| LovelandPolitics.com a non-partisan website about Loveland politics for residents concerned about our community's quality of life - email us your editorial or report on Loveland topics for posting here |
| Anatomy of Failure Follow the stories tracking the McWhinney's crippled plan to convince the community their agreement with the city needed to be amended to make Grand Station subsidies a reality 1. Chad McWhinney and staff answer questions to the public - Aug. 1. Critical questions abound -Read Story 2. Hear McWhinney answer questions about LovelandPolitics.com (click for audio) or click here to see YouTube video Chad mentions during the meeting Aug. 1, linked to LovelandPolitics.com 3. READ WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED |
Loveland -- Sept. 2007
After a lengthy meeting involving seemingly endless presentations by McWhinney Enterprise employees,
interrupted occasionally by Chad McWhinney, the Loveland City Council again retreated into their second
secret meeting in as many weeks to discuss a controversial proposal by the McWhinneys to amend their
agreements with the city.
The controversial proposal includes allowing the McWhinneys to use sales tax dollars and property taxes
collected through their quasi-governmental entity (Improvement District) to fund the building of a multi-story
parking garage for the already announced Grand Station development East of I-25.
Missing from the discussion was the controversial "trolley to nowhere" that stirred so much controversy in the
community before being pulled from the plan until after the city council elections in November. Nonetheless, the
remaining items were not without their detractors -- among them Mayor Larry Walsh.
As is the custom in Loveland, the city council allowed the developer unlimited time to meander over the same
material for most of the evening using charts, graphs and other visual aids. The public wasn't invited to comment
until the end of the evening when two residents opposed to the changes were followed by multiple Centerra
tenants, friends and employees who voiced their support for the subsidy of the parking garage at Grand Station.
The premise of many speakers – similar to their trolley pitch last month to the council “was that absent a city
subsidy a project of this magnitude was impossible.
The same theme echoed during the presentations but Rich Shannon, a community lobbyist for McWhinney, was
stopped dead in his tracks by Mayor Walsh.
Walsh complained that the Outlet Mall partnering (city council jargon for tax subsidy) was appropriate because
they brought retail which in-turn generates important sales tax revenue for the City of Loveland. He went on to
contrast the Outlet Malls with Grand Station where a majority of the development will be business offices and
residential uses. He asked the question, therefore, "why do we need to subsidize it.?" The Mayor also
responed to one response by Shannon by stating that developments in Loveland provide a similar revenue
stream that were not incentivsed, Walsh than asked Shannon why he thought his company was different.
Mayor Walsh also challenged Shannon's sales pitch by questioning the assumption that people from a 50 mile
radius will come to Loveland to shop once Grand Station is complete. The Mayor stated that a lot is happening
in North Denver that will keep those people in Denver.
At this point in the meeting Chad McWhinney jumped-up and motioned to his employee, Rich Shannon, to
vacate the lectern where he was speaking. McWhinney jumped onto Wlash's comments by saying "we think
success comes to those who get in-front of the inevitable."
He then addressed Walsh directly by stating, "You and I have been working together for 17 years and I intend
to be here a lot longer." He continued by explaining 65 new shopping developments are currently being built or
planned along the I-25 corridor. The Mayor retorted, "The issue I have is you are asking carte blanch for $79
million for parking Chad."
Chad McWhinney responded, "Well, revenue wasn't the only purpose of the MFA" and he went on to point out
that bringing primary jobs to the area was also a goal of the original MFA. During McWhinney's explanation,
Pielin bobbed his head up and down in a motion suggesting he strongly agreed.
Again the Mayor found his composure to respond that the original MFA didn't include parking as an incentive
and was joined by City Manager Don Williams who added the comment that using the money for parking
structures was specifically prohibited in the agreement.
Councilman Klassen broke the argument by reminding his fellow councilmen that the approval would not be for
any specific amount of money but instead they were being asked to approve a concept of using certain public
monies for a parking structure at Grand Station. McWhinney agreed that all he had were projections so real
bids with inflation added for time would, in fact, likely exceed the figure they were discussing.
After eventually allowing public comments, the Council hurried into an executive session at the behest of Mayor
Pro Tem Pielin to discuss the matter and stated they were likely not going to take any action that evening.
Councilman Walt Skowron, as before, voted against the closed door meeting.
After a lengthy meeting involving seemingly endless presentations by McWhinney Enterprise employees,
interrupted occasionally by Chad McWhinney, the Loveland City Council again retreated into their second
secret meeting in as many weeks to discuss a controversial proposal by the McWhinneys to amend their
agreements with the city.
The controversial proposal includes allowing the McWhinneys to use sales tax dollars and property taxes
collected through their quasi-governmental entity (Improvement District) to fund the building of a multi-story
parking garage for the already announced Grand Station development East of I-25.
Missing from the discussion was the controversial "trolley to nowhere" that stirred so much controversy in the
community before being pulled from the plan until after the city council elections in November. Nonetheless, the
remaining items were not without their detractors -- among them Mayor Larry Walsh.
As is the custom in Loveland, the city council allowed the developer unlimited time to meander over the same
material for most of the evening using charts, graphs and other visual aids. The public wasn't invited to comment
until the end of the evening when two residents opposed to the changes were followed by multiple Centerra
tenants, friends and employees who voiced their support for the subsidy of the parking garage at Grand Station.
The premise of many speakers – similar to their trolley pitch last month to the council “was that absent a city
subsidy a project of this magnitude was impossible.
The same theme echoed during the presentations but Rich Shannon, a community lobbyist for McWhinney, was
stopped dead in his tracks by Mayor Walsh.
Walsh complained that the Outlet Mall partnering (city council jargon for tax subsidy) was appropriate because
they brought retail which in-turn generates important sales tax revenue for the City of Loveland. He went on to
contrast the Outlet Malls with Grand Station where a majority of the development will be business offices and
residential uses. He asked the question, therefore, "why do we need to subsidize it.?" The Mayor also
responed to one response by Shannon by stating that developments in Loveland provide a similar revenue
stream that were not incentivsed, Walsh than asked Shannon why he thought his company was different.
Mayor Walsh also challenged Shannon's sales pitch by questioning the assumption that people from a 50 mile
radius will come to Loveland to shop once Grand Station is complete. The Mayor stated that a lot is happening
in North Denver that will keep those people in Denver.
At this point in the meeting Chad McWhinney jumped-up and motioned to his employee, Rich Shannon, to
vacate the lectern where he was speaking. McWhinney jumped onto Wlash's comments by saying "we think
success comes to those who get in-front of the inevitable."
He then addressed Walsh directly by stating, "You and I have been working together for 17 years and I intend
to be here a lot longer." He continued by explaining 65 new shopping developments are currently being built or
planned along the I-25 corridor. The Mayor retorted, "The issue I have is you are asking carte blanch for $79
million for parking Chad."
Chad McWhinney responded, "Well, revenue wasn't the only purpose of the MFA" and he went on to point out
that bringing primary jobs to the area was also a goal of the original MFA. During McWhinney's explanation,
Pielin bobbed his head up and down in a motion suggesting he strongly agreed.
Again the Mayor found his composure to respond that the original MFA didn't include parking as an incentive
and was joined by City Manager Don Williams who added the comment that using the money for parking
structures was specifically prohibited in the agreement.
Councilman Klassen broke the argument by reminding his fellow councilmen that the approval would not be for
any specific amount of money but instead they were being asked to approve a concept of using certain public
monies for a parking structure at Grand Station. McWhinney agreed that all he had were projections so real
bids with inflation added for time would, in fact, likely exceed the figure they were discussing.
After eventually allowing public comments, the Council hurried into an executive session at the behest of Mayor
Pro Tem Pielin to discuss the matter and stated they were likely not going to take any action that evening.
Councilman Walt Skowron, as before, voted against the closed door meeting.
| Council Again Retreats Into Secret Session to Discuss MFA Changes For McWhinney's Grand Station |
| Richard Shannon, McWhinney employee, shows Loveland City Council the 65 proposed developments along the I-25 corrider in Norther Colorado during Aug. 28, 2007 meeting. |
| Slide show showing McWhinney's concept for Grand Station presented to Loveland City Council August 28, 2007 |
| Stunned by Mayor Walsh's comments to Chad Mchinney, Councilwoman Jan Brown looked like she had seen a ghost. Below Councilwoman Jan Brown is seen in a huddle with Chad McWhinney and other McWhinney loyalists during the break in the meeitng Aug. 28, 2007. |
| Councilwoman Jan Brown |
| Mayor Larry Walsh |
| Setting a course of his own, Mayor Walsh stunned colleagues when he questioned the purpose of subsidizing a private parking garage for the McWhinney's Grand Station development. |