A rebuttal and a response - and we're only 2 days old!

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NYCO said...

An attractive idea, but I wonder how much it would really boost property values. Easy access to shopping is still considered the greatest "amenity" in any residential area, and the western burbs are still hurting badly in this department. Also, while I like what is being done to make Fairmount walkable, there still isn't much of any place to walk TO; the W. Genesee corridor is still underdeveloped.

I digress... I really like this idea though. Has anyone brought it up at Geddes town meetings?

10:49 PM

my response:

baloghblog said...

I think that "demand" must be a driver of property value as well. Right now, I don't think that Solvay homes are flying off the market everyday, and the values remain low despite incredibly cheap utilities.

Giving someone a $600/yr value on their rental property would allow them to raise rates on rents, and therefore raise the value of the home. Having a growth in demand by college students (who would tend to care about free high speed - that they've gotten used to in the dorms) would help to improve return on investments from property owners.

If small businesses could be coaxed with free broadband, then storefronts would reopen, and buildings and blight that have sat there for years would begin to be fixed up. That I would think would raise the values of the homes.

As far as bringing it up at a Geddes Town meeting, I looked for info on the website for the next meeting, and there is no listing, so I emailed the supervisor and a councilor that had their email addresses listed to find out when the next one is. I may just have to do that...

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I agree on the chicken and the egg theory of Fairmount. Do you make it walkable first, and then attract business? Or the opposite? I believe in this case you'd have to go with the former. Try to revamp Fairmount's image as a regular mall, then a strip mall zone, then a Walmart area. Build the infrastructure - a few new sidewalks, a central parking lot (free), and then try to attract small businesses that people like walking to: Small shops, restaurants and bars, art galleries, coffee shop/internet cafe, and a bookstore. If you have that in Fairmount, you'll find me there.

8:11 AM