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May 3, 2005West Front plan cannot be tied to Union St. siteTraverse City officials considering plans for a massive redevelopment along West Front Street must make clear from this moment on that what has been proposed as a single deal is really two deals - and will be treated that way.- One calls for building two mixed-use developments along the north and south sides of Front Street, one at the former Grand Traverse Auto site and one across the street. - A second, separate issue, is whether the city wants to sell the parking lot at Union Street and Grandview Parkway and allow a four-story hotel to be built there in exchange for some parking spaces in a West Front parking deck. And as much as developer Michael Uzelac would like to make it so, city residents and city leaders must remember that this is not an either-or decision, that the one is not dependent on the other. For Uzelac, intertwining the two makes perfect business sense. - To spur west-side development and provide needed parking, the city has long considered building a new parking deck there. - The city would be hard-pressed to come up with the cash to do it on its own. - The Union Street site is one of the prime development locations in northern Michigan. It is directly across from the Open Space, Clinch Park Marina and West Bay and is right on the Boardman River. - His chances of simply buying the site from the city are probably slim and none. One can only guess at the price. And one can only imagine the outcry from city residents. His solution is one developers (including Uzelac) have used before: Incorporate public land into an attractive and profitable redevelopment proposal and give residents a choice - take it or leave it. By coincidence, Petoskey residents are going to the polls today to decide a very similar Uzelac proposal. There, he has proposed a massive, mixed-use building in a prime area of downtown (including two lots now used for parking) that would include retail and commercial space, along with indoor parking. The city gets taxes and much-needed parking, he gets his building and parking he needed anyway. The yes-or-no choice Petoskey voters face today is similar to one voters here could also face if Traverse City lets Uzelac set the agenda - all or nothing. City officials say Uzelac's West Front proposals would be a massive shot in the arm for the west side and great for Traverse City as a whole. Separately, however, city residents must decide if they're willing to forever give up a key site along the Boardman for spaces in a parking deck. Two deals. Two decisions.
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