The politics of New Brighton

I haven't been writing much about politics lately, in large measure because I've grown weary of the cynicism of those in the arena. There are a number of bloggers who write regularly about politics and they do a better job of it than I do. One blog in particular that I've recently discovered is Boots On (http://bootson.blogspot.com), which has been covering events in my hometown in New Brighton with passion and a gimlet eye. Boots On is a group blog and has a number of contributors, who all share significant and warranted concerns about our local municipal government.

I've lived in New Brighton for 10 years now and generally I enjoy it here. I like my house, my neighbors and my neighborhood very well. Still, there are things about this city that leave me shaking my head. One of the main entry points to my neighborhood is Old Highway 8, which is one of the ugliest thoroughfares in the Twin Cities. The city has spent millions on developing the area of Old Highway 8 north of I-694, an area known as the Northwest Quadrant. This area is strategically located, near the junction of 694 and 35W, and land this close to the central cities and blessed with easy access should be hugely valued. But development in the Northwest Quadrant has been desultory at best. Some of the reasons are beyond the control of local government; the site has been used for a number of environmentally parlous enterprises over the years, including slag heaps and rendering plants. Abatement of the environmental goodies left behind by these long-gone enterprises has been a significant problem for the city.

But you get the sense that the city has never really understood what to do with the Northwest Quadrant and as a result development has been allowed to drift. Things have been taking shape in the past year or two, after a long delay, and the results look patchy at best. The residential developments have been tied heavily to hoary New Urbanist notions of the sort I saw during my visit to Portland two years ago. I'm not sure that people really want to live the way the New Urbanists want us to live, which is why places like Portland are so coercive with their land use restrictions. Now, with the added whammy of the declining housing market, the plans for the Northwest Quadrant are in disarray. The lead builder, Rottlund Homes, has bailed on the project and litigation is coming. It's not going to be pretty and it's evident that the city fathers have no Plan B. I'm guessing that whatever Plan B they ultimately pull out of their posteriors, it will mean that my property taxes will be going up.

The local politics are problematic and distasteful. I've met the mayor, Steve Larson, a number of times and he's not the most impressive guy around. Like most liberals, he theoretically means well. But whatever his intentions, he and the rest of the city government have made a hash of what should be a centerpiece of our town. He won reelection with a plurality earlier this month and he'll have another chance to get it right. But I don't think he will. The Boots On team will stay on the case; my guess is that they'll have plenty to write about in the coming years.