Atomictumor

Q: Just what would you do with 200 sheep carcasses?

Still watching the throw down over the whole Target thing, apparently the opposition to the situation is going door to door trying to get people to sign a petition to put a public referendum down so that we can all go and vote on this Target business. Thing is, from what I’m seeing, the referendum will be in the summer, in a very busy voting season, and the developer wants to roll sooner than that.

Now, something that I’m aware of here, is that developers don’t normally go around looking for the most challenging place to build crap, and then milking the cities out of money to do it. I mean, Armsdorff did, kinda, but he sucks, so thats the difference. I’m not sure how much these people at GBT suck, but I’d imagine that they have a pretty refined business sense, and see a return coming on this situation.

Now, I’m ignorant as hell. Seriously, I’m as dumb as a brick, and normally stay out of city matters for this reason, but it still seems to me that

a. Oak Ridge REALLY needs a shot in the arm

b. Developers are shying away from the existing facilities, because they’re too small, and would cost more to develop than to build.

c. Huffing and puffing over the scalping of a hill, and blaming the developers who are buying it for this scalping by blocking anything being done with it is dumb. Really, really backwards, and really really dumb.

d. The odds of the parking lot at a Target in Oak Ridge being empty are about the same as the odds of me giving up beer for longer than a day or two.

Look people, I don’t like the idea of a refundable 10.something million dollar check heading out to developers. I’d love to see Target head in and pay for it all. I’d love to see universal health care. I’d love to see the moon up close. Theres all sorts of things I’d love, that just don’t happen in the real world. This is one of them.

By insisting on a referendum, these people are playing a calculated tactic to delay the development long enough to any potential tenants to split. As its already been revealed that no money changes hands until Target and other tenants sign up for an extended lease, theres no reason to assume this place will stand empty. You people, Citizens Oak Ridge, or whatever the hell you’re calling yourself, are working very hard keeping this town backwards, with empty buildings, and a crowded road to Knoxville.

Its just the way it is.