HOW WE SEE IT: Land Sale Proposals Get Marshy

More than once, then-Mayor Dan Coody’s purchase of the old Tyson Mexican Original plant in southeast Fayetteville came under criticism from these pages.

Back in 2004 when the city bought the shuttered factory, the case could be made it was a bad decision. The city paid $1.1 million for 11.8 acres and in the process took an industrial property off the tax rolls. There was a lot of talk about what it might be used for, but no specifi c plan was in place when the city got the deed. It was admirably used as a sort of donation sorting facility during the region’s response to Hurricane Katrina, but beyond that shining moment, it's been a piece of property in search of a purpose.

In hindsight, the criticism was shortsighted.

One portion ofacreage home for a new fi re station, which city oftcials said improved fi re coverage for the city. Another section became a realignment of the Huntsville Road-Happy Hollow Road intersection, saving the city the usual costs of land acquisition for the project.

And most recently, Fayetteville agreed to sell two more acres to Iowa-based Kum & Go convenience stores for $1.115 million, with the company pledging another $100,000 toward demolition of the old plant. The city now ends up with all its money back and somewhere around 8 acres remaining for its use or sale.

We noted at the time of the latest sale our disagreement with Alderman Sarah Marsh, who opposed the deal because she had a philosophical disagreement with the city doing business with a company “whose products are junk food, beer, cigarettes and fossil fuels.”

Flash forward now to last week, when Marsh and fellow Alderman Matthew Petty convinced the rest of the City Council to approve a resolution that requests Mayor Lioneld Jordan’s administration develop a plan for what’s left of the property; seeks improved connections with adjacent neighborhoods; calls for a portion of the vacant building to be “repurposed”; and for the city to recycle at least 75 percent of material it tears down. They also want to earmark at least half the proceeds to whatever the rest of the property becomes or for the surrounding neighborhood.

Marsh said she envisioned the property as a community garden, recycling dropoff facility, farmers market or public park that would use some material from the old Tyson plant.

Well, here’s another idea: Why not let the marketplace or municipal needs dictate the highest and best use for that property?

We’re beginning to get the idea Marsh has a personal philosophy she’d like to apply to all municipal government decisions. Whatever she deems “good” is worthy of the city’s resources;

whatever she deems “bad” - such as city residents eating junk food - is unworthy.

Marsh is early in her term on the City Council, so we’ll hold out hope she’s going to focus on what’s best for the city, and not the use of municipal policy to enforce her moral judgments.

If not, what’s next, demanding any vendor for the city use compact fluorescent bulbs and turn them out each time they leave the room? Concession stands in local festivals selling only locally grown healthy foods? Change Bikes, Blues & BBQ to “Priuses, Persons and Parsnips?”

Let’s not use municipal policy to enforce one alderman’s personal agenda.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 03/09/2013

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