Don’t use our money to finance bad development

On Aug. 26, the Cedar Rapids City Council approved development plans for 81 homes to be built on Zika Avenue NW. The density and closeness of these homes will resemble trailer parks of old. New mobile home parks have more space between dwellings than these homes have.

Approval of these plans was made during a well-orchestrated play - our city council members were the actors - and was based on deceit and omissions by the Community Development Department for a project that originally was rejected by City Planning Commission. The private developer is asking city participation of $2.3 million and directed the city manager's office to find some way to pay using tax dollars from a city whose infrastructure is crumbling everywhere you look.

The Zika Avenue site property owner (T.J. Berthel Enterprises Development) recently cost taxpayers more than

$2.7 million by defaulting on a federal Small Business Administration loan for a venture capital investment.

In his graciousness, Kyle Skogman has offered to build 20 rent-to-own homes from which he stands to make plenty. Make no mistake, neither this project nor the homes built in the Jackson-Oak Hill area are being done because he is being philanthropic.

The Zika Avenue project is not true infill development, as it will lower property values in the area and is not for the greater good, but it will create what in a few years will become a new slum area. Let your city council know the city should not be financing developers with our tax money.

Linda Prachar

Cedar Rapids