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There is a vacant 500,000 square foot industrial plant on 20 acres in a low income neighborhood with a largely minority population. Much of the site was severely contaminated with a variety of toxic chemicals including benzene and PERC by prior uses. A developer has offered to purchase this building and two adjacent properties for redevelopment. The proposal calls for the redevelopment of the property with a recycling plant, a furniture assembly operation and a pharmaceutical manufacturer. It calls for purchase of the property for $4,000,000, investment of $4,000,000 in renovating the existing building, and expenditure of $2,000,000 on a partial cleanup of the property, which would eliminate approximately 30% of the contamination. The developer plans to put up $2,000,000 of his own money and borrow $3,000,000. He claims that he needs $5,000,000 from government, or a one time commitment of $25 per household BENEFITS This project will probably 1. create750 temporary construction jobs 2.. create 4,000 good high paying entry level manufacturing and service jobs paying $10-$30/hour 3. generate 8,000 secondary jobs from increased spending by the developer, the construction workers, and the employees of the new businesses. 4. increase tax revenues by $1,000,000 in five years after a tax abatement expires permitting a $5 per household reduction in taxes 5. Clean up 30% of existing pollution. We note that. most jobs go to very poor people struggling to feed families and stay off welfare, and that many of the new workers can get to their jobs in 15 minutes rather than 45 minutes. COSTS However, the project will also 1. Generate pollution-SO2, particulates, CO2, and Ozone, hazardous and non hazardous waste. Scientists estimate that pollution will cause 7 people to die prematurely each year, cause 15 people to get cancer, 12 people to get heart attacks, 22 asthma cases, and 55 reduced activity days. 2. generate some traffic and congestion 3. be unsightly 4. spend tax dollars through subsidies, increased infrastructure costs 5. harm wetlands Would you support a $25 subsidy keeping in mind that your taxes will drop $5 per year after five years. |