[RP TownTalk] Condos
JayRite at aol.com
JayRite at aol.com
Thu Jan 18 21:47:05 UTC 2007
In a message dated 1/18/2007 2:47:56 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
wheadle at yahoo.com writes:
Well, I can't afford the condo's or whatever they are
that's going up on Route 1, which are "only" in the
$300 thousands; I can see where the town is going to
upscale to the point where people like myself, who've
lived in the area 10 years or more and are in
apartments, will be upscaled right out of town.
This is ridiculous. "Upscaled out of town"? I don't know if you've checked,
but there isn't ANYTHING for sale, almost ANYWHERE inside the beltway for less
than $300K. Are you suggesting that we promote urban blight in order to
preserve some sort of made up bizarro Mayberry-esque facade? Riverdale has got
to be able to keep up with other townships inside of the beltway, if not LEAD
them. And that means increasing the tax base, through new residents that will
lead to new businesses, and vice-versa.
and
perhaps that's what a lot of the upscale folks want,
to get rid of us "riff raff?" (And yes, I HAVE gotten
some serious attitude from quite a few people in town
when they find out I live in an apartment - everyone
"knows" what people who live in apartments in town are
like, right? (sarcasm)
I take offence to that statement, because prior to 2004 when I bought my
first house (the house I'm in now) in Riverdale, I have always been a renter. I
grew up in apartments, raised by a single parent who couldn't rub two nickels
together, but made ends meet. But I've never felt defensive about it because
if anyone didn't respect me as a result of our lively hood, I didn't really
care! I respected myself, had respect from my true friends, and that was all
that I cared about. And I do not consider myself an "upscale folk".
(Dog-gone/rich/high-falutin'/ muckity-muck upscale folks, done run me out of town!)
Pardon me, and my candor. But wanting your town to be progressive does not
make you an upscale folk. Whatever that means.
I realize that money makes the
mare go, as the old saying goes; however, I can see
that the town is headed towards becoming another
condo/Starbucks/Trader Joe/Ben and Jerry's generic
yuppy 'burb.
Starbucks? Trader Joe's? Ben and Jerry's?
Promise?!?!
Oh, those things would be just horrible wouldn't they. I mean we already
have McDonalds and The Little Giant (formerly McDonalds). What would become of
THOSE fine establishments? (now THERE'S sarcasm).
And there's nothing really wrong with
that, except what we have now, the unique mix of
architecture, people, incomes, and so forth, will
vanish and there will be nothing in town to make it a
special place to live.
It'll be just like everywhere
else. But, like I said, if cookie cutter is what you
want...
Why can't we have both? A township is made up of the people that live there,
not the businesses that are there. People in Riverdale love this town and
want what is best for this town. And nice things like Starbucks, Trader Joe's
and Ben and Jerry's would be awesome to have in walking distance. My wife and
I moved here 10 years ago, like yourself, with the hopes that Riverdale would
grow and thrive, and we would be able to grow and thrive with it.
The unique mix of architecture, people, incomes, and so forth, will NOT
vanish. Adding condos and those establishments will NOT make Riverdale a cookie
cutter town, if the folks don't let it.
Clever social conservation is wonderful. Totalitarian preservation, is
narrow minded and destructive.
Jay Wright
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