“Redevelopment Powers would obligate City of Brookhaven taxpayers to over $200M of bond debt to incent commercial development. We are in real estate market boom. There is no reason to invest taxpayer dollars to development that will occur through free market forces.”
“I was an advocate for Brookhaven becoming a city from the beginning. We made several promises that have not yet been fulfilled. Until we can make good on those promises we should not be branching out into further endeavors. Moving forward with a new Redevelopment Powers law would take our focus off of the main goals that we, as a community, have agreed we need to do first.”
“The Redevelopment Powers Law is a huge, complex piece of legislation designed for "socially and economically depressed areas" - not vibrant, growing communities like Brookhaven. This referendum would mean more debt, more taxes, more bureaucracy, and more inefficient government control and cronyism at the expense of residents and taxpayers.”
“The purpose of a TAD and a development authority is to develop what would otherwise be impossible to develop via traditional methods ("Deteriorating areas"). A large portion of the Drew Valley neighborhood is in this "Improvement plan" and we are about to grant powers to an authority based on a document that creates more questions than it answers. Is Drew Valley and Briarwood Park really a "deteriorating area?" Having walked the entire neighborhood in the past few weeks, I would disagree.”
“At this point in time, voting for HB1136 would be putting too much power in the wrong hands. When the city opened for business, their first act was to pass legislation that few residents supported. When a community funded professional opinion poll determined that 70% of Brookhaven residents were opposed to the actions of City Hall, our city leaders turned a deaf ear to their constituents. When the "will of elected officials" trumps the "will of the people" that's no time to grant them additional powers. This a time for re-building trust and "walking the talk" in regards to transparency and representation.”
“It is not acceptable to subsidize developers with our tax dollars and open the door to potential corruption.”
“Redevelopment Authorities (RDAs) are created to manage crisis and blight. We are not in a crisis. Brookhaven commercial sites attractive for investment exist but they are not "blighted." Northeast Plaza, for example, is no more "blighted" than Cambridge Square. For me, the referendum boils down to whether you believe intervention by government is required to accelerate the creation of a better Brookhaven. I'm happy with the City of Brookhaven now and confident it will continue to improve without RDAs.”
“As a civic leader here for over 30 years, I know that Brookhaven was growing and thriving before cityhood, and it's growing and thriving now. We don't need the Redevelopment Powers Law, especially with City leaders who are still learning the ropes.”
“I am not a fan of how the Redevelopment Powers Law has been used in Dunwoody. If a City Council wants a project they should go to the citizens and ask.”
“I don't want the Brookhaven government to be able to decide what happens to private property. Redevelopment projects should be based upon economically feasible, free market choices by private citizens and private development companies. Government should stick to the legitimate functions of government.”
“Any house built before 1974 is subject to "eminent domain" under the Redevelopment Powers Law. Our forests and floodplains began to be largely replaced by suburbia as early as 1964. "Eminent domain" could wipe out all the neighborhoods in the Nancy Creek basin alone in the name of "progress." "Progress" in which direction?? Is the question before us what team are we on, or what game are we playing??”
“The City has not lived up to its promise of transparency and preserving the character of our unique neighborhoods. The City pushes through aggressive development plans that benefit developers at the expense of residents while showing little regard for the residents' opinion. With Redevelopment Powers, the city won't have to have ANY regard for our opinion.”
Want to add your own quote here? Contact us and let us know why you disagree with the Brookhaven Redevelopment Referendum.
