9/22/2005

Dear Manchester Highlands TIF Commission,

Please vote NO on the proposal for Manchester Heights. You represent the people, and we would like our representation heard in the form of NO votes for the Manchester Heights TIF proposal. In short, the original plan to build a new police station in existing green space at 141/Manchester is a reasonable plan. It truly is good for the city of Manchester.  To knock down beautiful, quiet neighborhoods and existing businesses to put up a large complex of businesses is not reasonable, but rather is greedy, unethical and unconstitutional.

Our reasons are explained in detail below. We hope you will take the time to read them.

1. Destroy homes and businesses for other businesses?

2. The local people around that area aren't hip to this shopping center in their backyard.

3. Market Saturation...Why saturate it more?

4. Are you doing it for “the shopper's” choice?...Please...

5. Whose land is this anyway?...Greed...

6. The City of Manchester is "People"

7. What do the folks want? Where's your survey/vote? What are you going to do with increased revenue?

8. Quality of life

9. Whose home and business are you going to wipe out next for the sake of the almighty dollar? Where will it end?

10. Noise Pollution Woes

We recently walked the area to be destroyed. Wow, there are nice, well kept homes. It seems on the surface that it is ridiculous to rip out perfectly good homes in a quiet neighborhood with lots of mature trees. I think this is sad to destroy residential area for the sake of revenue. West County should be about the people who live and work here, not the city's budget and the developer's pocketbook. There is enough shopping to go around already out here. Putting in more shopping is not doing Manchester or the area a service to the people, it's for the developer's sake to develop on cheaper taxed land...you know, TIF.

2. The local homeowners around that area aren't hip to this shopping center in their backyard.

We spoke with a friend on Iron Warrior as we walked down the street. We asked her what she thought. She said right behind their house is going to be the beginning of the redeveloped area. She is not happy about that, and her neighbors are not either. She said the folks on their street are moving.  Not everyone, but several. They do not want this to happen. They chose to live in a quiet residential area, and are distressed that it is being threatened.

3. Market Saturation...Why Saturate it More?

We believe this a maneuver by businesses to reduce their costs of doing business in West County by getting tax breaks on new construction, rather than finding existing buildings to operate out of. We have read an article recently about several restaurant closings in West County. Now, let's think about this for a minute. Why are there so many recent restaurant and store closings? Do we really need to add more? Drive around and see for yourself. There are several vacant buildings that businesses could move into instead of being at Manchester Highlands: Chili’s, China Star, Rhodes Furniture, Red Lobster, Frick's, and Frank's Nursery.

We believe Manchester Highlands will saturate the market even more and potentially create more vacant buildings in West County. There are many vacant buildings in the City of St. Louis. This makes the city look dead in some areas.

4. Are you doing it for “the shopper”?...Please...

Do you think that Manchester Highlands would be a good addition for the consumer? Please, spare us. West County residents already have so many places to shop that it's ridiculous. Two malls and hundreds or even thousands of businesses are available. Manchester Highlands is not necessary from a shopper's perspective.

You may find it interesting that we’re thinking outside of Manchester boundaries. We are looking at it from a wider perspective because we have to be conscious of our neighbors. We think it is foolish to have tunnel vision and only look out for what's good for our little city and not the greater area.

 5. Whose land is this anyway?...Greed...

So the government can just take away thriving homes and businesses because they want more revenue for the city? We believe it is unethical, unconstitutional and greedy.   We think it's unethical to trash a person's business because he's not producing abundant tax revenue. We're amazed that our city would consider this an option. If you are able to do this, then you have WAY too much power. We didn't think the feudal system existed anymore, but to us, you might as well be KINGS doing whatever you want to others on "your" land (Manchester City). Sure, the folks who got a nice price for their home to move elsewhere are okay with it, but what about all the surrounding homes? They don't get a nice sum of money to live next to a shopping complex.

6. The City of Manchester is People 

We like how you frame it...it's for "the good of the city". Did you know that the city is made up of PEOPLE and businesses, which are run by PEOPLE too? So why would you NOT accommodate one group of people who LIVE/WORK in the city just to accommodate another people who DON'T live or work in the city already? This logic is faulty because these actions suggest that people are expendable.

We really doubt all the people getting booted are going to stay in Manchester after getting kicked out. But alas, we know, the good of the city means...more money. But what is more money when you are running people (who make up the city) out of the city? 

Last time we checked, Manchester is thriving. We personally think this is just plain GREED. We have trash pickup and recycle pickup. We have a new aquatic center, and Schroeder Park just got new courts and upgrades.  We have a new playground in our neighborhood – a pocket park that cost 20 or 30 grand. We have a fantastic fireworks show every year. Our roads are plowed timely. We have great parks. Schools are tops in the state.  The city in our opinion is NOT hurting FOR MONEY. But we could be wrong. If Manchester is hurting for money, the people need to know the details, because as Manchester residents we are not aware of any budget woes.

Are we really about greed here, or are we about the people who already live/work here? 

7. What do the folks want? Where's the survey/vote? What are we going to do with increased revenue?

We got a survey on trash collections. We think we even got a survey on the new police station. But now since Mr. Pace has come into the picture we have not seen a survey asking us for our opinions. Do you not want to know what the people think? Send out a survey and see what the family of Manchester says.

We keep reading "increased revenue," but nothing on what you are going to do with the money. Give all city employees a raise? Go back to two trash pickups a week? We want to know what improvements and plans will result from the increased revenue.

 8. Quality of life will go down.

If Manchester Highlands is built as currently designed, traffic will increase on Manchester at 141. This is already a big bottleneck on weekends and rush hours because the 141 traffic (6 lane highway) exits onto Manchester. We already purposely avoid going west of 141 at Manchester because it's too much of a hassle at certain hours of the day. Our day-to-day lives are directly impacted, because we don't want to sit in traffic with a baby in the back seat just to get to Dierbergs or some other place. We believe the quality of life will decrease because of the additional traffic jams due to giant shopping center traffic at the same spot. We believe this will be an unintended, but foreseeable, consequence.

9. Whose home and business are you going to wipe out next for the sake of the almighty dollar?

The shopping center plans appear to invade our neighborhood. The commercial property is spilling up 141. What's next, south of Brittany Parkway up to Kennedy school some developer wants to put a gas station in? We think 141 needs to stay a residential area.

10. Noise Pollution Woes

Noise from construction over the next 1 ½ years for our neighborhood and those closer to it will be absolutely annoying and decrease the quality of life. The bus depot didn't survive in our neighborhood because of noise and pollution as the excuse. A construction site ongoing all day will be much worse than the bus depot, we think.

Bottom line, we want you to vote NO to the shopping center project.

We think the police station somewhere in that green space is fine and truly for the betterment of the city, and way less invasive. When we purchased our home four and half years ago we envisioned staying here for a long time and raising a family. Since that time we have had our first child and are excited about raising our family in this neighborhood and city.  However, as of late we are no longer as excited about the future of our friendly, quiet and GREEN neighborhood. We DO NOT look forward to increased traffic, noise and exhaust pollution. This once ideal setting for our family is slowly becoming a less desirable residential area due to the encroachment of commercial property.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and representing us and voting NO.

John and Amy Curran

P.S. Please listen to the people you serve and know that we will remember your actions come election time.