What is the purpose of Development? What's missing?

A person that I have a great deal of respect for stopped me this morning and asked why am I so hard on development. Which made me think if I had adequately explained my position on the matter. So I pose these questions...Why do towns and cities encourage development? Just what are we trying to accomplish in Plainfield? It appears the strategy is to get enough people within the downtown area to increase demand for businesses. Sounds reasonable enough. Let's dig a little deeper though. Let me ask you, that's right you, when is the last time you've been downtown? I asked someone that this morning and they laughed and said "not recently."

Just what do we want downtown to look like? Who will be the benefactors of this development? Is this driving development?

Will the average citizen of Plainfield see an increase in their standard of living after these projects materialize? I say again who will benefit? Why is it that you can drive around any of the surrounding cities without seeing any obvious areas dilapidation? But in Plainfield you can find it no problem. Let's be real. There are areas in this city that have been underdeveloped for many years. I assure you that this development frenzy will not be focusing on these peoples needs. We have seen these big plans dissapoint before. Let's talk about the Teppers or Park-Madison projects. This version of urban revitalization just doesn't work and will result in our city continuing to have concentrated areas of both poverty and wealth. Is that really the kind of city we want to live in?

When is the last time you and your family took a stroll downtown. Shopped downtown as a family? That's what I thought. Why is this the case? That indeed is the question. Until those issues are addressed it is unlikely that your family stroll through town center will occur any time soon. You see it is not a developers role to worry about socioeconomic prosperity for a community. That is the local government's responsibility and fundamentally its real purpose. As your councilman I know I can provide leadership in this area. I want to invest in the people of this community so they can add to the beauty of this city. In their dreams of owning a house, opening a business or opening a cultural center. There is a certain pride in ownership.

If the current development proposed included reopening our movie theater it would make me happy. If it included the establishment a major eatery it would make me clap. If it included a technical or cultural center it would make proud. That's what missing in all this development, something I hope someone else feels is missing. A soul. A purpose. Something that inspires. The soul of this city is hurting. People want to believe again. They want to feel good about the city that they love, that right now is not giving them any love back. Real economic development will give hope to the hopeless and make us proud.

Whether you're a bleeding-heart liberal or a die-hard conservative investing in the people of our community is simply sound economic strategy. It would improve overall per capita income, quality of life and improve the business environment throughout the city. Isn't this the real purpose of development? Isn't this want we want? So I say to development, YES! Absolutely!! But if we are serious about changing our city, development must include all the people of the community. If it did, that downtown family stroll could be happening sooner than you think. That's my dream for Plainfield. Always putting the priorities of the people before the priorities of the party. I just wonder sometimes if Mr. Storch has lost his way on this. I wonder.