Prescott plays two places at once, pushes PID

Update: For a more thought-out and detailed take on Prescott's PID meeting, please see the post just after this one by our honorary field reporter (Katie Couric has nothin' on her),  JJ Pair.

While lots of Lake Highlanders attended the Town Hall meeting last night, Prescott Realty was holding another meeting up the street at a nearby town-home community, working to convince property owners to sign a petition to create a Public Improvement District covering  the Skillman Corridor— the anticipated LH Town Center and beyond. Don't understand what a PID is? Here's the city site that explains it. (You can also read up on what a TIF /Tax Increment Finance District —we already have one in place over the same vicinity.) 

Said meeting attracted a roomful of people who presumably would be subject to a new tax to finance public improvement in the PID boundaries. Interestingly, many of the people at the meeting didn't even know about Lake Highlands Town Center. You read right, believe it or not there's people right here in Lake Highlands that only know about Town Center because its developers are now asking them to help pay for it. 

In addition to many town home owners, one group of single-family homes is in the mix and I wasn't exactly clear why. As a matter of fact, I have a lot of questions and I'll post more as I find out more.

I did get a gut feeling that Sean Christopher, who spoke on behalf of Prescott was using fear tactics to gain compliance. When he was explaining how PID money could finance security he went so far as to use this example: Say a cop is chasing a criminal—he might give up the chase once the crook crossed the borders of the PID district—in other words, if your property is not in on the PID tax, you're in more danger of being a crime victim (kind of confusing and outrageous). 

And unnecessary. Once Tracy Curts the executive director of the Uptown PID got up and talked about the glorious effects of PID money on his district, the audience seemed sold.

One other (for now) note of interest: As Sean explained the LH Town Center he told them that though he wasn't allowed to name any retailers, he could say there would be a "bookstore (one of two big-name stores), a specialty grocery store, and a bunch of women's clothing."

Comments

[rarepair]

That would be D.T. to you babe.

Thanks for covering what I forgot or didn't get. Gosh, there's so much I didn't get! But now there's a little more I do get and I'll be especially looking forward to all the new information you're going to get.

I'd forgotten about Mr. Christopher's crime analogy, that was rather interesting and you're correct, outrageous. Goes to what I'd opined in my post - he needs to brush up his presentation skills.

[MP]

Great job and accurate. I am looking forward to the answers of how two former councilmembers and one present councilmembers' homeowners associations were conveniently drawn out of the PID, could be they and their neighbors aren't too keen on double taxation... either. Sean stated "this is a entire community effort" but he only draws a select few (zero lot townhomes and condos) into the PID. Sean may be a nice guy but he fails in Lake Highlands Community 101. Curios to see the final plan submitted to the city and how the $1,000,000.00 Dollars from TI, (so they are drawn out of the PID), is line itemed. What works for Uptown is great. But this is Lake Highlands and this community as always been about family and what is right. The present PID map is wrong and divisive and what is scary... Mr Christopher, who states he is from Lake Highlands, takes credit for drawing the map. I am sure this is to be continued.