With all this talk about Google possibly coming to town and laying down a fiber optic network the likes of which the world hath never seen, I would make it a point to note that in doing so, Google would be making an enormous humanitarian leap in releasing the city of Baltimore from the grips of Comcast, one of the only area providers of high speed internet. It is with this thought in mind that I anxiously present to you Angry Mike, a displeased (former) Comcast customer and former housemate of mine. Feel his pain, point and laugh. Take it away, Angry Mike!

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An immense amount of back and forth has been going around over the past few days over the proposed shopping outlet in Remington, primarily over the you-knew-it-was-coming hubbub over the inclusion of Walmart into the mix. This news is considerable and it deserves the level of conversation that it has so far enjoyed; the announcement by developer Rick Walker took many, many people by surprise and this issue deserves a thorough digestion. So here’s about as much information you’ll ever need to read on the matter, posted in chronological order as Baltimore media (and blogs!) have reported them.

2010/02/24 – MD Daily Record – sets the stage for the development details and drops the knowledge that Walmart will be included; 95,000-100,000 sq feet, $65 million, 700-750 jobs created total. Notable detail – the Montreal-based developer in question is well known for essentially airlifting big box stores into “depressed urban areas” – translation: he probably doesn’t know very much about the area he’s trying to develop in aside from its price tag.

Notable comment:

Baltimore Indie - I’d much rather see a commercial development in that site that would bring in more businesses; preferably smaller and local. There could be a variety of businesses there that would accomplish the goal of getting retail needs into the community and Baltimore City.

e.g. More businesses, more diversity, happier consumers – and less of a burden to the street-level infrastructure.

2010/02/25 – City Paper -Makes the reveal that the developers in question had been looking for a “quality supermarket” as of January but in the story run the day prior by the Daily Record, they claim Walmart approached them in December. They pretty much knew Walmart would start a shit storm and pretty much sat on the knowledge. By this point, an online petition is already circulating against the presence of Walmart.

Notable comment by a PR guy from Walmart:

Steve Restivo – We look forward to opening a new store in northern Baltimore soon and remained committed to growing our business here. Residents need more affordable grocery options and more convenient access to quality jobs. Our new 25th Street Station store will deliver on both.

These jobs – including positions in store management, pharmacy, human resources, customer service, cashiers and sales associates – offer competitive pay, quality benefits and a real opportunity to build a career. More than three-quarters of our store management team started as hourly associates and benefits include affordable health plans, profit sharing and 401(k) contributions, a stock purchase plan and a discount on store merchandise.

In Baltimore our stores in Port Covington, Arbutus, Dundalk, Glen Burnie, Catonsville and Towson already co-exist with dozens of small, medium and large businesses; just drive around in the vicinity of our stores to see how Walmart fosters opportunity for others. This is not surprising. There have been countless studies done that show Walmart stores are a magnet for growth and development.

We look forward to working with the community over the next several months to create economic opportunity by providing good jobs and by saving customers money on their groceries and other quality merchandise.

Thanks,

Steven Restivo, Director Community Affairs

Walmart Stores, Inc.

ugh. Duly noted that the area Walmarts he cites, notably the locations in Port Covington, Catonsville, Glen Burnie and Arbutus – all of which I have been to – generally only compete with large sized businesses, as most suburban locations do. The Port Covington location, actually, is the only store at all in that immediate area. But this guy’s a shill, what can you do, he doesn’t actually know anything about Remington.

2010/02/25 – Mobtown Shank – Hampden-based blog launches the assault on the idea of Walmart coming to town with a 1500 word list-filled article citing study after study which detail Walmart’s effect on surrounding businesses and communities – almost all of which would most certainly be the exact opposite of one Steve Restivo’s PR copy-pastes.

Notable comment:

ADMIV – I will say here what I said in other blog comments:

Propose a viable alternative. Propose a development with private investment that would generate an equivalent number of jobs, income, and taxes (real estate, commercial, income, etc.).

And oddly enough, this comment has mostly been met with “Well that isn’t our job” by a lot of other comment-makers. I for one refer to the first cited comment and say that instead of 3-4 big box stores, turn it into a (oh crap I’m about to say it) shopping plaza with 10-15 smaller venues, maybe a single big box store. Restaurants, shops, an employment center, on and on – they could and certainly can work in that space, all while accommodating a very comfortable boost to the local economy without choking the surrounding area.

2010/02/26 – Baltimore Sun – Jay Hancock cites the occurrence in Chicago in which a new Walmart was blocked from being developed based on their poor wage scales and other notable hiring practices. He also makes an interesting point – Baltimore and its City Council are very much aligned with labor unions, and labor unions just LOVE Walmart. Fuel to the fire. (Steve Restivo also commented on this article)

2010/02/28 Baltimore Brew (1,2) – In a twofer, Gerard Neily gives a four out of five star rating on the Remington development, based on suggestions he made in December of ‘09 which the developer seems to have paid attention to. Interesting to read, as it gives a much clearer mental picture of how the proposed development would “fit” into the area (it still doesn’t do that very well). The second link is a deft summary of things up until now by Fern Shen, most notably the language used by local media in their headlines which seemed to suggest that the Walmart is 100% definitely coming to town, when in fact it is still just a proposal.

Notable comment (by me because I am awesome):

I can’t help but wonder if all of this controversy would be nearly as …controversial if it were a Wegman’s instead of a Walmart, even given the lack of infrastructural support for such a huge amount of traffic it’ll generate. Rather, the traffic it generates if it’s a success at all – the Walmart just three miles south pulls in traffic from Cherry Hill but the Sam’s Club is shuttered – people (at least, the ones with cars) are still quite content to drive the extra 5 or so miles outside of the city to give patronage to their big box store of choice and I’m not entirely convinced this will fare any better.

And that probably won’t change. Fact is, if Lowe’s or Walmart or whatever surprise big box stores they end up building go under, that area is SCREWED with a giant vacant building and no tenant to use it – something that Port Covington knows about all too well, but since no one lives there no one really cares. And if the reverse is true and they succeed at the expense of other smaller area businesses, Remington is equally screwed. If however there are several smaller venues in the same area and a few of them turn over, it’s not nearly as difficult for Remington to deal with. In terms of traffic, in terms of happy residents, in terms of pretty much everything.

Virtually every Baltimore area media outlet today has reported that a $65 million shopping and residential development featuring Walmart and Lowe’s will be coming to the Remington area by late 2011.

aaaaaaaaand I was about to make a list of predictions on the matter and they’re alreadycomingetruesorryforwastingyourtimefolks!!!! Here are some totally awesome animated gifs to make up for it (click to make them go)!

(part 1)

More community gardens absolutely everywhere

Remember those 30,000 vacant properties I mentioned earlier? Yeah they aren’t really helping the economy in Baltimore. But you know what would, while simultaneously raising morale/property values/a sense of community in the immediate area? Raze a few of them and convert the plots into community gardens. Obviously this strategy doesn’t apply to areas that are completely abandoned, but for those areas that are struggling to rebuild and/or feature a few certain properties that cannot be salvaged and have been remained idle for years, just do it. Flatten the property, put in some dirt and grass and charge people a tiny fee to grow whatever they want on 3×3′ plots. The fees would pay for maintenance, while boosting the immediate area’s worth on all fronts. Hell, any stretch of a few blocks featuring a community garden and a charter school? Golden.

“Green” Jobs

I wince at the title and its ridiculous media-buzz nature, but environmentally conscious service, infrastructure, and manufacturing jobs are going to be a huge part of this city’s future. Smilin’ Martin has been jawing about it for a good long while now with regard to the state, and with the industrial infrastructure already featured within city limits it wouldn’t be terribly difficult to retrofit some existing manufacturing installations that aren’t in use with proper “green” measures in an effort to bring back working class employment to the city without further destroying what’s left of the inner/outer harbor. It’s just a matter of attracting the right businesses to the area. God knows, I certainly wouldn’t be adverse to paying 2-3 dollars more for a t-shirt manufactured in Baltimore if it supports the local economy, as opposed to China’s. The ball appears to have started rolling on this one, let’s keep it that way – and with the rather limitless infrastructure fixes that can be made toward getting Baltimore off the BGE coal tit, let’s speed it up actually.

BRING FIOS TO THE CITY OF BALTIMORE, MD

This one is a completely selfish pet issue but I am certainly not alone when I say: I am sick to death of the monopoly that Comcast Cable Corporation has with regard to the media choices that our residents have in the city of Baltimore. There are literally no other options for terrestrial cable services within city limits and the company knows it. Consumers deserve a choice, and there currently are very few to none aside from the overcharging, customer-supportless behemoth entity known affectionately as Comcrap. I don’t care what needs to be done, I don’t care who needs to be called or how many HJ’s need to be serviced, please for the love of Mike do something to entice Verizon Wireless to bring their illustrious FIOS service to our fair city. Please. Anything.

…it’ll totally boost the economy or something.

SRB and company, please take these humble suggestions and know that every one of them has been thought about by at least a thousand other people. Get to work.

My EX-girlfriend Sheila Dixon (we had a falling out over a time share) will no longer mayor in just over a week. My NEW girlfriend, Stephanie Rawlings Blake (or SRB, as she signs her emails) will be transitioning into office, and the time for a new-but-not-really-but-maybe-it-will be era of Baltimore progress is waiting in the wings. Much like assholes and elbows, everyone has an opinion or two as to what our incoming lady mayor ought to do with regard to her personality, administration, choice of pet dog hairstyles and lip liner color. For instance, MMMMMMMcDermott gives SRB 9 pointers for mayoring, most of which she has probably broken already. Meanwhile, JMG uses his lvl 23 street lingo to put out some ideas on Westside development. There are others out there but I’m too lazy to look.

It wasn’t until Friday last week when former City Council member Keiffer Mitchell announced that he would be a part of SRB’s economic development transition team (2000 xtreme associates esquire) that I fully decided to make my own list of ideas, pertaining particularly to economic and community development. I gave him the 140 character nuggets via Twitter, and here are the full text versions.

Stop developing the fucking waterfront

Not a day goes by that I don’t read some sort of master plan from the BDC, bulletin or article in the BBJ about some new mixed used retail slash luxury condo development being crammed on top of the condos that are on top of the dry dock out by Bay Cafe or HOTELS HOTELS HOTELS, and it needs to stop for a good long while. The waterfront surrounding the Inner Harbor doesn’t. need. any. more. developing. Furthermore the majority of these properties and development deals invariably involved shorting the city on the taxes it’s supposed to be paid, sweetheart deals on the land (Silo Point, Ritz Carlton, probably Westport, an attempt on West Covington) – and we all know how that turned out for our soon-to-be previous mayor.

With so much room for RE-development in a city that has far less of a need for NEW development, the point here is that the incentives – or in Baltimore’s case, ethically thin perks for developing in Baltimore – don’t belong in the areas where new development is occurring, they belong in areas where redevelopment is a top priority. Not that I’m condoning ethically thin practices and the old vanguard just can’t help itself but get its sweet, sweet cut of the profits but STOP RIPPING OFF THE CITIZENS OF BALTIMORE ON LAND DEALS. If the city’s government truly wants to make an effort in the way of rebuilding its tax base, they need to stop focusing on 3% of its land base. Which leads me to the next point…

Bring back the dollar housing program

This topic was broached by the diligent Slumlord Watch blog a while ago, but it’s an idea that I have been clamoring for for years now. The idea is simple: take wide swaths of abandoned row homes that the city is in possession of and hasn’t done a damn thing with, and sell them for a dollar. Or if it makes them feel better, $6,000 – it doesn’t matter. Put a residency requirement on the house (which currently doesn’t exist, resulting in squatting scumbag speculators leaving their blighty goodness all over the place) and give the owners a provisional 5 year discount – say 50% – on the property taxes. With 30,000 vacant properties, I’m pretty sure the city could offload a few of them in their possession to those of us that actually want to live in the city.

Now, I fully realize the city just can’t help itself and wants to do a bit of its own speculation with regard to certain areas and the boarded up shit holes in its possession but again, if the city’s government is truly interested in rebuilding the tax base and opening the window to lower property taxes for everyone, it is a hell of a lot better to get started NOW with those that are legitimately interested in living in the city and improving their surroundings than playing the speculation game (which is soooo 2005 btw).

Charter Schools, Charter Schools, Private Schools

This is an issue that is in a state of revival but it needs to be stated over and over – we need more charter and small private schools in this city if we’re ever going to maintain a meaningful, productive population.

Some years ago a lot of charter schools tried to set up shop in the city and were met with great resistance by the teacher’s unions, administration, the powers that be and so forth. The going conspiracy theories as to why this was the case were varied but involved the usual excuses – lack of funds, it makes the other public schools look bad (even worse), on and on. Fortunately this isn’t necessarily the case these days and charter schools are slowly starting to pop up around the city, with the hopes of small class sizes and unorthodox education methods bringing parents and students to their doors, desperate for an alternative to the rest of the otherwise shattered city public education system. And quite frankly, this is the most immediate need in the city right now. One could literally go on for pages and days on this point but the bottom line is pretty simple: if the city’s government is truly interested in preventing youth violence/death and preserving the middle class that has been fleeing the city for generations in an effort to raise a family in the suburbs we need competitive, small and otherwise productive schools that aren’t tied down by the hopelessly broken bureaucracy that encompasses the rest of the city’s public schools.

coming up in part 2 …gardens, green jobs and uh, some other g word.