And we don't even get the tax base, just more traffic and pollution.
The devil is in the development details AND WHO PRESENTS OR PREDICTS THEM (like full-time paid development lobbyists?) Exactly how many new cars will be on the road between the proposed Broughton/SDS Destination Resort at the Hatchery during the summer? What is this going to do for commerce in White Salmon?
Exactly how many permanent living wage jobs will be created? And who is going to follow up that they actually did? Will they be low pay service sector jobs such as cleaners and grass cutters. Skamania lodge (a federally subsidized development) has a hard time keeping the kids at the jobs, and the adults have no place to live. Where are the workers going to live in Klickitat? How far are they going to have to drive? There sure isn't any workforce housing available in Underwood. One can see perhaps out of work orchard workers from Hood River valley crossing the bridge every day. Gosh, we may get a new bridge out of this!
And How many of the 150-200 proposed permanent residents are going to drive up Doc Grade and pay 7.5% sales tax to ACE hardware when they can zoom across the HR bridge for $1.20 (without stopping anymore) and go to Roseauers and Highschool in the heights as easily?
What about the nascent Arts Community in White Salmon? Face it. Most of the arts community are hobbiests and aren't forced to make their living at their crafts. Hoping that the well heeled tourists will come up and buy art is not promoting living wage jobs. Instead of endorsing the Mega Resort Development as good for the citizens of White Salmon the city would be wiser to spend its money on signage on highway 14 and I-84 to promote the town's art. The added traffic from this development is not good for the natural environment of the gorge, or for our town in general.
15 comments:
JOHN MAYO said:
Little Fish...
I think you need to take a broader view of economic development-
There are many things involved.
I want to clarify the topic of the arts in White Salmon:
Having White Salmon as an art town is not about "well heeled tourist buying art". It might appear at first glance to be that but let me explain.
When we first started the arts council, it wasnt the arts council; It was the WS downtown business assoc. There was a ton of empty spots and lethargy in the downtown. businesses were coming and going and very few people were coming here from anywhere else.
The arts idea was one that we thought would be a good fit. It is more of an identity then a business plan per se. It was a way to set White Salmon apart from other towns in the mid columbia by taking advantage of the (then) low building prices and rents and the charming natural and built environment that the town has.
For our downtown to be successful it has to have something of interest. People need content to see and experience and thats what the arts helps to provide.
It is true that many white salmon artists also work regular jobs. I myself invest in and manage commercial real estate. Amirra Malak is the art teacher in Cascade Locks, Robin and Ellen Knoke have a micro electronics business, Peggy Ohlson is a board member of several businesses. We would all be involved in the arts anyway, why not be out in public with it?
One of the rules of tourism is that you need to have four times the travel time in content for most people to feel it is worthwhile to come. example- a person will drive an hour and not want to spend less than four hours at their destination.
You see that people want to stroll around our town and enjoy themselves, browse at art, eat lunch, get ice cream, etc. The arts angle is a hook to help the town develop an identity that then helps create content which gets people here and they end up spending money in local businesses. Local businesses that keep the money in the community.
Look at the success of the semi annual art festivals that we run. We regularly get 500+ people to attend these. These people then go back to whereever they are from with a good idea about white salmon and the next time they are in the gorge they will most likely come back and spend more money with local businesses.
For the residents of White Salmon the events are a fun diversion and a great place to connect with friends and neighbors.
Your idea of signage along 14 is great, important and something that we are looking into.
Regarding the development at broughton Mill.-- THese people are already among us. Just because it is a new development doesnt mean that it brings in new people. I would endevour to suggest that the people that buy into that development are already spending much of their annual freetime in the gorge, maybe renting a house in Hood river by the week (or living a trailer at Avery!). How many people do you know that moved here without visiting every summer for years first? So I dont think that the development will increase the overall impact on the gorge significantly but it does have the power to impact white salmon in a positive way- more than the development of Husum- bz (excluding affordable housing arguments) Broughton mill visitors won't be congesting traffic in white salmon driving through town twice a day going to work. The Broughton folks will be visiting us for groceries and entertainment. (Spend your money and go home!)
What are permanant residents in a resort like broughton? I really don't think they are full time residents but are people who will buy a townhome or condo and will rent it out or let it sit while they are not there; which I think will be more than half the year.
As I said in the beginning, There are so many facets to economic development. Lets keep the bigger view. Jobs and economic development come in the form of a rising tide of activity and visitation, more than from any one particular industry.
As a wrapup of a very long letter I would say that it is not an either/or but a "both" situation.
That is not to say that every developers scheme should go forward without a ton of scrutiny. As I said in a previous comment, I think the cost/benefit ratio of this development is a good deal to the citizens and businesses of white salmon.
Thanks for the dialog.
John
Hi, John:
Both White Salmon and Bingen Councils, past and present, have made decisions that work directly against a retail business district that depends on tourist (aka walk-ins) traffic.
Let me explain.
Let's start with Bingen. The bulk of all commercial/retail development that can be considered the business district lines hwy 14 and is 5-blocks in length. The Bingen Council has done a terrific job of redevelopment, but at the same time, permitted almost half the potential retail space to be used as office space. The retail space that exists now has been broken into small sections.
Now, let's look at White Salmon. The situation is similar in that retail space is located on one street, Jewitt Avenue, and is about 4-blocks in length. In this business district, a bank was built where a parking lot faces Jewitt (city approved design). Hi-School Pharmacy was able to use an entire block of that space and front Jewitt with a blank wall! Couple that with the naive rezone that allowed a property owner to just sit on a valuable section of the business district until being able to sell the property at a profit (essentially holding the city hostage to whatever concessions the new owner will want from the City). The west end of Jewitt has City Hall and a business with a shabby parking lot facing Jewitt. Other non-retail businesses dot the street (license, Enterprize, Insitu, etc.).
John, people can dream all they want about the potential for these wonderful business districts, but it's only a dream. The most viable way for these retailers to thrive is to provide essential services to the local residents. The business districts are simply too small and too disjointed to get tourists out of their cars or create a draw.
As someone who grew up in a small business family and also had a small business, the old, tired adage of location, location, location is the problem. Increasing the traffic driving though these districts won't change anything. Sure, a few more dollars here and there, but it is certainly not enough to gut the Scenic Act.
How much more auto traffic do you think you'd need? The problem is people aren't getting out of their cars. In today's world, people don't walk unless there's a darn good reason to touch their feet to the ground. They walk only if there is something they "need" or for a business that offers a specialty not easily found anywhere else. A "good draw" business will have far more impact than any resort.
This is a subject I'm very familiar with. I studied this as an undergrad and post-grad. That's why the Bingen and White Salmon festivals bring walkers and shoppers downtown. The festivals provide the draw and in turn, helps the retailers IF they carry products they want.
If people aren't getting out or their cars now, what makes you think that "other" drivers will get out of their cars. The only thing that will help these two districts is a service or product not easily available anywhere else. The Glass Shop helps, but think about the impact a movie house might have. That would do far more than building a resort larger than Bingen, in another county, bisected by a bridge to Hood River.
Do you think the so-called resort advertisements will read: "Come to Broughton Landing -- just minutes from Bingen and White Salmon!"
ShadowGirl
I drove past the Broughton Mill site today and it reminded me of what an industrial junk yard that place is!
Hi, anonymous..
I happen to like the old Broughton mill site. It has a rich character not found in today's conformist, architect-designed, sterile environments. More importantly, it is one of the few places left that reflect the history of this area.
One of the first American art movements that served to distinguish American artists from their European counterparts was the "Ashcan School". They also found beauty in what you disdain, so I know I'm not the only one who likes the site as it now stands.
Below are links to these still-admired American artists as they pioneered the Ashcan School.
The famouse Amory Show:
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~museum/armory/armoryshow.html
Additonal info on the artists:
http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/a/ashcan.html
Regards,
ShadowGirl
People see beauty in different things and I respect your point of view. Honestly I think any good photographer could make a landfill look interesting.
By the way, if a public park ran from Cheap to the base of the Hatch with the highway and rail lines moved to the North along the cliffs they'd be onto something.
Anonymous:
I agree. I'd love to see a park there. There are many reasons I'm so opposed to allowing this resort.
It so damages the Scenic Area Act that the entire Gorge would be open to large, destination resorts. Despite Broughton's nice, neat drawings, the actual permits would be the responsibility of Skamania County. There is also a high probability that after they get the amendment they will sell the land to a larger developer with even more clout at a tidy profit. These are very common deals with this type of real estate. If that happens, you can forget any local concerns even being considered. Local residents will be cut out of everything. If you've visited areas taken over by a large (or multiple) resorts, you will probably have a difficult time finding any semblance of a community -- unless that community is extremely affluent (where most residences are in the mult-million dollar range).
Another thing -- do we really need more sprawl? That location isn't all that close to Bingen/White Salmon. One of the most important things we need to think about (and just not here in The Gorge), is stopping sprawl. It's killing this country. I don't hear people lamenting the absence of traffic and when you allow something that large away from the existing urban areas, that's what you get -- traffic.
Add to that the simple fact that it isn't going to help our business districts, regardless of the what people think.
I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of everything being for sale to those with the most dollars and political connections. It infuriates me that all those other land owners in that area can't build on their land, but everyone is bowing down to SDS. I think the politicians and many of the business owners don't give a rip about this area. Now that The Gorge has become so desirable because of the Scenic Act, they feel it's time to gut it and cash is.
That's just how I see it. They feel they're entitled to own the whole darn Gorge -- because, essentially, that's what this amendment is about. Cashing in. We don't need to turn this area into "resort central". I want my grand kids to see and enjoy The Gorge as I have.
Regards,
ShadowGirl
ShadowGirl said "Cashing in. We don't need to turn this area into "resort central". I want my grand kids to see and enjoy The Gorge as I have."
That's good, but if you have lived here for so long, why did you not know how to spell Jewett (not Jewitt) correctly?
Just wondering...
ShadowGirl said
"It so damages the Scenic Area Act that the entire Gorge would be open to large, destination resorts."
"Cashing in. We don't need to turn this area into "resort central". I want my grand kids to see and enjoy The Gorge as I have."
I agree with you to a certain extent Shadowgirl, especially about sprawl. But with the issue of preservation of the Scenic Act, it is hard to come over to the same camp as Friends of the Gorge. They fight tooth and nail against any development, even in urban areas where it is supposedly allowed.
I don't really care one way or another about the casino in Cascade Locks but it seems like the FOG never looked for compromise with this development. Given their track record, why should developers feel inclined to compromise on any issue with them?
If we are going to follow the letter of the law with regards to the Scenic Act, maybe we should amend it in other ways to protect everyone. If you think about it, fluorescent pink, green and orange wind sails are pretty unsightly. Let’s limit them to earth tones and camouflage and require that they be made of fabric that does not reflect the sun. Similar to roofing material that is mandated in the Scenic Act for all homes within eyeshot.
To take it a step further, I have never heard anyone from the Gorge Commission or FOG stand up and comment about a potential increase in traffic pollution (other than for the casino) or any other potential environmental impact windsurfing has brought to the Gorge. Where is the balance?
Perhaps the FOG would be stepping on too many toes and upset they’re funding if they brought up the environmental impact of windsurfing in the Gorge.
We are already jammed to the max, at this point what’s a few hundred thousand more!
Beatledawg
anonymous said --
"That's good, but if you have lived here for so long, why did you not know how to spell Jewett (not Jewitt) correctly?
Just wondering..."
Oops! I didn't realise that living here made one a good speller or a good typist. Sadly, "Jewett" isn't in the Google Spellchecker. >:(
My apologies to White Salmon!
ShadowGirl
so shadowgirl, how long HAVE you lived her? just wondering . . .
Anonymous:
We've lived here full time for nine years but had a house and property here for several years prior. All in all, we've been coming here regularly for 20+ years.
I'm not some anti-growth, NIMBY, etc. Just sick of big money shaping what we see, what we can buy, eat, read, what we do and do not have access to (the private beaches, etc.) and in this case, changing the rules to benefit only themselves.
This whole amendment thing is to amend the Scenic Act just so Broughton can be profitable. Don't take my word for it, read this week's The Enterprise. Read about the Aug 14th CRGC meeting regarding the amendment. It validates what all the opponents have been claiming. It's not a NIMBY issue. That's what Baird, Hastings, etc. want you to think: "Oh, it's a NIMBY issue", "Oh, it's those environmentalists", "Oh, it's FOG". What it is, is a crappy, sickening arrangement to benefit a few people with money and pull.
I'm curious, do you know anyone that had the Scenic Act amended to make their property or business more profitable?
So, what do you say -- have I lived here long enough to have a say? Just curious...
ShadowGirl
I don't know of anyone having the Scenic Act amended to make their property or business more profitable. To my knowledge, it's not an easy task.
There are several families that have been here for many, many generations. The "locals" should speak.
Forget this idea of "locals". You act like there is something special about having lived here longer tha someone else. Yes, having grown up here may give a person a special set of memories but beyond that it is meaningless. Do you think that all of these people who are moving here are just going to up and walk away leaving the town back in the hands of "locals"? Its not going to happen. Several of my family members were born and spent their whole lives in this town. What does that mean? Nothing. It means that they have memories of a different white Salmon and they have a lot of friends. Does it mean that they should have a different say than some who has lived here 10 years or 10 months? Hell no. The town is what it is, not what it was. "locals" get to vote once like anyone else.
So why does Patty Murray and Brian Baird support the over development of the gorge? Even though both have been supporters of the Scenic Act in the past. Even though Patty Murray has shepherded more than $70 million to the area?
What gives now? Methinks I smell campaign contributions from a certain 'Jason' et al. Follow the money.
But even more obvious of course is the loss of timber tax dollars to Skamania county. The feds don't want to have to bail out Skamania after the Timber County support dollars go away next year. So they hope to get property tax dollars. And they don't care that Klickitat may bear the burden in terms of traffic.
To Anonymous:
It's just hunch, but I would add Governor Gregoire to the list of amendment supporters.
It probably has a lot more to do with other changes in and around the Gorge. To me, the most critical action is the unprecedented major amendment to the Scenic Act. This would only be happening if it was part of a larger plan for the Gorge. Who decided we needed a major destination resort anyway? Who ever heard about a citizen push to build major resort? I sure haven't.
The plan amendment creates a separate urban area -- a basic and essential no-no for the Scenic Act. Uh, so now they want to change that.
What's that about?
Why now?
The Gorge has been uninteresting as an area for big-bucks developers, due in large part to the Scenic Act. Now, Portland and Vancouver are growing, forced to channel that growth north and south.
Along comes wind power, skipping past the Gorge to the Eastern plains. Next comes Google, a power-hungry industry giant locating to an area of plentiful wind and hydro power. It's also nice nice place to live with the close access to the beautiful Gorge - thanks to Scenic Act.
The resort amendment is just the first step to the complete dismantling of the Scenic Act. This is not conjecture. There's a large workshop sponsored by the Gorge Commission the end of October in The Dalles to determine the future of the Gorge. They have discouraged the public from attending by placing a $50 fee on the event. (see Gorge Future Forum http://www.gorgecommission.org/news.cfm). The event is geared to developers, investors, counties, large businesses and lobbyists to come together and decide what to do with the Gorge. The Scenic Act is not off-limits to this forum -- it *is* target on their radar screen.
Oh, and the Gorge Commission has decided to completely review the entire Scenic Act. Why? Because economic conditions have changed. You can find that info on the same page as the link above.
The Broughton Resort is like sticking a toe in the water to test the temperature. In this case, the level of local opposition and in turn the amount of pressure placed on our politicians. Weak local opposition will quickly propel the process of reversing the Scenic Act and will mean billions in profits for the large developers and investors.
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