Get a Lifestyle Center…

What is a “Lifestyle Center,” anyway? It sounds like a place where practitioners of a certain lifestyle gather, whether it’s Branson, Missouri, Las Vegas or San Francisco. Somehow I don’t think that’s what the proponents have in mind. “Lifestyle center” is developer-speak for “mall.” Malls are generally indoor spaces, but a series of stores joined by parking lots and landscaping is often called a “strip mall.” Think of this as a strip mall on steroids.

Like most guys, I consider shopping a utilitarian necessity, not a recreational activity. I go, I buy, I leave. It’s like brushing my teeth or changing my clothes. So a shopping mall, no matter how spiffy, could never be my lifestyle center. Apparently, though, shopping is America’s lifestyle. Remember when Bush addressed the nation after the trauma of September 11, and told us to return to our normal lives, by going shopping? You didn’t realize that by running up your personal debt on useless junk you were helping win the War on Terror, did you?

The question then is where is the best place for a “lifestyle center?” So far, four northern Colorado locations have been discussed, with two in Fort Collins, one in Loveland and one in Windsor. The conventional wisdom is that having “lost” the new Poudre Valley Hospital campus to Loveland and with the Choice City absolutely hemorrhaging sales tax receipts, the lifestyle center MUST be built in Fort Collins. But as it often is, the conventional wisdom is wrong.

Here’s a heretical thought: maybe next to the interstate in Loveland is the best place for a new regional hospital. It’s centrally located, has easy freeway access, and we already have two PVH campuses in Fort Collins. If Loveland is foolish enough to waive impact fees and saddle current taxpayers with the bill for road and sewer improvements necessitated by the McWhinneyville building boom, that’s a mistake they’ll regret at their leisure.

Rather than fighting like hungry dogs over scraps of food, and letting the mall developers play cities off against each other for concessions and “incentives”, why don’t we join with Loveland and Windsor to cooperatively decide the best place for a “lifestyle center”, while agreeing up front to share sales tax receipts?

Besides, the city’s tax revenue picture is nowhere near as dire as it is made out to be. Budget figures for 2003 show total general taxes up 0.73% from May 2002 to May 2003, and for the year to date down a whopping $217! And 2002 was one of the best tax receipt years on record. The alleged revenue decline is only a decline from inflated projections. It is the cost side of the ledger, based on revenue fantasies, that is increasing, thereby causing our budget pinch. In essence, we have become addicted to growth. In 15-20 years we are going to reach build-out, and will need to learn to live in a steady-state equilibrium. Why not make that transition now and begin to live within our means?

Of the two proposed Fort Collins locations, the one on Harmony Road at Ziegler would be better. Putting the mall on Prospect east of I-25 would jump-start sprawl in that area. Once past the interstate, the city could grow all the way to Kansas, as councilman Kurt Kastein has stated. I’d just as soon we remain a relatively compact, liveable community with efficient services by staying west of the freeway. The Harmony parcel is one of the few zoned for primary industry, but with all the high-tech layoffs, it will take years just to recover recent job losses, and there is still some other room for employment growth. The Harmony corridor has the most traffic in the city, but the freeway interchange has already been improved (unlike Prospect, the Windsor exit or Highway 34) and can handle more cars.

Since my tastes run more to Target and Sears than Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma, I don’t expect to spend quality time at the new mega-mall. But if you’re looking forward to spending your hard-earned money at new, local upscale stores, thereby balancing our budget, then hey, shop till you drop. It’s the patriotic thing to do!

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Eric Fried is a member of the Poudre Valley Green Party, and a spokesperson for the Green Party of Colorado. Contact him at eric@pvgreens.org. The opinions expressed are his own and not necessarily shared by anyone else.