| MARK SHAFFER EMAIL Dear friends, As many of you already know, McWhinney has requested yet another special favor from Loveland’s city council. A few years back, the McWhinneys asked the council to declare some 1000 acres of land at the intersection of I-25 and US 34 as “blighted” and unlikely to be developed. Not content with the absurdity of declaring prime farmland equivalent to inner-city decay and therefore subject to tax breaks for the developer, they now want to expand the affected land and their authority to pick and choose which acres should and shouldn’t be developed. This so-called “Flex URA” is the first of its kind in the nation and a huge boon to the owners, allowing them to keep a large portion of their property taxes and use the funds to enhance the value of their land even further. They managed to sell the idea to a majority of the council at a series of “2 x 2 meetings” during which they discussed the issues with two councilors at a time, presumably to skirt Colorado’s Open Meetings Law. No information from those meetings has been released to the public. Loveland has many problems and many opportunities. There is a crying need for our local government to focus on ways to obtain dedicated open space, reduce train noise, protect and grow businesses in other parts of the city, and help home owners maintain property values in the middle of a record downturn in housing markets. But these and other important issues are ignored in the pursuit of fickle retail taxes and ways to give away the store to one, extremely large developer. I, for one, have had enough. The council is meeting to approve the proposal at 6:30 PM, SEPTEMBER 2 AT LOVELAND’S CITY HALL (500 East Third Street, near the Foote Lagoon). We are urging all of our friends and neighbors to attend that meeting and let the council know, if only by our presence (though you can address the council if you wish), that we are tired of Loveland’s leaders spending their time and our money to help the very wealthy while ignoring the needs of ordinary citizens. Please join us on the second and urge any interested friends to do so as well. Thanks, Mark Shaffer |
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| 500 Acres To Be Declared Blight and "Slum" Near Centerra 7 of 9 Council members likely to go along with McWhinney request given votes so far on this issue In an audacious move to qualify an additional 500 acres of properties owned by McWhinney for new special tax rebates for 25 years, the Loveland City Council has received a study claiming five blocks of land in east Loveland are "blight" and uses terms such as "slums" and "inadequate transportation" to describe the land. The study entitled, "Loveland Regional Improvements Blight Study" is now available here along with other details regarding the preparations being made by Loveland staff for a major amendment to their agreement with McWhinney. The Council is expected to officially declare the blight and abdicate their governmental authority to McWhinney during the August 19, 2008 City Council meeting. 1. April 16, 2008 - Secret meetings held with McWhinney to brief a "land swap" to Council 2. June 2, 2008 - "Flexibility" plan announced and purpose of secret meetings disclosed 3. June 24, 2008 - "Cornucopia" Council annexes and zones parcels in preparation for "Flexibility" plan 4. July 2, 2008 - City Council tense as Councilman Kent Solt reminds Council that he can't support annexations since "entire picture" has not yet been revealed to the public. |
| Approximation of areas McWhinney wants declared blight Block 1 A rural area of productive farm land just east of Boyd Lake Block 2 Agricultural land along highway 34 in Loveland Block 3 A small parcel of land along highway 34 next to 'Grand Station' Block 4 Open land east of Centerra Block 5 The old dog racing track - the report notes it is mostly parking area. |
Loveland - August 31, 2008
The approaching Loveland storm is not a hurricane but instead a political storm dubbed the “McWhinney Flex
Plan” promising to unprecedented proposal in the history of Colorado where the elected officials will be asked to
abdicate their authority and that of any successors to their elected post to McWhinney’s Metro District by way of
a “Flex” plan.
Loveland attorney, Mark Shaffer, sent the first email to hundreds of friends and supporters asking they consider
attending the meeting Tuesday night. Below is an excerpt from that email sent last Wednesday (Aug. 27) at 10:00
AM;
“Dear friends,
As many of you already know, McWhinney has requested yet another special favor from Loveland’s city council.....They managed to sell
the idea to a majority of the council at a series of “2 x 2 meetings” during which they discussed the issues with two councilors at a time,
presumably to skirt Colorado’s Open Meetings Law. No information from those meetings has been released to the public.....
There is a crying need for our local government to focus on ways to obtain dedicated open space, reduce train noise, protect and grow
businesses in other parts of the city, and help home owners maintain property values in the middle of a record downturn in housing
markets. But these and other important issues are ignored in the pursuit of fickle retail taxes and ways to give away the store to one,
extremely large developer.
I, for one, have had enough”
Two days later, McWhinney Enterprises sent out a response email:
“Subject: Centerra Update: Preview Flex-URA information before the Sept. 2 City Council meeting”
The email referred readers to a website that contained the following pitch;
“Centerra Flex-URA: How it works and why it's good for Loveland
In an effort to secure Loveland and Centerra’s regional competitive advantage at a time when new projects throughout Northern
Colorado are vying for sales and property tax dollars, McWhinney is proposing a flex-URA.
An Urban Renewal Authority (URA) funnels new property tax dollars generated in Centerra back to the Centerra Metropolitan District
to reinvest in the urban renewal area with public improvements such as new roads and utilities.
The flex-URA would expand the land that is eligible for TIF (tax increment financing) in Centerra’s urban renewal area, while capping
the number of developable acres under the URA to 1,000....
The proposal goes before the Loveland City Council on September 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 500 E.Third St.”
While Loveland isn’t in any danger of being hit by a hurricane, the City Council chambers may look like a
hurricane evacuation center as residents, attorneys and citizen lobbyists from both sides of this issue crowd the
chamber to watch and potentially witness an historic event.
The approaching Loveland storm is not a hurricane but instead a political storm dubbed the “McWhinney Flex
Plan” promising to unprecedented proposal in the history of Colorado where the elected officials will be asked to
abdicate their authority and that of any successors to their elected post to McWhinney’s Metro District by way of
a “Flex” plan.
Loveland attorney, Mark Shaffer, sent the first email to hundreds of friends and supporters asking they consider
attending the meeting Tuesday night. Below is an excerpt from that email sent last Wednesday (Aug. 27) at 10:00
AM;
“Dear friends,
As many of you already know, McWhinney has requested yet another special favor from Loveland’s city council.....They managed to sell
the idea to a majority of the council at a series of “2 x 2 meetings” during which they discussed the issues with two councilors at a time,
presumably to skirt Colorado’s Open Meetings Law. No information from those meetings has been released to the public.....
There is a crying need for our local government to focus on ways to obtain dedicated open space, reduce train noise, protect and grow
businesses in other parts of the city, and help home owners maintain property values in the middle of a record downturn in housing
markets. But these and other important issues are ignored in the pursuit of fickle retail taxes and ways to give away the store to one,
extremely large developer.
I, for one, have had enough”
Two days later, McWhinney Enterprises sent out a response email:
“Subject: Centerra Update: Preview Flex-URA information before the Sept. 2 City Council meeting”
The email referred readers to a website that contained the following pitch;
“Centerra Flex-URA: How it works and why it's good for Loveland
In an effort to secure Loveland and Centerra’s regional competitive advantage at a time when new projects throughout Northern
Colorado are vying for sales and property tax dollars, McWhinney is proposing a flex-URA.
An Urban Renewal Authority (URA) funnels new property tax dollars generated in Centerra back to the Centerra Metropolitan District
to reinvest in the urban renewal area with public improvements such as new roads and utilities.
The flex-URA would expand the land that is eligible for TIF (tax increment financing) in Centerra’s urban renewal area, while capping
the number of developable acres under the URA to 1,000....
The proposal goes before the Loveland City Council on September 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 500 E.Third St.”
While Loveland isn’t in any danger of being hit by a hurricane, the City Council chambers may look like a
hurricane evacuation center as residents, attorneys and citizen lobbyists from both sides of this issue crowd the
chamber to watch and potentially witness an historic event.
| Dueling Emails Call For Action "Flex" URA Causing Local Political Storm |