New condo coming to Big Spring Park
The contentious fight over whether to allow a developer to build a condo beside Big Spring Park has been resolved. The City Council voted 3-2 to allow Triad Properties to build the condo despite not fulfilling the terms of the contract to build the just completed office tower. The contract called for a restaurant, there is only a bagel shop.
I agree with the Council on this decision. As I said before, you can’t mandate viability and no restaurateur is going to open an eatery without a sustainable market. The Council did fine Triad $5,000 for failing to open a restaurant.
I think that the restaurant issue was nothing more than a convenient smokescreen for people who just flat out oppose development around the park. If Triad had lived up to the terms of their contract those same people would have found some other reason to oppose the project.
In other Council news, HSV Police Chief Rex Reynolds was nominated and approved to be the city’s first “super chief.” Not surprising considering his supportive tone when Mayor Spencer first publicly broached the idea of a super chief.
