Revisiting Parking, Apartments, and Reasonability

There was a report in the Detroit Free Press on Feb 3, 2012
about a housing project in the City of Pontiac, a city that has
experienced a downturn in population that began about the
same time as Iron River.

The news story is here:

http://tinyurl.com/8657uos

Pontiac is a city that is in deep financial straits. In 2009 the
state placed the city in receivership. And while the population
is significantly larger than Iron River, median wages and such
data are similar to that of Iron County.

Despite such difficulties, Pontiac has managed to put together
a project to redevelop existing space into housing
approximating @20 million while Iron River sits around
designing its future based on whatever grants local
consultants can discover.

It is interesting that the $20 million project is expected to
result in 46 units. That's about $434,000 cost per unit.

Iron River's downtown apartments, much needed by our
aging, significantly non-driving, population, would probably
cost, per housing unit, between 3 and 4 % of what the Pontiac
project will.

Iron County and Iron River aren't in the bad financial shape
that Pontiac is. Why don't we have anyone, including
outside visionaries, working on improving the housing, and
other, situations in Iron County?

What is it about Iron County that can't even consolidate
school districts for such a small population? If the politicos
of the county can't get their act together in the best
interests of the people they claim to represent, how will
reasonability ever prevail?

We recently called attention to John Archocosky's parking
habits, sometimes in violation of municipal ordinance. The
only point of that discussion was the unreasonability of
ordinances that irrationally get in the way of progress. Iron
County Doings knows of no one who cares one way or another
just how Archocosky positions the wheels on his vehicle while
parking next to City Hall. If Archocosky doesn't understand
the problems we recount here, then perhaps he should resign
from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the
Iron County EDC, the Michigan Municipal League, and his
position as Iron River's City manager.

Many do care about the unreasonable behavior of local
politicos who continue to flex municipal muscle at the
public's expense. If Pontiac can develop 80,000 square
feet of a vacant Sears store, what, besides political ineptness,
is keeping Iron County and Iron River from redeveloping
every square foot of viable vacant buildings?

Bill Vajk