Avoid Lower State Street

The recent S.B. City Council consultant report and its solutions concerning the lower State Street problem is an expensive failure.

As a present or potential tenant or investor, respecting the lower State Street Area, what factors would you need to locate or invest with a hope of a successful and profitable result? Would you locate in an area that locals and informed others are turned off to and are avoiding? Would you locate and invest in an area occupied by professional homeless, professional aggressive beggars, drug addicts, multiple bars, drunks, gangs, drug dealers, and criminals; an area of social and economic deterioration? A dangerous area. An area policed by “social-worker-police”? Would you locate or invest in an area with the smell of vomit, urine, fecal matter, and marijuana? Would you locate in an area of increasing vacancies and deterioration? Would you consider an area of business negative: high sales taxes and real estate taxes, regulations and restrictions? Would you locate in an area of high business and residential rents, sought by landlords hoping to save the value of their deteriorating investment and property? Would you locate in a city governed by perceived anti-business, liberal-progressives?

No one in their right mind, which includes banks, private investors and tenants, would want to locate or invest in the lower State Street area, aka “The Avoid Zone.”

A “Comprehensive Economic Redevelopment Plan” is needed as to business and residential use, for not only lower State Street but for the whole city and surrounding areas, a plan facing current and future economic reality.