As usual the CRG hosed this article up. Here is the clarification form the owner of the property. Makes much more sense. Thank God for the internet.
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Sorry to post this as a seperate topic, but I wanted to be sure it got seen.
Hello- I am Doug Moore, the guy in the story in the Gazette. As some of you guessed, the Gazette got a few numbers wrong. Here's the scoop.
My goal is three things:
1) Keep it green for those of us who live nearby, and don't want another condo development in our backyards (there is a group proposing 42 condo units for the property, which would take it off the market for ANY kind of tailgating or parking). Football is only 6-7 days a year. The other 359, it's a great little neighborhood that's safe for kids to ride their bikes on the street. I don't want to lose that to a bunch of $400,000 condos.
2) Continue parking cars there to pay for ongoing expenses, like mowing, security , taxes, porta-johns, and cleanup. I HAVE NO INTENTION TO END TAILGATING AT OLIVE COURT OR TO CLOSE IT TO THE PUBLIC. This is a tradition since 1944, which, for the most part, we enjoy as a neighborhood. If I do not purchase this property, sooner or later it will be developed into apartments or condos, which will be the end of the fun there.
3) Bring back the era of "family friendly" tailgating. I told the Gazette reporter that I'd like Hawkeye grandparents to be able to bring their grandkids to Olive Court and not worry about the behavior they're going to see.
Where the Gazette got it wrong:
PART of my plan is to offer 40'x40' spaces (not 120 sq. feet as the article stated, but 1600 sq. feet) to small businesses and groups for $2,000 per year for a 10 year contract, $20,000 total. My idea is that this amount of space (big enough to park 5 cars PLUS have a big tent for eating, or just parking 10-12 cars in, etc...) would be attractive to people who would like to have a guaranteed spot to bring friends, employees, vendors, etc... to on game days, and not have to worry about where they'll all park. When you look at the nearby options for this sort of gathering (Hawkeye Village), it's an attractive opportunity for someone who wants to reward good customers, etc..., especially as it's a tax writeoff from a business perspective (within IRS limits).
I WILL still offer individual parking spots on a season-reserved and single-game basis. How many will depend on how many takers we have for the large spots. The average price for single-car parking will be around $30, which is very close to what it is now.
If anyone out there wants to do the math, including expenses, property taxes, and Federal tax, this is not a money making proposition. I'll be happy to break even and have a 10 acre space for my kids to play in, that, thanks to a conservation easement, cannot EVER be developed. Neuzils have been parking cars there for 63 years- I'd like to be the keeper of that tradition for the next 63.
I hope this clears up any confusion from the Gazette article. It's OK if you think I'm nuts, but the Gazette's $2000 for a single parking spot made me a criminal. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments- my email is [email protected]
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