In all the coverage on the Wheland Foundry, the basic supposition, as I understand it, is that what businesses and residences to be built there will pay in taxes will more than cover the public’s indirect support (forfeit taxes now) and direct support (infrastructure, especially underground and roads, sidewalks).
But I haven’t seen any numbers. Have you? The Strong Towns organization (Charles Marohn has spoken in Chattanooga a couple of times) says it never works out. Far from it.
Can you invite them to prove their assertions? And what’s the worst-case scenario? Do they have one? It’s a bad time to be presuming on a strong, vibrant economy for as long as they say it will take to recover the public’s investment.
Matt Grubbs
Hixson