Talk of the Point

Secret Source says he thinks N.I.C.E. may be dead this time around. No details yet, nor confirmation. Don’t do anything rash.

Mark Howe, owner of the Bank of Richmond building at West Richmond and Washington, will vote yes on N.I.C.E. He announced it today in a two-page letter emailed to N.I.C.E. supporters this morning by Tom Butt. Here’s the part that addresses objections I’ve heard.

I hear how expensive this will be but this argument does not […]

As we await a moment to investigate the N.I.C.E. boundaries down at City Hall, Kristin Gates offers this explanation: The N.I.C.E. founders–who put N.I.C.E. on the table–wanted to make sure the district benefited everyone it covered. They were especially sensitive, she says, to a worry that landowners on the edge might not get much out […]

Tom Butt posted a comment insisting that Walter Connolly’s property at 1 West Richmond still sits within NICE. Then Walter called to point out that Tom’s comment cited the wrong parcel numbers.

Two other NICE insiders–meaning they attended all the public meetings–seem to agree with the premise of the question “Why was the property taken out?” […]

Would N.I.C.E. backers resort to dirty dealing just to win?

Walter Connolly says his four-story building at 1 West Richmond Ave, just next to the wigwags, seems to be out of the N.I.C.E. district–after he saw it listed at a meeting in March.

He’s a vocal opponent, and this 12,000-square foot building with 40 feet of street […]

My friend Richard Lompa is having a great time waging a “war” on the proposed Neighborhood Improvement and Community Enhancement district, known as “N.I.C.E.” He has posted his bright-red “Pride” signs in many store windows alongside his opponent’s signs. He says he has talked to about 30 of the 40 landlords, and he says he […]