urbanSTL

Alex Ihnen wrote:^ It'd be nice to get a glance at the MOU with Lambert. I agree that it doesn't seem necessary for planes to stop in TX.

My guess is the manufacturing base located across the border from Brownsville has something to do with it. Brownsville is a major border crossing and manufacturing has not slowed down in Mexico.

If these pols in Jeff City don't pass this Aerotropolis package by Friday evening's deadline we should def try secede and move the STL metro area to Illinois.

^ Cause then we'd really be second fiddle.

'Twas a joke.

So...this doesn't look very encouraging:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt ... f6878.html

I really hope this doesn't end ugly like I feel it may.

What else are they wanting to reform with tax credits that they feel the need to hold up the local control issue?

This also seems like a lot of bickering at the state level for issues that mostly deal with Saint Louis.

pat wrote:What else are they wanting to reform with tax credits that they feel the need to hold up the local control issue?

This also seems like a lot of bickering at the state level for issues that mostly deal with Saint Louis.

Everyone want to put their hands in the cookie jar.

Article recently in the USA Today about aerotropolis in other cities. We have a lot of competion which scares me that if this come reality it will be at the expense of the historic tax credit. So basically we may not get our full return on investment and weaken something that works.

http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/stor ... 46293998/1

Cant be scared of competition. One thing we have that other cities don't in regards to our aerotropolis is that the soon to be world's largest economy has been actively involved in negotiation with us. I think we should be calling this initiative the China Trade Hub at St. Louis instead of St. Louis aerotropolis.

downtown2007 wrote:Article recently in the USA Today about aerotropolis in other cities. We have a lot of competion which scares me that if this come reality it will be at the expense of the historic tax credit. So basically we may not get our full return on investment and weaken something that works.

http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/stor ... 46293998/1

I read the article and I don't see any of the cities listed as direct competition for the china- Midwest cargo hub. I think the fact that the article also uses the term 'aerotropolis' may be causing some confusion.

moorlander wrote:

downtown2007 wrote:Article recently in the USA Today about aerotropolis in other cities. We have a lot of competion which scares me that if this come reality it will be at the expense of the historic tax credit. So basically we may not get our full return on investment and weaken something that works.

http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/stor ... 46293998/1

I read the article and I don't see any of the cities listed as direct competition for the china- Midwest cargo hub. I think the fact that the article also uses the term 'aerotropolis' may be causing some confusion.

Moorlander, I got the same impresseion after the reading the article. Aerotropolis in way is a buzz word being used in any context that suggests that a development be built next to an airport. Another way to look at it, a lot of those large hub airports built away from city centers are finally realizing that they should have went after those greenfield office parks built everywhere else and mixed use is a good way to try to convince a limited number of professional who might fly a lot to live closer to a loud, noisy, industrial location.

As far as Lambert, crossing my fingers on tax credit and a chinese agreement to start landing planes this summer. It makes a lot of sense for the metro area and the region as Lambert has great access, capacity, developable space with infrastructure already existing and a lot closer to city center/institutions/livable space relative to most of the airports discussed in the article.

Colby wrote:So...this doesn't look very encouraging:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt ... f6878.html

Any politician who sinks the China Hub tax credits should not be reelected. They don't deserve it because they let petty politics get in the way of important economic development.

It's amazing how bad politics actually is for this country.

This political BS is incredibly frustrating to watch from the outside. It sounds like the Senate is just trying to get the House to agree to their reforms on tax credits. Which doesn't seem to me like a huge issue. Does anyone know more about it than what I've read?

Other news...

Post-Dispatch article this morning about the Brownsville airline

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/ ... ab3bc.html

pat wrote:This political BS is incredibly frustrating to watch from the outside. It sounds like the Senate is just trying to get the House to agree to their reforms on tax credits. Which doesn't seem to me like a huge issue. Does anyone know more about it than what I've read?

Other news...

Post-Dispatch article this morning about the Brownsville airline

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/ ... ab3bc.html

Frustrating, yes but very glad that the budget is out of the way. I would have a lot less confident in matters if they were still bickering over the state budget

As far as BS, that is to be seen come Friday. I think it could be a big win for the area if some decent compromises be made on tax credit as well as local control for police fall into place - In other words, get Aerotropolis tax credit along with some desparately needed tax credit reform in place for which I agree the State Senate has tackled and the House ignored outright. Heck, you might even see the HTC raised and data center credit come out of a deal. Both would favor the region.

A piece in the St. Louis American about the initiative: http://www.stlamerican.com/news/politic ... 03286.html

Although he didn't mention the Post by name, I definitely share the author's thinly veiled frustration with the paper.

With regard to sirshankalo's comment about seceding, here is something to think about (I'm not serious, either): http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/05/ar ... ailed-24h5

Let the chinese know that we have lots of stray dogs. That should make the difference.

Oh...and we almost made it 73 full pages without a truly ignorant comment. Impressive, actually

Alex Ihnen wrote:What does everyone think of the criticism of the RCGA's Aerotropolis study? The Show-Me Institute criticized it for being too short (more so than for its content). Don March picked up on this on the St. Louis on the Air program as well.

Link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/54066457/St-L ... t-Estimate

I think it is a rather weak report. Its vague in may regards, it lacks an in-depth economic analysis and the case studies provide little more than an overview of the information. To be honest this looks more like an executive summary of a report, rather than an actual report. I would not base any decision based on this information.

Well, things aren't looking too good with 24 hours left..

Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, doesn’t like the elimination of the credits for seniors and the disabled and said the bill faces a rough ride in the session’s last two days.

The Senate panel will be led by Sen. Chuck Purgason, R-Caulfield, who insists that the bill must show a major gain for the treasury before he can support the freight hub or other new grants of tax money to businesses.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/201 ... edit-cuts/

I'm still positive this will pass, but wouldn't be surprised if it didn't. Seems like there is a lot of political posturing going on and that rarely produces positive results. Hopefully sanity will prevail. You do wonder why they waited to the last minute to vote on big issues like Tax Credit Reform and Local Control (Both heavily involved with St. Louis).

goat314 wrote:I'm still positive this will pass, but wouldn't be surprised if it didn't. Seems like there is a lot of political posturing going on and that rarely produces positive results. Hopefully sanity will prevail. You do wonder why they waited to the last minute to vote on big issues like Tax Credit Reform and Local Control (Both heavily involved with St. Louis).

I think you could look at a couple reasons

- Areotropolis tax credit wasn't even on anybody's agenda at the beginning of the legilative session and not introduce til late. I think in part it came about because of the chinese negotiations. Can't fault state reps on that one

- Second, Budget requirements and deadline is constitutional so it will always be the number one priority that drives the agenda.

Local control, well, thats been about politics since the civil war.

Missouri tax credits compromise hung up in Jefferson City
BY VIRGINIA YOUNG • vyoung@post-dispatch.com > 573-635-6178 STLtoday.com | Posted: Friday, May 13, 2011 12:00 am

JEFFERSON CITY • Rep. John Diehl's Capitol office was the nucleus of activity Thursday as lobbyists huddled around the doorway, awaiting the details of a potential compromise on state tax credits.

On the table was a bill that would determine where hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives go. Senators were demanding that some of the subsidies be cut to make room for a new program aimed at transforming Lambert-St. Louis International Airport into a Chinese trading hub.

link: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt ... 158ef.html