Anytime you start talking about using public dollars in a private development, you’re bound to encounter resistance (login). Just ask Marietta Mayor Bill Dunaway.
Councilman Jim King, who voted against the proposal, said he couldn’t support [developer] Madison’s plan because public funds went to a parking deck rather than sidewalks, roads and sewers.
“I can’t in my mind justify a parking deck that’s transferred to private ownership as public infrastructure,” King said. “I’m not convinced this is the best alternative for us.”
In this case, city of Marietta would have funded the public portion of the partnership with an estimated $63 million in bonds using a tax allocation district.
It’s always a tough call since these developments can attract other private developers (and more tax revenue), but King’s view is certainly a reasonable one. Still, anything that could be done to breathe some life into the area immediately surrounding Marietta Square would be welcome. The Square itself is a pretty decent place to kill a summer or early fall afternoon, and there a few decent restaurants and shops there, but it’s like someone punched a square hole in a moldy donut. The immediately surrounding area is run-down. Now the question is who will they sell the land to and what will they do with it?
