From winterety at sbcglobal.net Mon Dec 1 21:54:14 2008 From: winterety at sbcglobal.net (sheryl lynn gerety) Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2008 21:54:14 -0800 Subject: [OldNorthBoard] Cannery Property Message-ID: Mayor Asmundson and Council, Tomorrow you take up the subject of developing the Cannery property. I see that Mr. Emlen has proposed studying the options (again) but I would very much like to see you maintain its current zoning, making plans to attract some mid-sized companies in the near future. My argument for this outcome is based on observations made while I lived in Chapel Hill, NC but also in the hope that as we rebuild our economy we look at the current financial picture and make some long range plans for Davis. North Carolina is a much smaller and many times poorer state than California yet there are some similarities in that both states have invested in secondary education. Chapel Hill benefits from being not just home to the flagship research university in the UNC system but in its proximity to Research Triangle Park. RTP is a development on a scale that our community could not realize for a long time. Still it attracts highly educated professionals who add -- to the ubiquitous mix of professors and students -- income, an appetite for art, music and fine restaurants, adamant support for the excellent local schools and employment besides the university and state jobs that would otherwise be the only jobs in the area. Not to mention internships for students. Should the current zoning stand, some would argue for small start-ups to occupy a fairly small parcel of land in contrast to RTP. However, it's important to keep in mind how tight money is right now. Venture capital is not readily available, and as with a previous attempt at establishing a cutting edge biogenetic facility, limited size and capital can mean cutting corners, staffing with inexperienced young people who need but don't get supervision in safely handling research and materials. Davis could really benefit from established companies that have good procedures in place as well as established markets. The boom and bust of housing development is for all intents in the bust part of the cycle. In any case it is such a limited kind of "manufacture" if you will, and contributes to a very narrow branching off of supporting industry. There are just so many rugs, chandeliers and sofas any one house can accommodate? Money is tight. The developer fees for cities are pretty much one time windfalls. This kind of investment and income just doesn't lend itself to the long range planning Davis needs to be engaging in right now. Thank you for taking the time to read this and give some serious consideration not just to my points but to other arguments in favor of getting some high tech firms to come to Davis soon. Sheryl Gerety 758-3990 602 C Street