From Deseret News archives:
Is block blight or just tired?
Taxpayer advocate Mike Jerman would like to wash out the mouths of City Council members who voted to stick the term to a block of University Avenue between 100 North and 200 North.
"That's not blight down there," he said. "There are perfectly functioning businesses, and it's — as far as I know — not a high crime area. The buildings are not abandoned."
And state Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, says blight should be reserved for areas like the south side of Chicago, near where he grew up, with burned-out tenements and abandoned warehouses. For him, an older-looking block with successful businesses in a clean Utah city doesn't compare.
"It's hard to understand how that block qualifies as blight," Bramble said.
Even the man in charge of the project, part of a long-running effort to revitalize Provo's downtown, doesn't care for the word.
"It's an unfortunate use of the term blight because it has a very negative connotation property owners don't like," said Paul Glauser, director of Provo's redevelopment agency.
However, state law required Provo to make a finding of blight on the block before it could offer property tax breaks to developers the City Council hopes will revitalize the block.
"We hired a consultant who does blight studies around the state," Glauser said. "He found there is blight there under the law."
Jerman and Bramble worked to change the law during this year's legislative session. They won a one-year moratorium on Redevelopment Agency (RDA) projects so taxpayer advocates and legislators can explore the issue further with cities. Provo's project was far enough along to avoid being put on hold.
The block in question is on the east side of University Avenue just north of the new seven-story Wells Fargo building. The study concluded in January, and the City Council made a finding of blight on April 5, over the objection of Councilman Dave Knecht, who preferred to call the block "tired." Like Jerman, he argued the buildings aren't abandoned and the area is not prone to crime.
One businessman on the block has mixed feelings about the redevelopment plans.
"We've only been here for six months of a two-year lease, and it would be sad to have to move out so soon," said Mark Stout, co-owner of Crazzy Canuck, a sporting goods store specializing in hockey and lacrosse gear at 102 N. University Ave. "But with the addition of the beautiful Wells Fargo building across the street, it makes the rest of the blocks around it look old and rundown."
Another business owner likely to support the city's RDA is Will Feller, who owns Goldsmith Company Jewelers at 120 N. University Ave.
"I think the city is trying very hard to do the best it can for downtown," Feller said.
