Other Mall Voices

           I love Longmont. I am proud of Longmont, and I am proud to raise my fifth-generation Longmont children in Longmont. But I am saddened and disheartened by what I see a portion of our city council doing right now.  So today, rather than ask those on the council who have clearly already made up their minds on the subject of the mall redevelopment to reconsider, I will appeal to those of you out there who voted for them and have the means to re-elect them. Did we really set out for no-growth with this new council? Or, did we believe these candidates would try to achieve smart growth for our city?

So far it appears they are on track to shut down development altogether.  How can we be so sure that Pannatoni’s mall plans are not, in fact, smart growth if we just flatly deny them without even a look? I understand that some council members want to revitalize Main Street and see some sort of conflict of interest. Well, I don’t. I don’t understand why we have to choose one or the other anyway. We seem to think that Longmont can’t get first-rate stores and attract first-rate business. Why do we let Longmont be perceived as a second-rate city? Why do we settle for less than the best? 

             Why do we all just accept that Longmont isn’t deserving of first-class amenities and resign ourselves to driving to other towns to get them? I, for one, am sick of spending my money in other towns, and I’m sick of paying for the gas to get all the way over there to do it! I’m tired of paving their roads and building their parks with my tax dollars. But I have no choice. Those other towns stood up and took the chance on building for those businesses to come, and now they reap the reward of all of OUR dollars. 

 I’m having a hard-time even comprehending the downside to this, really. We keep Longmont consumer spending in Longmont, we start new building projects that will inevitably create jobs, we build stores that will inevitably create jobs. The only way we can screw this up is to settle for LESS than first class. Clearly, we should be able to have a voice on what is built, but only to make sure that it is up to the standards that we set forth for ourselves. And I think we should make those standards high. I believe our town deserves it. 

There are long-term effects to this anti-growth attitude espoused by a portion of the council. Honestly, to put up road-block after road-block to every builder interested in Longmont sends a message after a bit. And after awhile, they’ll stop coming around at all. Our reputation will grow into “Longmont doesn’t want growth.  It’s too hard to build in Longmont.” I mean for crying out loud, this is a RE-development project by a QUALITY company! We’re not talking about whether or not to build on open-space here! This is a concrete slab that will continue to fall into disrepair unless something is done. It already is a part of our city. Shouldn’t we consider making it a lovely part of our city? A part we where can come together and congregate? A part that makes money rather than loses it? Because right now it actively loses tax money—by pushing shoppers to go outside the city for shopping and entertainment. Sure, there’s a Victoria’s Secret in Twin Peaks, but if you have to drive all the way out to Centerra or Flatirons for anything else, you’re going to use their Victoria’s Secret while you’re there!

      My proposal is this: Let’s send a loud and clear message to ALL the city council that cannot be ignored—I am going to put a sign on my car that proclaims that I WANT A NEW MALL- HONK IF YOU DO, TOO!  I would like to encourage all the rest of you out there to do the same. Make a t-shirt, make a bumper sticker, send out an email, make some phone calls. Let’s grassroots this puppy into reality and do something GOOD for our city. Let’s make Longmont as great as its people. Let’s make our city better and let’s make our city representatives represent the wishes of the people of Longmont, and work with developers for smart growth.

 

Nicolle Pratt