“planned development district.” “a trendy gateway to the city’s arts district.”
Typically these are created by unelected regional planning councils.
South Park covered this very subject...SODA SOPA...all to get a Whole Foods... sad but reality is not too far off!
It’s an eye-opener to read some of the comments of people involved in these “planning councils” around here.
One guy wants to use the force of government to bring an Applebees or similar chain restaurant to an inner-city corner, currently occupied by an out-of-business gas station (with parking for perhaps five cars).
Another wants to use Eminent Domain to seize a movie theater, which went out of business in 1952, kick out the current owner (who operates a computer repair business there) and turn it back into a movie theater.
Why? Because he believes the neighborhood would be a lot more attractive to the Millenial Chai-Drinking crowd if it had an art movie house.
Hey, Dude, any movie theater that could not hack competition from the DuMont Network really does NOT need to be there.
It would be laughable if they were not dead-serious.