There is a thanks-for-nothing for you. James Toyota in Moscow has brought in tax dollars for a lot of years and Moscow didn't complain. But now they want to move and it is time to try to stop them from leaving. We commented about this. It could be a bad move for Moscow, now even if James Toyota cannot move, they will be mad at Moscow and want to move out of the city anyway. Maybe all the way into the city of Pullman?
So here is the interesting thing, Moscow is opposed to the Hawkins Development (in Whitman County). They are opposed to James Toyota (in Whitman County). They say that the Palouse is fragile. The creek can be damaged. That we are all stake holders in what happens on the Palouse and we need to come together.
Funny that we never heard anything about "us" needing to work together when they let Sears, Applebees, and Staples build near the boarder and next to the creek. I don't remember the city of Moscow stopping the construction of the mall as it sits so close to the creek and how it would harm the Palouse. It seems that harming the Palouse and the creek are only issues when Whitman County may actually get the tax income and business growth.
Also, if Moscow wants us all to work together and do what is best for "us" as a regional community, one of the first things they can do is return, say, 1/2 of the tax dollars Washington residents spend over there. That would be good faith in helping "us"! They could keep some of the tax dollars, but we would get some too.
Well that will not happen. They want everything their way. They have all their big stores and business locations to bring in the money, now they want to stop others from getting those things.
Also, on an unrelated note, for a city that is so progressive that the city councilmen have broken arms from patting themselves on the back so often, it is funny that they are so anti-union! They want to have living wages and are going to force people to pay living wages on Government jobs, but when a Police Union tries to form, they refuse to recognize it.
4 comments:
Scotty:
Not sure where you got your information but this is exactly what I was afraid would happen. Because Pullman and Wal-Mart gave legal standing to PARD and Whitman County gave legal standing to Moscow, under the SEPA process, the precedent now gives anyone, anywhere to appeal any development under SEPA. Neither PARD nor Moscow have any contiguous land to either development and neither are directly impacted. Both are claiming a general concern for society. SEPA was meant to be a way for adjoining landowners to appeal land decisions that would negatively impact their neighboring property. Because Pullman and Whitman County have decided to err on the side caution and good neighborliness, more baseless appeals are likely. Theoretically, because of this precedent, someone in Chicago or New York could appeal a land decision in Colfax. The law that was meant to protect our environment is being turned into a weapon to harrass normal development.
Moscow is a bigger concern to me. Under SEPA, an entity in Washington can comment and even appeal a decision. However, the entity must offer a workable alternative so that the project can go forward. My question is, is Moscow an entity who must offer a workable alternative or are they a person who can just complain and gum up the works? They seem to want to be both and Whitman County and the State of Washington seem to be allowing it. How long will it be before Moscow appeals a development in the Pullman city limits? How long before a Moscow competitor of a Pullman business appeals under SEPA?
Legal standing is very important in the SEPA process and not everyone is supposed to be given standing. Because Pullman and Whitman County want to do the right thing, we end up being the suckers and there is no recourse.
News report on KQQQ or KMAX, can't remember what radio station was on this afternoon. But they played some sound bites from the Moscow Mayor, etc.
I have not found anything on the Dnews.com site yet.
If this is true and Moscow has filed an appeal against James Toyota and/or the Hawkins development, Moscow has seen the last of my money. If I can't buy something in Pullman, I will spend the extra fifteen minutes to drive to Lewiston. At least in Lewiston the tax dollars aren't being spent to harrass my county.
How unhinged does Moscow have to become? It is amazing to me what Chaney and the rest of the city council over there is about. Do they sit around and think of these things all day. Somebody somewhere needs to wake up.
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