Russ Steele
Below is a post in the comment section of Jeff Pelline Column on Saturday the 27th Union, by the Publisher Jeff Ackerman.
Retreat
Russ:
. . . As to the issue of the DA's new digs...Jeff P. raised a good question...in a "buyer's market" for both real estate and office space, why did the county have to pay so much per square foot? I'd bet they could have waited a few months, leaving it empty for a bit, and the price would have dropped. There is a TON of empty office space on the market today. Unfortunately, there is no incentive for government to negotiate price. It's not their money...it's "ours."
Jeff
by publisher on Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:17:52 PST
OK Jeff, if there are a "TON of empty office space on the market today," I wonder if they meet the County specifications? Tell me where they are and let's see how many meet the County specifications and have a lower carbon foot print than the current Union Street building.
We know the minimum requirement was 6,000 sq feet. I just checked and there are no commercial buildings that have 6,000 square feet or more listed in the 84 commercial properties on the ERC Business ReLocator. With no other 6,000 sq foot buildings/spaces listed, there does not see to be much advantage in the County waiting. If there is only one 6,000 sq foot building available, the owner can charge the market price plus if he desires.
If you did find a facility with 6,000 square at a lower price we would need one with a lower carbon foot print than the current Union Street building. Remembers that right now having a low carbon foot print is more important than the economy. The current building which is in walking distance, has solar power, well insulated and well orientated. Strong indicators of a low carbon foot print.
Having a low carbon foot print is really important right now. Look at the Barbara Boxer survey on NC Media Watch here. Here is a 2004 study by the Public Policy Institute of California: The survey’s large sample size (2,505) and multilingual interviews (conducted in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese) make this the most comprehensive – and in some ways surprising – survey on state environmental conditions and policies to date. Despite California’s fiscal woes, majorities of Californians (55%) and likely voters (54%) say that the environment should be the top policy priority – even at the expense of economic growth.
Where are all these 6,000 square feet of office space with a low carbon foot print? Let's check them out against the County specifications. They were not in the ERC Business ReLocator data base. Perhaps you have some better insight as to the location.
