(05-02-2023 07:58 PM)Atlanta Wrote:  I'm continually amazed at the shortsighted view of city leadership historically, despite being always desperate for tax revenues. City officials have never grasped the proven idea that an OCS would provide for a new, substantial revenue source for the city. With many OCS areas around the country (but especially where our campus is located) there is substantial nearby off-campus private development potential related to hotels, restaurants, bars etc which generate tax revenues (think Highland, Southern, Park Ave & Getwell redevelopment). In comparison, no matter what is invested in the LB or the fairgrounds there will be no tax revenues generated since the entire development is with the tax free zone which the city sought thru the state to spur development. In comparison, there has been NO private development around the LB since it was originally built in '64-65. And the real shame is that the state $$ approved by the legislature could have gone toward an OCS. But the city had another motive, the FedEx Forum, which they tied to the popular idea of helping our university move up. It's been this way for 60+ yrs now. And somehow some here continue to say our university couldn't raise funds to build an OCS but ignore that the state could have if the city was on board. And they fail to see the irony that the Grizzlies are a privately owned for profit org & should actually be the entity investing in their facilities but instead expect the city to make the investment & the city eagerly agrees & BTW, expects our university to contribute.

Quote:And somehow some here continue to say our university couldn't raise funds to build an OCS but ignore that the state could have if the city was on board.