ArvadaforAllthePeople

Time to End Arvada Government Secrecy

The Arvada Urban Renewal Authority has the power to determine which developer will get to re-design the Arvada Square property (where AURA helped drive-out the Safeway in favor of Walmart).

Yet, using our tax dollars the 'board of commissioners' of AURA is doing this decision-making in secret.

The image below is of the agenda for the Wednesday, May 28, 2014,  AURA meeting (and as if many ordinary Arvadans could attend a 2:00 in the afternoon on a weekday meeting anyway).

And here is the email correspondence I had with AURA regarding the topic of today's secret meeting:

Arvada Urban Renewal Authority
5601 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 210
Arvada, CO 80002

Ms.Phair:

What is the topic or topics for discussion at the Wednesday, May 28, 2014, AURA board executive session?

Dave Chandler

•••

Dave,
The Special Meeting that was held today at 2:00 p.m. was to review the Request for Qualifications that AURA received for the Ralston Creek North Redevelopment. That meeting adjourned around 4:00 p.m.

Pat

•••

Why the secrecy?

The city-salaried attorney for AURA says this 'executive session' is legal; perhaps it technically is -- but why does it have to be secret? The board certainly wasn’t negotiating a contract, but getting presentations from RFQ respondents — why shouldn’t the public be privy to that information also?

Why can't, we, the people, know what kind of companies want to come into our city and redesign and redevelopment an very important area of Arvada? Why can't we, the people, know and hear what are the 'qualifications' of the interested parties?

It is time to lift the veil of secrecy off 'executive sessions' -- secrecy naturally leads to suspicion and cynicism. The AURA board works for us -- not for private developers. We’ve got to start insisting that this kind of discussion come out into the open.

Arvada Values Contaminated by Walmart in the Plaza

A year's delay because of soil contamination -- that's the latest for Walmart in the Arvada Plaza. (YourHub/Denver Post for Thursday, May 22, 2014)

But what is really going on? How much contamination of soils is at the site? What else is to be found in the ground?

The taxpayers of Arvada are committed by the city council to funnel $5.8 million to developer IRG to make the Arvada Plaza suitable for a massive discount retail building, but ... surprise, surprise ... we aren't to be apprised to why we are paying this money.

What kind of a deal is Arvada Urban Renewal Authority and city council making for us that the public gets to pay, but we don't get to know what is really going on?

Despite using nearly $6 million of public revenue for 'improvements to the blighted property', we aren't "privy to the environmental piece."

What a prime example of "socializing the loss, while privatizing the profit" ... this is especially galling for most Arvadans since Walmart is one of the nation's wealthiest corporations.

Of course, Arvada Urban Renewal Authority, developer IRG and Walmart minimize the impact of this environmental remediation -- but soil contamination, traffic congestion, narrow streets, noise and light pollution, increases in crime, low wages, corporate welfare -- these will never be characteristics the comport with quality Arvada values.

As already attested to by the always near empty parking lot at Walmart's Neighborhood Market at 64th Avenue and Indiana Street in Arvada, the residents of this city won't forget that it is politicians and government bureaucrats that are trying to foist upon us a Supercenter that does not fit with Arvada values.

Walmart's Neighborhood Market around noon on Wednesday, May 21, 2014.

 

Breaking News! Arvada Plaza Walmart DELAYED!

Arvada for ALL the People is tracking the ongoing controversies surrounding the Walmart Supercenter proposed for the Arvada Plaza at Ralston Road and Independence Street. From the beginning, this plan has met with objections from many of the neighborhoods and local businesses adjacent to this development. Despite compelling evidence and the expressed wishes of Arvada residents that a Walmart Supercenter is simply not a good fit for this location, the city government and the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority (AURA) have attempted to steamroller this bad idea into reality.

Now there is breaking news and revelations that cast serious doubt on the wisdom of shoehorning a Walmart Supercenter into the Arvada Triangle area.

The honesty, forthrightness and competence of Arvada government -- especially the 'planning department' and Arvada Urban Renewal -- are cause for critical concern.

REPORT FROM ARVADA URBAN RENEWAL AUTHORITY
Board of Directors Meeting
Wednesday, May 7, 2014

According to AURA executive director, Maureen Phair, start of construction on the Arvada Plaza Walmart has been DELAYED FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR with store opening scheduled for mid-2016.

There are serious environmental contamination issues on a portion of the property and ongoing lease-relocation problems with Auto Zone.

Especially regarding any ground contamination, Stop Arvada Walmart would ask that AURA and developer IRG 'come clean' to the public on the nature and extent of these potential hazards.

As we have contended from the beginning: Walmart is not a good fit for Arvada!

• We encourage Arvada residents to pledge that they will not shop Arvada Walmart.
• We encourage Walmart corporation to reevaluate the wisdom trying to shoehorn a Supercenter into the Arvada Plaza location.
• We encourage AURA and developer IRG to go back to the drawing board and draw-up a new plan for the area that better suits the local community and meets the values of nearby neighborhoods and respects the property right of existing businesses and homeowners.

Subsequent to the new status for this project, the email inquiry published here was made to the director of the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority for further clarification and explanation -- note the reply:

Isn't it funny how "private property" becomes an excuse for not knowing when it is convenient not to know ... but we, the Arvada taxpayers, can give-up $5.8 million in tax revenue to private property owners because the 'private property' owners need the public's help to make a private profit?

The email exchange above tells the tale ... or rather doesn't tell us what we have a right to know.

Throughout the entire Arvada Plaza-IRG/Walmart controversy, we asked over and over for complete environmental studies about this site and were essentially stonewalled by AURA and the 'Community Development Department' of the city government.

It is time for AURA, developer Stuart Lichter and his company IRG, and City Hall to come clean about the whole Arvada Plaza-IRG/Walmart deal.