[News in The Villages]

Commissioners also approved a fire and EMS aid pact with The Villages and golf cart access for the Dec. 4 Christmas parade.

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[npwalters]

No surprise there. They don't want to butt heads with the establishment.

[Normal]

Originally Posted by npwalters

No surprise there. They don't want to butt heads with the establishment.

The commissioner’s stance has always been Build Baby Build. It’s what brings in the spending money for “good ideas”. Sooner or later the philosophy will die, whether it’s economic, management or poor planning, it will all come to an end.

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by npwalters

No surprise there. They don't want to butt heads with the establishment.

Is anyone shocked that the totally independent Sumter County Commissioners, voted in favor of the Developer's request?

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

Is anyone shocked that the totally independent Sumter County Commissioners, voted in favor of the Developer's request?

Nope

[JoMar]

What's the alternative? If you owned the properties and had them sitting vacant what would you do?

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by JoMar

What's the alternative? If you owned the properties and had them sitting vacant what would you do?

I guess that depends on the situation. If I was a billionaire, I wouldn’t screw over the people that made me a billionaire. How much is enough?

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by JoMar

What's the alternative? If you owned the properties and had them sitting vacant what would you do?

Lower the rent.

Our company owns a 250,000 sq. ft building that's empty. It's office/tech space. We average a couple of calls a week from people who want to buy it and convert it to residential use ... the town laughs when anyone asks them about the possibility of changing the zoning.

Every state is different, but in MA (& many other states), Zoning use is sacrosanct. if you want to change a zoning designation from Business to Residential, it takes a 2/3 majority vote of Town Meeting. There is no other method to change Zoning. No Variances or Exceptions are allowed.

[Sparky99]

Build it they will come.

[Josephjmarchese]

Originally Posted by JoMar

What's the alternative? If you owned the properties and had them sitting vacant what would you do?

My guess is that the rents are too high to attract business. Eg: look at Spanish Springs. Beautiful buildings for restaurants or stores. No takers. Unlike the South TV where businesses open daily

[Josephjmarchese]

Originally Posted by JoMar

What's the alternative? If you owned the properties and had them sitting vacant what would you do?

My guess is that the rents are too high to attract business. Eg: look at Spanish Springs. Beautiful buildings for restaurants or stores. No takers. Unlike the South TV where businesses open daily

[Ajete]

I went down race track road. Hadn’t been in years. Gorgeous new communities being built. Larger homes. I’m going to look. Villages too crowded. People vote with their feet.

[blueash]

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[ZPaul]

Leaving buildings vacant benefits no one. Even tax collection takes a hit since commercial property values are based on earnings potential.
Demand for commercial space is down while people need more housing. A lot of people move to Florida from dysfunctional over regulated states where home prices climb to crazy levels because governments make it difficult to build more homes.
Low occupancy in town squares hurts everyone since nobody benefits from the longer walk between stores/restaurants that are still open. Redevelopment is accepting reality and a sign of a healthy economy that changes with the times.

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by ZPaul

Leaving buildings vacant benefits no one. Even tax collection takes a hit since commercial property values are based on earnings potential.
Demand for commercial space is down while people need more housing. A lot of people move to Florida from dysfunctional over regulated states where home prices climb to crazy levels because governments make it difficult to build more homes.
Low occupancy in town squares hurts everyone since nobody benefits from the longer walk between stores/restaurants that are still open. Redevelopment is accepting reality and a sign of a healthy economy that changes with the times.

In which case, shouldn't we simply eliminate all the Squares and use them for more housing?

Is that what you're proposing?

I doubt that initiative will garner a lot of support from Villagers.