Camden Commentary: The St. Marys Yacht Club's proposal for the bait shop.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The St. Marys Yacht Club's proposal for the bait shop.

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18 comments:

Anonymous said...: St. Mary's need's a yacht club as much as Folkston. They are trying to make St. Mary's something it will never be. Not until they elect some leaders with the city's best interest at heart. What a joke !!!!!!!; September 3, 2009 at 9:04 AM
Jay Moreno said...: And what wopuld you envision such leaders doing over the next, say, twenty years. Where would you have them take St. Marys - if anywhere?; September 3, 2009 at 9:08 AM
Anonymous said...: instead of tad for developers lets try a tad for JOBS.look at the tax break kraft bag got from dodge co.
to move up there.; September 3, 2009 at 2:42 PM
Anonymous said...: Jay,

I would have them concentrate on bringing good paying job's to the city first.Cleaning up the area's of the city that are filthy. Only start projects that are needed and not pipe dreams. If the city leaders put as much effort in fixing the cities problems. As they have in trying to move the airport, think of the possibilities. They forced resident's into annexation with the promise of better utilities, yet thay have not been able to provide them. They need to forget about their personal agenda's and think abot what is in the best interest of the city and it's residents. Not what is in the best interest of their friend's personal agendas for personal gain. We need leaders with a vision of the future and way's to create a better quality of living for everyone. If they continue to raise taxes and piss away revenue. They are going to have to raise taxes to the point of where they will drive peopole out of the city.

Sincerely,

Rebel Dawg; September 3, 2009 at 6:25 PM
Jay Moreno said...: Suppose that the airport is closed and the property is developed as a residential and commercial mix. How many jobs would it have to generate and how much property tax and sales tax revenue would it have to generate and how much money would have to fall into local retail registers as a direct result before you would concurr that it was, on balance, a good thing - irrespective of who made money as a result of building it or selling it?; September 3, 2009 at 7:12 PM
Anonymous said...: Jay,

That is tremendous "what If." We have several residential developments partially build and all but abandoned. The Industrial Authority has been trying for over 20 years to sell property that used to be airport and at least 1/2 of it is still unsold. There are commercial buildings on Industrial Drive adjacent to the airport that have never been occupied. Buildings that were built for commercial and industrial use are occupied by churches, a restaurant, and a fraternal organization. There are no industries to rent them.

The bottom line is that there is no need or demand for additional acreage for residential or commercial development. The concept of closing the airport and converting it to a residential and/or commercial development is a dream voiced by some on our city council, particularly Mr. Trader. They forget that there first must be a demand. We have no demand because we have done nothing to create it.

Besides, we cannot just close the airport. When the city accepted grant funds from the FAA to improve the airport, that included a contracted agreement to keep the airport open and in operation for 20 years. The FAA will allow it to be closed only if there is a replacement airport built first.; September 3, 2009 at 8:58 PM
Anonymous said...: I'll bet they would get on the stick ith the arport, if it was shut down. Close it down and tell them it can be opened back up when it's moved. Force their hand and don't give in.It ultimately has to be moved, so why not shut it down and move the damn thing. They are going to keep dragging their feet and the military will shut it down.Let a plane fall out of the sky onto the base and watch how fast they Navy steps in and shuts it down. I bet it gets moved then!
what does St. Marys need with a yacht club? What they need to do is get their government cleaned up and straightened up first. Then they can try to get something going on the waterfront. The Park didn't do it, the Cumberland Ferry didn't do it, Lang
s hasn't done it,what about the waterfront theatre, oh yeah, that didn't do it either. How is a yacht club gonna do it?; September 3, 2009 at 9:40 PM
Anonymous said...: Clean up the government and bring in some commerce!; September 3, 2009 at 9:41 PM
Jay Moreno said...: Obviously, there is not much be built nationally right now. However, the economy will come back and come back strong. You can't really take the example of a few fringe acres poorly developed by the city and extrapolate that the same thing would happen if the entirety of the airport property were available to one PRIVATE, profit-motivated developer.

There is no doubt in my mind that when the economy recovers, there would be developer interst and a market for a mixed residential / retail / professional development on the currently grossly underutilized and non-taxable airport property.; September 4, 2009 at 7:19 AM
Anonymous said...: Jay,

Undoubtedly there will be interest in a mixed residential/retail/commercial development. The Durango/Gilman property will be available to fill that need. Lets get that eyesore converted to good use before we create another one.; September 4, 2009 at 8:13 AM
Jay Moreno said...: No, the Gilman'Durango prperty, given it's water frontage, will be developed to a much more exclusive and pricey project than what would make sense on the airport property.
There will be a much bigger market for the homes and retail / professional space at the price points that will make sense in the airport property.

Moreover, the airport property will be subject to minimal environmental remediation before being shovel ready.

The development of the airport proerty would actually enhance the prospects of highest and best use developement of the Gilamn / Durango property.; September 4, 2009 at 10:09 AM
Anonymous said...: The location of a viable general aviation airport just a short golf cart ride away would add more to the value of the Durango/Gilman property.
The plans for this development included commercial and retail areas. It also included a water front resort/convention center. A nearby, accessible airport can be a great asset.

We DO NOT need more cheap commercial/retail development. We need to do something to help the businesses that are failing and do something positive to fill the many vacant commercial buildings that are already here.

One of the problems with our present city government is that they pursue nebulous dreams of future wealth but have no real ideas or plans to combat the present crisis.; September 4, 2009 at 11:55 AM
Jay Moreno said...: Perish the thought that folks would actually have to get into their car - vice their golf cart - to ride to the airport.

I do not forsee "cheap" commercial development, but higher end retail. You might see a Harris-Teeter grocery, for instance. Where the confusion lies is that you may be forgetting that the retail planned fopr the old mill project was up in the stratospheric "boutique" range.; September 4, 2009 at 2:28 PM
Anonymous said...: Jay,

It doesn't matter if they get there by golf cart, car, or on foot, people who can afford to own their own plane and to live in an up-scale community like the one that was planned at the Durango site like to have their airplanes close by. If an adjacent airport will help sell lots and homes in St. Marys, why should we move it? The move will only benefit an up-scale development near the new location.; September 4, 2009 at 5:03 PM
Jay Moreno said...: Well, those folks would be excellent oprospects for the fly-in community that will be built around the new airport. The old mill developemnt will be for those who prefer having their yachts close by. And besides, how long would it take to drive from downtown to the Billyville Road site - 20 minutes?

Why settle for one when you can have both - all three counting the highest and best use for the old airport.; September 4, 2009 at 5:46 PM
Anonymous said...: So there we have it. Jay is advocating that we, the citizens of St. Marts, pay for the construction of a new airport on the Billyville Road in Woodbine which will attract new residents to an upscale fly in community located around the new airport. And all of this will benefit (drum roll)----aaaahhhh? Well it won't benefit St. Marys, will it?

And that is the problem.; September 4, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Jay Moreno said...: So which will you claim, being a liar or an idiot, or perhaos both?

You will look long and hard before you find any instance of my having advocated for the citizens of St. marys or the county to pay for a new airport.

What I've said was that the nearly 400 acres occupied by the hobbyists' airport is grossly underdeveloped. Selling it - whether or not theiore is a new airport built - is in the best interests of the citizens of St. Marys in terms of jobs and tax revenues.

Now, if the feds will accept the donation by St. Marys of land donated by Sea Island as the city's share of the cost of a new airport and if various other interseted parties fromthe private sector want to share the cost of a new airport, that's fine with me. On the other hand, we could get along quite nicely without an airport.; September 4, 2009 at 8:03 PM
Anonymous said...: Face it people St. Marys started falling apart when Chris and Sonya did! His attention went elsewhere down the river with the house that was pushed over the bluff! The old St. Marys will never return...the mill town is dead! Nationally there is nothing St. Marys has to offer in the form of produced goods the pines planted when I was a kid wont be harvested and dumped in the "Hogger" where at one time they would become paper, that became bags at KRAFT that were shipped all over the world...the tiny little saplings that sprouted from windrows on Pt. Peter, Airport Road and out at HArriets Bluff will likely die of old age just like me! The Navy base is all you have now...you dont need an influx of new houses that will go unsold for years..work on "Historical Restoration" using the history that dates back before St. Augustine FL... or are you so new that you dont even know the real St. Marys? There have been relics found in the marsh where the dimwits of the 70s decided to put a sewer plant that date back to the 1600's but I guess that kind of junk doesnt have any value monetarily or historically to idiots in power now..that includes the one in D.C. Those street names you drive on were named after the people that started St. Marys, the cute little quaint market vendors ply their wares in buildings that the workers from the mill bought groceries,medicine that kept their families alive. The waterfront was filled with boys fishing off the shrimp boat docks and swimming to the pilings way out in the river...try that now and you are considered a juvenile delinquent! I could go on and on...St. MArys is not and will never be the same.; May 29, 2010 at 5:51 PM