flying under the radar for the past couple of decades. Time to shine a light on them." Frankly, I don't know which properties are in the local URD. But it is extensive. And the new taxes generated by properties such as Riverstone are providing beaucoup money to serve as incentives for developers to upgrade other "blighted property."




Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.