Marriott's Macon Pork
By Erick Posted in State Politics — Comments (16) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I've got an article up at Human Events about a land grab by Marriott International, Inc.
The gist is that Macon, Georgia, where I live, is about to build a hotel on a city parking lot for Marriott to operate a hotel. Across from the parking lot, which is on the premises of Macon's Coliseum and Convention Center, is a vacant lot suitable for a hotel.
The guy who owns the lot has said he'd be willing to sell it. But no, Marriott apparently would rather take over parking spaces from the city than purchase private property.
Of course, the Coliseum has reported that it will lose business, not gain it, if Marriott builds its hotel. The hotel will take up 400 parking spaces during construction and will permanently take up 100 spaces.
Not to worry, says the City of Macon. It'll just replace those 100 spaces by taking them from the privately owned hospital next door.
By the way, the citizens of Macon went to the polls last month and threw out of office every single person, save one, who voted for this deal. What was City Council's response? They've tried to expedite it so the new City Council, which will have 8 members opposed to it with a new mayor opposed to it, can't kill it.
If Marriott does not make it's developer move across the street, it will come into town with 70% of the city's residents opposed to it and a majority of Macon's new city council thoroughly pissed off at Marriott. And yes, I'll be one of those new City Councilmen.
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Marriott's Macon Pork 16 Comments (0 topical, 16 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Oz,
By all accounts he wants market value. The hang up is that he had an exclusive deal with National Ventures, which the other group was initially a part of. He stated with National, but eventually was let out of the deal.
He has repeatedly said he'd sell the lot to the parking lot people for the same price, which was competitively priced. Likewise, City Council was prepared to designate it a Tax Allocation District, which would have really helped out the developer.
Let Mariott that the new city council will condemn their new hotel property to fill a "pressing" municipal need for more parking.
many intrusive investigations of potential financial ties between Mariott and former(by that time) city officials.
I don't understand this part of the sentence.
“Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15.”
-Ronald Reagan
Please keep us informed.
thank the Supreme Court libs for the Kelo decision?
It will allow for Hugo Chavez to attend the ground-breaking ceremony for the new hotel.
"When I declared war on Ken Calvert I made two points. First, his appointment is a sign the House GOP Leadership does not get it and they need to get it to win back the House. Second, unless we scalp a Republican, the GOP Leadership will not take us seriously.
...
So when you are calling Capitol Hill to complain about immigration, remember how seriously Republican leaders treat you.
And then think how much more seriously they treat you after we've scalped Ken Calvert."
All hail the scrotum clenching might of Erik Erikson, wielder of the red fiscally conservative flame of Arnur, who hath slain the Calvert beast! Oh what no Calvert still is still live and kicking, this worthless blog gets 70% less traffic than its partisan counterparts on the net, GOP online activism is a joke, and Erik's political threats are as humorous as they are impotent.
Eagerly awaiting my banning cause free speech is downright un-American!
A) Misrepresenting himself in his account name
B) Misspelling Erick's name
C) Misspelling a place name of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth
D) Asking for a ban
Interestingly, there's an Erik Erikson who writes science fiction; the name was a bit of a surprise the first time that I saw it at Borders. Also an Erik Erikson who was a German psychologist, and an Eric Ericson who was a Swedish choral director. There's an Erick Erickson who is apparently a Construction Industry Motivational Speaker, but it isn't our guy.
What? Oh, KenCalvert somehow managed to value-add a negative amount to the site, so I'm providing little bits of information to get the chi flowing properly again.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
Tbone & I haven't had anybody to really seriously play with in a while. It could be an early Christmas gift.
Pleasepleasepleaseplease.
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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
I hate to say this on a family friendly site, but these guys really need to get laid.
I guess they prefer having "banned" notches carved on their little laptops instead of the good ones on their bedposts. Now THAT is something to eagerly await...
BTW, how DID that immigration thing go?
That's a low blow. Funny, though. :)
"I don't understand why the same newspaper commentators who bemoan the terrible education given to poor people are always so eager to have those poor people get out and vote." - P.J. O'Rourke
Might be worthwhile to appeal to Mitt and see if he's still got any clout.
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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
These are the kinds of things that give businessmen a bad name.
Now, to be fair, we have no idea (based on your post), how MUCH the guy with the vacant lot wants for the hotel. If he wants well over market value, then we are at an impasse.
PS Looks like we need a "local politics" subject since you put this one under "state politics"
Oz
www.first-cut-politics.blospot.com