A quick news flash, because I’m tired: Jerry Cleworth’s resolution, which I think would have kneecapped the downtown revitalization effort, failed — though only through a tie-breaking vote by the mayor. The final vote: For, Cleworth, Roberts, and Stiver; Against, Bratcher, Gatewood, Eberhart, and Mayor Strle. (News-Miner story here.)
As I posted Saturday, City Councilman Jerry Cleworth proposed a resolution (no. 4353) that would have halted the use of city funds for the conversion of Cushman Street from one-way to two-way. This conversion, however, was the linchpin of Vision Fairbanks, according to the city planners hired to draft downtown’s revitalization plan (Crandall-Arambula of Portland, Oregon).
From the start of Citizens’ Comments on Monday evening to the final vote, four and a half hours passed. At least three of those were spent on public testimony, including a little testimony on another other resolution before the Council. The testimony was largely in opposition to Cleworth’s resolution — though not so overwhelmingly as it was in favor of Vision Fairbanks’s passage at previous meetings.
Despite the good case that existed in favor of the resolution — and Mr. Cleworth seemed to make that case beautifully — it seemed plain to me that most of the citizens testifying in favor had not attended any of the original visioning meetings, had not read the final plan approved by the Borough Assembly, or had heard only spotty details through the newspaper or word of mouth. Of course, you could also say that most of the supporters had merely drunk the Vision Fairbanks Kool-Aid and that their testimony didn’t address the meat of Cleworth’s concerns either. Frankly, I was tired enough when he finally spoke that I couldn’t keep all the pieces together.
There was a relatively brief grilling of Fairbanks Public Works director Mike Schmetzer, City Engineer Bob Pristash, and Donna Gardino of FMATS (the Fairbanks Metropolitan Area Transportation System). They covered the history of certain appropriations and projects, and discussed the sources and allocation of various monies. It’s probably not over my head in principle, but it felt like it at 10:45 at night.
Councilwoman Vivian Stiver had what I thought was the most sensible suggestion of the evening: postpone the vote on the resolution until Wednesday’s work session and later public meeting with Crandall Arambula. If we can present our concerns to them, she reasoned, they may have a good explanation of how various projects will work, or at least convince us of the utter necessity of this current project. Cleworth was the only other person to support her, so it failed.
Some comments made by Stiver and Chad Roberts concerned me: they both seem to think Fairbanks’s chance of attracting major retail downtown is low to nil. They seem to think that, since the explosion of big-box chain retail outlets at Steese and Johansen, the City of Fairbanks has missed the boat. Of course, attracting a major anchor store on Cushman Street is supposedly critical to Vision Fairbanks’s success. If they’re right, then the plan is largely screwed — I hope not irredemably.
(This makes me wonder: Why, when V.F. was before the Council earlier, did they cower in fear at its suggestion that one regulatory tool of encouraging downtown retail might be to restrict big-box retail development elsewhere for a time? Why did their resolution’s otherwise tepid language condemn the inclusion of such a suggestion in the plan?)
I should mention that some of the City Council members seemed genuinely torn about what to do, most notably Bernard Gatewood and John Eberhart. And, when I talk about Jerry Cleworth “kneecapping” or “deep-sixing” Vision Fairbanks, that’s not really being fair to him. I think he’s a responsible public servant with a clear understanding of the budget, and he has responsible stewardship at heart.
My only real distrust — and this just as far as a vision for vibrant civic and commercial space — is for Chad Roberts. He seems genuinely to believe that downtown is just fine as it is. Also, during the Council meeting ten months ago, he expressed an admiration for the free market that seemed to preclude a community’s having any power to say what it wanted in a city center. Whatever his other virtues, he seems to disagree with me that communities have a right of collective self-determination that, where city planning is concerned, should usually supersede the right of the individual to build whatever civic monstrosity he likes.
I’m happy for now that Vision Fairbanks lives to fight another day.
i’ve paged thru the comments sections in various stories at the news-miner and it seems to be coming in pretty negative toward any changes at all. [realizing that may not represent the prevailing mood in the city.]
backers of vision fairbanks should begin to make the point that big boxes and sprawl development aren’t free, as many seem to believe. somebody [taxpayers] had to pay for all that infrastructure expansion over long distances one can’t walk or bike to.
it might seem silly or remedial to people who are involved at a deeper level — but evidence of the macroeconomics of the situation will show that redevelopment makes sense. there’s a lot more to it, of course.
in anchorage, backers of school projects in recent years managed to convince more voters by changing the message. previously the message was something like, ‘these projects combined will add $3.50 to annual property taxes of a house valued at $100,000′. and the message was revised to, the projects add $3.50 but at the same time we are retiring debt from previous projects in the amount of $4.00.
fairbanks would be a lot better off if it had not built its mini-anchorage and had reinvested in a compact downtown development. it’s never too late to get started, though. there aren’t too many people calling green design ‘hippie BS’ anymore, because they figured out it saves them a lot of money.
You’re absolutely right, clark: we’ve done a terrible job at selling the central business district on the basis of cost savings. I’d love to but don’t have the least background in municipal finance. But I will suggest it to people who are in the position of “selling” this plan to the public.
I wouldn’t give too much mind to the on-line comments in the News-Miner. Anonymity seems to bring out the worst in people. (I like to think that the the more thoughtful people in Fairbanks are so sensitive that they can’t bear to read through such consistently negative comments, let alone take the time to respond to them. That’s a pretty self-serving guess, but I do know several people who say they’ve sworn off reading the comments because they’re so disheartening.
Hello, Paul!
A little background on myself, I am an intern with the Green Party national office in Washington, DC, this semester. Among other things I have been charged with trying to update our records on the various state and local GP’s across the country. Thus far in my research on the Alaska Green Party, the main websites I was given haven’t been updated in at least a year, and I have been stymied in trying to track down Greens in Alaska. In my research, I have been led to your blog. That being said, are you actually involved or connected to the Alaska GP or Green movement in any way? Could you give me some insight or pointers on the state of Alaska Greens? Any sort of advice, information, or pointing in the right direction would be tremendously appreciated. Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from you!
Peace,
Chris Staysniak
chris@gp.org
I am sorry but this plan is nothing but an attempt to totally change downtown and having lived here for 32 years I am opposed! It will NOT entice me to shop downtown anymore than I already do – and the two way street will only make me avoid the mess of traffic! The ideas put forth by the Portland company were ludicrus at best. Leave the city alone! Go back to whereever it is you came from! You are not wanted here to mess up this little town – people don’t come here to see Portland or Vancouver, they come to see FAIRBANKS. How many times must the people speak out?? You are not wanted here! The only people who want you are the people making money off tourists! GO AWAY and leave us be! ESPECIALLY the head of Vision Fairbanks!!!