UPDATE: The Railroad Redevelopment deal was the worst negotiation in the history of our city

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UPDATE: Listen to interview HERE.

Former Mayor Bucktooth & Bowlcut is at it again with his recent ‘media’ tour;

“The thing that I believe that was probably the biggest win for the city during the eight years I was so honored to serve, involved finally inking the deal with Burlington Northern (to move the railroad switchyard from 8th Street).

As I have stated in the past, this was a horribly negotiated deal. We didn’t get a majority of the trains to move out of downtown, we paid to much for the land (that the Feds probably owned to begin with) and we have yet to cut a deal with anyone. One deal fell through and another developer is offering HALF of appraised value.

This is a habit with Bowlcut that he just cannot seem to break. When something actually is a very bad deal, he says it’s the greatest thing ever. I always say, to say you are being TRUTHFUL is different than actually being TRUTHFUL.

Just sell the land and get it over with

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Here we go, the city has a ‘new plan’ on how to ‘get rid ‘of’ the RR Redevelopment land;

Available properties will be listed on the city’s website, and interested parties will need to file an application and submit other items including site plans and building renderings.

Planning and Development Services will then review submissions on their qualifications and willingness to follow property requirements listed for specific properties.

Purchase and development agreements will then be negotiated, and the City Council will be informed of the applicant and their concept.

We already paid to much for this dirty land and never put a plan in place to rid DTSF of significant rail traffic. As far as I am concerned it was a failure before the ink even dried. At this point I’m not sure why the city has to know all the details of a plan, doesn’t seem much different then an RFP process – though the city council will know more. I think the city should just put the land up for sale to the highest bidder, and as long as they are following zoning and building regulations, why does the city need to know specifics? Let a developer go through the normal channels they do with any project they are building on land they own, and NO TIFs or tax rebates. I think the sooner taxpayers are off the hook the better.

Urine laced snowballs derail Black Iron Project

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It’s not often I get to write headlines like that, and NO Adam White from the Sioux Falls Headliner didn’t help me on that one. It’s all true;

She said her husband went to a neighbor’s yard and urinated on a snowman. Later, after more yelling and as she left to drive her friend home, she said he kicked over the snowman and threw urine snowballs at her car.

While I have known about the big ‘D’ for awhile, like many things that go on behind the scenes, none of my business, but it seems the dirty laundry is out now. While I feel bad because I have known both Erika and Dave for a very long time and both of them have been very generous and kind to me over the years. They both have enormous personalities.

It’s also too bad the Black Iron project isn’t moving forward. Dave had let me in almost 2 years ago he was planning a project for the area. Hopefully something can come of it besides another square apartment building downtown by the Double ‘L’ Co.

I often tell friends I am thankful of three things 1) I don’t have children 2) I have never been married 3) I don’t have a lot of money. Three things that can force a man to throw urine laced snowballs.

Was the RR Relocation project really the biggest accomplishment of the last mayor?

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As we have been seeing, there have been some kinks in process. The only prospect to bid on the property so far is having issues with the quartzite and may either pull out all together or drastically change the project.

I have NO information on either.

But recently it has come to light that Bucktooth & Bowlcut may have killed it all together by asking for impossible demands from the Railroad. Of course, as I am finding out, the RR does whatever they want to.

The project was pretty much dead until some other big shots intervened and all the demands were dropped.

Maybe B & B getting the project totally killed would not have been so bad after all? Nothing really has changed for DTSF residents. Still tons of train traffic and noise and questionable storage of cars by the river and parks.

I still maintain that the RR Relocation project was one of the worst negotiated projects in the history of our city.