BIG SISTER AND THE DEVELOPER

It’s been nearly two decades since the Berlin Wall fell, but the Marxists are alive and kicking at City Hall.  It’s clear that the Grand Rapids city commissioners, the planning commissioners, and all the other official meddlers don’t grasp the concept of private property.  They can’t merely keep the peace in our burg by zoning land into broad categories so that my neighbor doesn’t start up a pig farm next to my house.  These days they think they have a warrant to tell us what we can build on our land, how we will build it, and what it will look like.  And, oh yes, for the privilege of being told what we can do with our property, we get to pay taxes on it to the city government.

Little wonder developer Steve Benner wants to give the City Commission the finger by posting signs on his empty $7 million lot declaring “Mobile Home Community Coming Soon”.  The city government has insisted upon micromanaging the development of his property, located in the booming East Beltline commercial corridor around Knapp Street, by rejecting every plan he has put forward for a mix of commercial, office, and residential use.  According to the Grand Rapids Press, Big Sister a.k.a. Mayor George Heartwell (pictured below in his commissar red cap), outraged at Benner’s contempt for the City Commission’s obstruction, bellowed, “Mr. Benner doesn’t know what a fight can be until he decides he wants to violate the Master Plan in such a fashion.  This mayor, and I’m certain the City Commission, would fight that tooth and nail.”

Oh, my.

Let me be clear.  I have no brief for Benner or his project.  The fact that he wants to throw the dice on mixed-use development in a district the city government zoned for such is his business not mine.  Maybe he was foolish to buy property encumbered by special zoning that allowed the city government to stick its nose too far into his plans.  Maybe he was foolish to be a developer without the surname of Devos or Van Andel or other connected bigwig here in town.  But we are all foolish to think it’s a good idea to let the city government have the kind of power it does to intrude upon the lawful plans, investments, and affairs of private citizens.  The reason is that, even if it were a good idea to let the government vet these things to prevent failed developments (a dubious proposition), government officials will pervert that power to other ends – including some very petty ones.

You see, folks, Benner’s crime is not that the details of his development do not conform to Big Sister’s whimsies.  His crime is lese-majeste.  Benner violated not the master plan, but the dignity Big Sister thinks is due to his dictates as to how people are supposed to develop their own property.  You never see Big Sister fulminating such passion for keeping public pools open for our kids and making sure enough firemen are on duty.  That is unfortunate.  It would be nice to have a mayor who made the public a priority over posturing.  At least we can take some comfort that, even if Big Sister can stop us from going about our business, he doesn’t have any gulags to toss us into when we thumb our nose at him in dissent.

Comments

[Ed Hawks]

So Bill,

I take it you won't be voting for Dick DeVos :)

Ed

[The Executive Director]

Hi, Ed.

No, the Dickster won't be getting my vote. But then Guv Jen won't get it either.

Regards,
Bill

[Ed Hawks]

You know this is a race that an independant candidate could win. Too bad there isn't one. I don't know a lot of people that are excited about either candidate. Dumb question but why would a guy like DeVos get into this mess. What's in it for him? He has everthing he could possibly want. Is it ego? Something else?

[The Executive Director]

Hi, Ed.

Ego? Sure. I've never met the man, but from everything I know Devos has always been more passionate about politics than business. Maybe that's because he doesn't have the stomach to run a corrupt business like his father does and the only future left to Amway is the unglamorous world of private label manufacturing. Maybe he's parachuting into politics before the pyramid collapses.

Regards, Bill

[Joe]

Keep up the good work in calling the mayor and city commission out for what they really are.