zman - sounds like what everyone was expecting - a big dreamer with no funds. Sound pretty typical with these types of proposals.
zman - sounds like what everyone was expecting - a big dreamer with no funds. Sound pretty typical with these types of proposals.
I'm sorry. Is my bias showing?
Gotta love these sorts. Usually a waste of everybody's time. I basically had a meeting like this yesterday where a guy from a local real estate company came in and stated he'd like to do a project on a location in downtown that is available but where there is a lot of environmental work to be done (that will be very expensive and will take years to clean up). Had he spoken to the owners? Nope. Had he figured out parking? Nope. Did he even have specific tenants in mind for this project? Yes, but he hadn't even spoken to them to gauge interest, yet. Great. Talk to us when you have a legitimate project and we'll see what we can do.Originally posted by zmanPLAN
Thing is, my over-bearing, loud and becoming-annoying, Economic Development Committee Chair (citizen volunteer) is dreaming big as well (and is becoming fast friends with this business owner). Anything I say that has any real-world town planning logic in it is dismissed and negative talk and harmful to the town. To him I must pull out all the stops to get this (or any) business in.
Am I strong enough to promote what's best for the town in the face of this ignorance? YES, but even I cringe at any new ideas coming from this bloke (including t-shirts with a list of town businesses on the back that we employees must wear) and I think some in the committee are losing interest because of this guy.
It is a balance beam of people, ideas, and personality that I must walk. But yesterday the committee chair dropped in on the theme park meeting and said that this idea was the greatest thing to happen to the town! He even said that he wanted a street or a library named after him for finding the idea!
Vent over, I guess. Time to lose myself in utilities mapping.
You get all squeezed up inside/Like the days were carved in stone/You get all wired up inside/And it's bad to be alone
You can go out, you can take a ride/And when you get out on your own/You get all smoothed out inside/And it's good to be alone
-Peart
It has been confirmed he is a piker...did he play the card that the local kids in the area have nothing to do?
"If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less" General Eric Shinseki
No, but there are numerous international preservation groups chomping at the bit to get our here and work, build, write checks.
You get all squeezed up inside/Like the days were carved in stone/You get all wired up inside/And it's bad to be alone
You can go out, you can take a ride/And when you get out on your own/You get all smoothed out inside/And it's good to be alone
-Peart
You know, at every business in the case the benefit being over the cost, we start that business.
Guessing at your stating of small and mideum size park, the market or town is not likely large enough to demand big theme park. Over this first guess, I also estimate your first concern can be the analysis of demand. In addition to the importance of demand, new concept of theme park can create profit.
Finally, although my saying can be heard principal and basic statement, I think you analyze this business throughly and try to find wonderful concept that make your project profitable.
Supposedly the market would be regional... even national (I think based upon close proximity to I-25 and I-80).
I have been having to train this guy in essentially dealing with Towns, etc.
Some requests that I will not do:
-I will not drive to all sites and knock on doors for him
-I cannot provide information on parcels outside of the town's GMA
-I cannot sit through another history lesson about medieval times when we need to be discussing business.
Like many planner duties, I still fell it is my job to answer questions and provide deeper information within reason, but eventually he'll have to figure out whether he needs to put in the time and effort to secure his site or not. I am not a realtor, just a mere cartographer/planner/idealist/poet.
You get all squeezed up inside/Like the days were carved in stone/You get all wired up inside/And it's bad to be alone
You can go out, you can take a ride/And when you get out on your own/You get all smoothed out inside/And it's good to be alone
-Peart
Ye olde Renaissance Faire doth bring visitors from afar. It is perhaps similar to Civil War reenactments. There is a core group of enthusiats who will travel to visit major events. Again, that is only during the peak season. Also, this is for the events that are true attempts to recreate the Renaissance atmosphere. Having high school kids in t-shirts staffing the booths and activities will not cut it. Also look at the competition. Elich Gardens is the big one. Their former owner (Six Flags), who is now in bankruptcy, sold it becuase of declining attendance.
Anyone want to adopt a dog?
The Colorado Renaissance Festival by Larkspur isn't that enough for the market already ?
Oddball
Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves?
Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
From Kelly's Heroes (1970)
Are you sure you're not hurt ?
No. Just some parts wake up faster than others.
Broke parts take a little longer, though.
From Electric Horseman (1979)
Frankly, I don't think this will even come to fruition as the owner has the daunting task of setting this up with little-to-no capital and has to find a land owner that will lease him a section for a low monthly rate while "profit-sharing" in the business until the Faire owner is ready to purchase the land.
Much of the singularly owned parcels round here belong to either Denver suburbs (for purposes of securing water-rights) or to large-scale agri-business cultivating corn for the ethanol and feed racket.
Still, I answer questions as they come in, vent to you all here and keep my nose to the grindstone.
So it goes.
You get all squeezed up inside/Like the days were carved in stone/You get all wired up inside/And it's bad to be alone
You can go out, you can take a ride/And when you get out on your own/You get all smoothed out inside/And it's good to be alone
-Peart
One of the suburbs might lease the land to him as long as he does not require the water rights...he can farm using collected rain water which could gardner the suburb recharge credits for the organic farming part of his amusement park.
"If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less" General Eric Shinseki
Guess what?
The guy found a section (with only 5 parcels on it) and contacted the owners. I get an email today stating that:
only one property owner responded and said he'd contact me for a meeting... no one else replied and the one property owner hasn't called yet. I'm not sure where to go next.
Looks like not many are willing to donate their land, allow for the construction of permanent structures and then "wait for the money" once the project takes off.
Of course, all of this work could have been done by a realtor, who would probably have better leads as to who is willing to sell, but when I recommended that he about started to cry saying something about having no money.
You get all squeezed up inside/Like the days were carved in stone/You get all wired up inside/And it's bad to be alone
You can go out, you can take a ride/And when you get out on your own/You get all smoothed out inside/And it's good to be alone
-Peart
Perhaps I should someday share the proposal I received to put put fake boats on a fake dock so people could rent these "apartments" and experience living aboard a boat. Yeah, fine, go for it.
I think I wouldn't mind hearing about that.Perhaps I should someday share the proposal I received to put put fake boats on a fake dock so people could rent these "apartments" and experience living aboard a boat. Yeah, fine, go for it.
"When life gives you lemons, just say 'No thanks'." - Henry Rollins
Off-topic:
I guess the State didn't write their legislation very well and it was deemed compliant, though ultimately never built.
I'm sorry. Is my bias showing?
(sniff sniff)
Is that the smell of a NEVERENDING thread; a thread that speaks of the dreamers whom we come across? Those with ideas so grandiose we can do nothing but pay lip service, only to post about them on Cyburbia later?
I don't know.
You get all squeezed up inside/Like the days were carved in stone/You get all wired up inside/And it's bad to be alone
You can go out, you can take a ride/And when you get out on your own/You get all smoothed out inside/And it's good to be alone
-Peart
As soon as I see something like ^^this, my instinct is to jump in and share an idea. (Think of it as displaced maternal instinct.
First of all, is this a small town or rural region? If so, people's suggestions for solutions need to be tailored to the particulars of a rural area. To this end, seriously consider requesting that this thread be moved to the Rural and Small Town Planning forum.
Secondly... but I must quote you some more:This weekend:
(1) retrieve the original zoning code for each of the five parcels of land, and
(2) begin thoroughly re-familiarizing yourself with all particulars of this code.
Goal: To quote a piece of code to (oh-so-nicely) reject every one of the guy's proposals that you find unacceptable.
Surely as the planner, zman, you know this already; was your I'm not sure where to go next a remark that was figurative rather than literal?
seana, is my prose too difficult to follow? (Sometimes I am too literal for my own good)
HE said he doesn't know what to do next.
I am through holding this guy's hand.
You get all squeezed up inside/Like the days were carved in stone/You get all wired up inside/And it's bad to be alone
You can go out, you can take a ride/And when you get out on your own/You get all smoothed out inside/And it's good to be alone
-Peart
Your writing is usually easy to follow, but this time you overlooked the English pronoun rules:
"He/ She/ It" refers to the last noun.
"Me" refers to the last "I'.
Your text, with my English language interpretations in green:
"The guy found a section (with only 5 parcels on it) and contacted the owners. I get an email today stating that:
only one property owner responded and said he'd [refers to last noun, "one property owner"] contact me [refers to last "I", which is zman] for a meeting... no one else replied and the one property owner hasn't called [unclear if the "one property owner" hasn't called the guy, or zman, or both] yet. I'm [refers to last "me", which is zman] not sure where to go next."
Moderator note:
You noted how this thread might be moved to somewhere more appropriate, even though I find it's placed just fine. This particular post of yours, however, might better be put in a new section titled, "I misread a post I quoted, then tried to back up my original statement by quoting a textbook, but only managed to make someone angry." Might be a little long for a section title, but I hope you get my message. - Mastiff
Last edited by Mastiff; 25 Aug 2009 at 3:00 PM.
^^ IS this for real? Are you really taking the time to do this? No wonder I am not as active on this board anymore...
When I use italics that means that I have quoted the email that was sent to me. So what really may be throwing you off is my not quoting the email properly? Or what? It is not my fault that the guy cannot use proper English.
Let me start over for your benefit:
The guy (with whom I have been working) found a section (with only 5 parcels on it) and contacted the owners.
I get an email today (from the guy whom I have been workingstating that:
(and this is a direct quote from the guy with whom I have been working) "...[snip]...only one property owner responded and said he'd contact me for a meeting... no one else replied and the one property owner hasn't called yet. I'm not sure where to go next. ....[snip]" (end quote)
It is situations like these that make me want to go off the grid completely as technology has completely f**ked most of the world.
I got out of the FAC for the most part because I was getting annoyed on a daily basis by a select few on this board. I thought that the remainder of Cyburbia would still offer a forum through which I could research serious topics for my job...
... I guess I was wrong.
I got all I needed from this thread. I appreciate all who have helped me with this. MODS, please close it, burn it, bury it. Thanks.
You get all squeezed up inside/Like the days were carved in stone/You get all wired up inside/And it's bad to be alone
You can go out, you can take a ride/And when you get out on your own/You get all smoothed out inside/And it's good to be alone
-Peart
Moderator note:
Thread closed. Folks, a gentle reminder that a bulletin board, even in a professional forum, does not require perfect grammar. The primary purpose of a professional bulletin board website is to allow exchanges of ideas in an informal, collegial setting. Continuously correcting this for people can and will piss them off, as it is often perceived as patronizing and pretentious.
SR
and yes, this moderator note includes grammatical errors and slang intentionally to further emphasize the point.
Moderator note:
Just so people know, I had my mod note above 1/2 written when I was called away from my desk, and finished it not realizing SR had left this post. It was not meant to be a "pile-on" at all. - Mastiff
Last edited by Mastiff; 25 Aug 2009 at 3:12 PM.
"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
- Herman Göring at the Nuremburg trials (thoughts on democracy)
