urbanSTL

“Tax credits are real money, and they do not appear out of thin air, they come from the pockets of taxpayers," Harbin said. "Unless every tax credit is offset by real spending cuts of the same amount, every dollar that the government spends on tax credits has to be raised through higher taxes, debt, or a reduction in services.”

We’ve heard it mentioned for a long time that it’s a China hub…it’s really not, it’s an international hub. We focused on the Chinese as our first end, because if we can get them first, then the rest of the world opens up to us.

Alex Ihnen wrote:^ I think they have a point to make, but I think they make it rather poorly at times. That quote in the STL Public Radio story is unfortunate.

Alex Ihnen wrote:^ Excellent point. I'd toyed around with the idea of having the site be a "think tank" of sorts. Maybe we'll start marketing it that way. A couple studies here and there and perhaps we can be a source on issues like this. The city needs a non-ideological source of information and evaluation.

DaronDierkes wrote:Reading Kasarda's Aerotropolis: The Way We'll Live Next, I find myself constantly trying to compare his examples to Lambert and MidAmerica and just end up depressing myself. The successful Aerotropoli are all multi-billion-dollar projects with amazing potential for growth. A new runway and a few freezers is great. A new highway bridge and another dock at the port, meh. Does the cool chain extend to our trains and to Lambert? How many frozen warehouses do we have? Where's the plan to make Producer's Row a loading dock for Shanghai?

Every aerotropolis on record seems to have at least one project similar in size and scope to the Northside Regeneration plan, but the difference is that the billionaires in the other examples are usually doing greenfield development with no strings attached.

I think we have a few interesting advantages that need to be acknowledged and built upon.

1. Our two airports have extra capacity and are not fully land-locked. Lambert is semi-boxed in by highways, which is probably a good thing, and MidAmerica is surrounded by farmland. If one is fully built out, the other can handle the overflow, provided that land is set aside for the future now. We should put them both under one regional authority (Bi-State already has one airport...) and put them both in one masterplan now before the inevitable sprawl consumes the land around them.

2. It's great that the city is between the two airports. Detroit is planning an aerotropolis between its airport and Willow Run, and the distance in between will be entirely suburban. Our urban core is at our halfway point, so we'll have a very different kind of growth. In all cases the warehouse and reloville sorts of sprawl around airports tends to extend down highways, and we've got pre-existing industrial and residential areas on both sides of I-70. Sprawl could tend towards the city, not away from it.

3. Both airports are connected by MetroLink! In quote after quote with CEOs, it seems that access to the airport comes up. Companies like Express Scripts that send their employees all over need to be within a ten minute drive of the airport. What if we had an express train between the two airports with a stop downtown? If all of downtown was within ten minutes of either airport, it'd be a game changer.


4. UMSL's proximity to Lambert is fascinating. There is already a transportation studies program there that works with Lambert, but how much could UMSL really leverage the airport? They've got Express Scripts on campus and the NorthPark area will certainly be an asset, but I bet there's more that can be done. UMSL could play up its academic conference hosting.

5. Can BJC have a role in medical tourism or the national medical conference scene? It is pretty well connected to the airport already.

RobbyD wrote:Maybe I missed something, but the most recent PD article didn't seem to do more than lay out the positions of those arguing for more scrutiny of the aerotropolis proposal.

You’re right; he doesn’t seem to do much more than lay out the positions of the bills opponents. I wish he would engage in a more probing analysis of the bill
I don’t like how the author begins the article by characterizing the bill as a tax “break” that will require spending. This seems to imply that it will somehow diminish the state’s tax revenue stream by providing corporations with a break from taxes they currently pay. In reality, companies will only receive tax credits to the extent that they contribute to the hub project, and they must clearly demonstrate such contributions in order to qualify for the tax credit. As such, if the project fails and the companies aren’t able to contribute to the hub, then they won’t receive these tax credits. Although the author makes quick reference to this crucial fact (kind of), he buried it in the middle of the article. Rubs me the wrong way.
Furthermore, I don’t really like the whole guilt by association premise. Rather than analyzing the bill like Mr. Degraaf, he devoted 1/3 of the article to talking about Paul Mckee, who isn’t exactly the most popular man in St. Louis. While it might be worth mentioning that he has been involved since the beginning, I think he unduly emphasized Mr. Mckee’s participation in the negotiations. Highlighting his role only serves to unfairly tarnish the initiative.
I can’t remember the last time I felt so passionately about a local issue, which is why I am so sensitive to the way in which the bill has been framed in local publications. Although it’s unfortunate that Post hasn’t been very receptive to the bill, I’m sure the author also cares deeply about the future of the St. Louis region and is not writing such pieces in attempt to garner publicity or push an agenda (other than helping stl). We just have such a tremendous opportunity here; we’re talking about potentially being the gateway to what will be the largest economy in the entire world. Furthermore, I imagine that such connections with China will serve to enrich St. Louis’ culture. This just seems like a no brainer.

gone corporate wrote:^^Would I choose Aerotropolis over Historic Tax Credits...

Do I shoot my wounded cousin to save my whole family? Yes.

This is about defining our region, dare I say the entire state, for the next half century. Thousands upon thousands of jobs, billions of dollars in new development, an inflow of new companies & industries, blue collar & white collar futures that would never have existed beforehand, and the re-elevation of Saint Louis into a global city.

Thanks for your impassioned response. I guess you've got me sold, but if aerotrolis proves to be nothing in the end and htc is harmed, don't be surprised if I place your head on a wrecking ball as it slams into a historic building torn down for yet another parking lot! [i kid!]