More bad news for us here in LP. I was talking to a guy that is a foreman on one of the job sites in AP at the new paza on Southfield & Outter Dr. as if the beautifull new complex wasn't already a kick in our head here in LP. I found out that there is TWO MORE phases going in over there with at least a couple of dozen more chain store. ( Store you will not see come here now! )

We need some devine interevention or something. Watching this site buing built in AP and trying to stay hopefull about LP is getting harder and harder to do!!


Rocky

  Submit to Quotes         

There's going to be no one left to come to LP if they are so close!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arctic Cat Thundercat Test Pilot

  Submit to Quotes         

I agree rocky im just not sure what Lincoln Park can do to get the business's to come here or at least the ones that havent went to the new shopping center.
I cant tell you how many of my local customers come here and say they have been looking everywhere and they completely forgot about us being here. Im just not sure what else we as a small buisness can do to promote ourselves.

  Submit to Quotes         

Maybe the city needs to give businesses some sort of incentive to come here. For instance a reduction in taxes for the first 10 years, or free advertising on the cable channel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion.

  Submit to Quotes         

what a shame that LP can not do something like this i think someone needs to get on the ball

  Submit to Quotes         

Southside I like your spank the lizard avatar better!


Rocky

  Submit to Quotes         

I believe that new businesses (not sure what the requirments are) receive a tax incentive.

Maybe Pam (HOBNOBS) can fill us in on this as her business is newer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sometimes we must serve in order to lead"
by Unknown

  Submit to Quotes         

Did you notice that the old Jo-Ann's in Allen Park location already has a tenant for that space? Yep, there is a sign that says that Dollar Castle is coming there. Dollar Castle is a nice Michigan based retailer owned by Eddie Denha. I had talked to him about four years ago on some Lincoln Park locations. It is one of the nicer dollar stores.

  Submit to Quotes         

Robin very seldom does a new business get tax releif, usually you have to be a major player that will bring something to the table in place of your taxes. EX. a Best Buy my get a deal because they bring jobs and traffic to the community, I am sure if there was a best buy down the Street from me, all the businesses in my area would benifit from it via the traffic it would create. It is not uncommon for an Anchor Store in a Mall to get rent as little as $1.00 per year, because that Anchor Store can make or break a Mall.


Rocky

  Submit to Quotes         

Something needs to be done and quick. If the tax is $1.00 that is more than what an empty building brings in.

With all the businesses Southgate has and now Allen Park, we must demand that we get quality companies here. No more check cashing places or dollar stores. That old saying "you are what you reap" keeps popping up in my head.

  Submit to Quotes         

There are all sorts of other types of tax credits that our could be promoting to future businesses or developers for these vacant buildings. For example: there is an Obsolete Property tax credit that for some reason Lincoln Park is not utilizing.

Rocky is right. It is usually the large corporations that get these 'tax abatement's as they are called. Plymouth Township has given out these tax abatements to many corporations to attract many automotive suppliers. However, I was just reading that the Visteon Milan plant had received one but there was a deal that if the plant ever changed hands the money would have to be paid back. Well, Ford is taking over that plant.

  Submit to Quotes         

Its funny that you do not have a problem with this, but yet someone wants to build a gas station near your house and you organize a million man march.

It just doesn't add up.

  Submit to Quotes         

No, I don't have a problem with a good looking dollar store. Yes, we are oversaturated with dollar stores but that is due to today's economy. And four years ago when I talked to Eddie Denha of Dollar Castle for the former Big Lots building we did not have all the dollar stores that we do today. A dollar store at the Cicotte/Fort Street corner would not attract the problems like a gas station will to my neighborhood or affect our property values.

My point about the Allen Park location is how quickly the turnaround was from a vacant store front to a business going in there.

  Submit to Quotes         

We do not need another dollar store in the city even if it's one of the "nicer" ones. Another dollar store or pawn shop or check cashing place attracts a certain socio-economic class. If I were a speculator looking to open a business in the city and I saw those type stores, I would not open my business here. If I were gong to open, say, a Borders or a Mongolian Barbecue or a Best Buy, I would be concerned that there would be few customers because typically people who shop at a pawn shop or need their check cashed before payday are not going to frequent a Borders or Mongolian Barbecue. If Lincoln Park presents the image of a low-end community, it will continue to attract low-end businesses and low-end people.

  Submit to Quotes         

How do you figure? What is the difference? We have too many gas stations and too many dollar stores! If you ask me we have way more dollar stores than gas stations compared to the average city.

  Submit to Quotes         

Your right. We do not need another dollar store. At the time I talked to Dollar Castle we did not have all the dollar stores like we do today. However, the nice ones are everywhere whether you are talking about Farmington or Ferndale, Livonia or Lincoln Park, Troy or Trenton. You'd be surprised at the people with money who love Dollar Tree. My mother lives in Macomb Township, is comfortably retired, and loves to shop the Dollar Tree, T.J. Max and Big Lots at Christmas time! She's got the best Christmas decorations that she finds for little money that you'd think she bought at an expensive shop. I agree with you on the pawn shops, too.

I'd love a Borders and Mongolian BBQ. Best Buy might be nice, too, for the Sears Shopping Center.

  Submit to Quotes         

Your right. I don't see the a nice Dollar Tree attracting the hookers and riff-raff that are now hanging out in the alley here. Did I say I wanted a dollar store at that corner? No. It is just that if I had to choose between one or the other.

Did you read today's News Herald? Interesting story about a new gas station in Southgate going in while several other gas stations recently went bankrupt.

The independent dollar stores eventually close up because they can't compete against someone like Dollar Tree. That is what will happen up there in Allen Park. There is that other dollar store called 'Dollar Stores' which many on this forum have said is very junky.

  Submit to Quotes         

I personally think we have plenty of any type of "discount" stores. Can we have some variety? Every plaza does not have to have a different variation of a dollar store. I will say that, yes, the Dollar is nice. I like it, I shop there occasionally. But, this city does look like a dollar store, check cashing, BAR, run down building looking place. I don't go down Fort Street to often but a while back I noticed a very nice looking coffe house. I was so puzzled. It so yukky over there, frankly that's why I don't go there. But with one nice business, maybe it would encourage more or make some of the other owners spruce their places up a bit. I stands out A LOT but in a good way. I love Sears Shopping Center it is great, but I almost always travel to Southgate to shop. A quick story.... I used to be a Retail Store Manager and attempted to work at Deb in Taylor in Burlington Shopping center. Long story short... Because the entire center is completely made up of discount stores, almost all our customers were disrespectful and literally scarry. I had NEVER seen people behave the way the women who shopped there did. Coming in with very small children and leaving them to run around while they tried on clothes. I'm talking 3 or 4 years old. I'd watch people knock clothes off the racks and just look at them on the floor and leave them. We had such a problem with stealing. It was my most horrible work experience to date. I stayed for 2 weeks! So did the other manager. Neither of us could even begin to understand how people could just come in and trash a place. It took hours to clean up at night, even though we were constantly working at it all day. Look at Burlington, TJ MAXX, Big Lots, etc... how often do you see merchandise ALL OVER the floors, especially the toy section? I don't know what it is, because I know plenty of people who don't have money, but they don't destroy stores. Where do these people come from? Didn't their mama's teach them respect??? Just seems like those kinds of stores, draws not so nice people. Just my opinion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Order Cookies & Snacks for any event. Fresh & Homemade just for you!
Lip Smacking Cookies
http://www.geocities.com/dravensmama1216/LipSmackingCookies.html

  Submit to Quotes         

Hi Robin and all
To answer the question of any incentives, NO, there were none offered and there still isn't that we are aware of. After about 3 weeks in to our re-constuction project, the fire inspector at the time, and his partner, were the first city employees to stop in and this visit was out of curiousity, not mandated.
Virginia from the EDC was a frequent visitor and was quite helpful in helping us get a small loan from them. This loan, however helpful, was not easy to acquire without plenty of time and effort by my other partner. We were fortunate in the aspect that we were the first business not up and running that they ever loaned money to, and it came with restrictions. It was to be used for exactly what it is intended for, to give the outside a facelift, a new sign, parking lot resurfacing, striping, lights etc. We needed it and we got it and were and are grateful.
There are no incentives from the city that we know about or believe me, we would have grabbed each and every one.
If there are any that we don't know about, please let me know as I too, am curious to this.
Pam

  Submit to Quotes         

Ford will reach an agreement with Milan for $0.15 - $0.25 on the Dollar and write Milan a nice Check. They may even get a 5 year abatement thrown in. A thank you for not leaving the city altogether.

Corporations have an amount worked out before they sit down to negotiate with a city. They investigate the cities finances and arrive at an amount that they know the city may accept,and the company can write of on their taxes. If it looks like they may ask for more they threaten to pull out of the deal .and leave the city with a contaminated piece of property to unload.

Nowadays it's not hard finding a supplier already Producing a similar part to retool or move machines and have the the parts certified for production .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If pro is the opposite of con? would CONgress be the oppositeof PROgress?

  Submit to Quotes