Troy Transit Center in NYT - Magna, Come on Downtown!!!

[downtownguy]

New York Times article on Troy sending back govt. $$ for transit center:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/23/us...&smid=fb-share

Another priceless quote from the tea-party Troy Mayor:

“There’s nothing free about government money,” Mayor Janice Daniels said in an interview. “It’s never free, and it’s crippling our way of life.”

But I liked this quote from a Magna International exec most of all:

“I am drafting a memo to all Magna group presidents and our Magna corporate executives strongly recommending that Magna International no longer consider the City of Troy for future site considerations, expansions or new job creation,” wrote Frank W. Ervin III, the company’s manager of government affairs. “I have also recommended that where ever and when ever possible we reduce our footprint and employment level in Troy” in favor of communities that act in the best interests of residents and business and that do “not simply use their public position to advance their own private agenda.”

Paging Dan Gilbert. Don't you have a building or two with some space for Magna International?

[313WX]

I highly doubt they'll move downtown.

Read the quote carefully.

“I have also recommended that where ever and when ever possible we reduce our footprint and employment level in Troy” in favor of communities that act in the best interests of residents and business and that do “not simply use their public position to advance their own private agenda.”

So yeah, knowing them they'll probably choose Dearborn, Ann Arbor or Auburn Hills, IF they move. They would have moved downtown already if they had any intention of doing so. The cheap rent, free parking, lower taxes and shorter commutes probably weight higher on the scale for them than the alure of "the big city."

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

While I would love Magna to move downtown, Mr. Ervin's comments seem more angry than rational. Obviously, a business takes into account many factors when deciding on location. Troy is, quite frankly, a good place to do business. Taxes are certainly lower in Troy than many other communities. It is a centrally located suburb, easily reached from Detoit, Pontiac, or Macomb County. It has good parks and schools. Lots of shopping. Nice houses and apartments. And which SE Michigan community has an amazing intermodal transit system?

I do disagree with the mayor's decision, but I hardly think [[sorry to burst any bubbles here) that Troy was on the verge of having lots of people switch to transit. And as an-already densely developed suburb, it is not as if there are a plethora of sites to be developed, just awaiting transit to bring customers and employees. Notable exception: old KMart HQ, but that is over a mile away from the proposed station. I think scrapping the station was wrong, but it wasn't crazy wrong. There are legit practical reasons to oppose it. The feds would pay for it, but not cost overruns [[transit projects ALWAYS come in over budget). The operating subsidy of $33,000 a year [[if we accept that as the true number) seems hard to justify when Troy has struggled to keep the library open in recent years. I would suspect the library serves more people a week than the transit center would.

The station would have been nice, but in my opinion it only makes sense as part of a regional transit system. Plan the system before building the stations. You don't pack your bags before picking your destination. And I would not put too much stock in Amtrak. Their finances [[and potentially shrinking/disappearing government subsidy) will definitely reduce service in the coming years, outside the NE corridor. If it's there, great. But there is a decent chance it won't be.

From a PR perspective, I think the backers of the station did a TERRIBLE job of explaining why and how this would benefit the people of Troy.

My last comment on the topic: I lived in Birmingham in the early 80's, and distinctly remembr my Mom taking the old commuter train from the Birmingham Station to the old station next to the RenCen. I was so sad when the station closed!

[downtownguy]

I highly doubt they'll move downtown.

"

As do I. My intent really was to point out another blunder by Troy's mayor and how upset many folks in the Troy business community were over her decision. But there are many people out there that believe pigs do fly because of the infusion of BCBS, Compuware, Quicken, and DTE workers downtown in recent years.

Lowell, my apologies. I swear I searched for another Troy Transit Center thread and couldn't find one. Please merge this with "real" thread.

[BagAJellyDonuts]

Seems to me the natural location for a "transportation center" would be the State Fairgrounds.

Don't think there will ever be another fair. At least some of the buildings and structures could be used for something other than motorcycle swap meets.

[casscorridor]

Seems to me the natural location for a "transportation center" would be the State Fairgrounds.

Or what about New Center station? Or better yet, Michigan Central Station?????

Bring Michigan back to life, Restore transit now.

[Bham1982]

As I commented on the other thread, that gentleman was NOT speaking as a representative of Magna.

He is a Magna employee, but his comments had nothing to do with Magna's position on the Troy Transit Center or Magna's site location decisions.

Magna, BTW is located in basically the most sprawling, transit unfriendly corporate campus one could imagine. I am highly skeptical that transit, walkability and urbanity are high on their list of corporate HQ amenities.

[downtownguy]

I've got news for ya' Skippy: Here is his title:

Frank W. Ervin III
Manager, Government Affairs
Magna International, Inc.
600 Wilshire Drive • Troy, MI 48084

I'd say he has plenty of business speaking as a representative of Magna, and the company in fact did endorse his comments. As for Troy turning this down, do we expect anything else from a place who is stuck in the mindset of the 1960's?

Bham, after I found the other thread, I noticed your comment along with the rebuttal by Cinderpath. A person with a title of Manager, Goverment Affairs is almost always speaking for their employer. And that was my point for posting this thread with his comment highlighted. Of course, it would be a stretch to imagine Magna would pick up and move out of Troy for Detroit [[but keep your eye on the flying pigs). However, it's clear when you read the entire email, which was posted on the blog referenced by the New York Times, that Mr. Ervin is speaking for the corporate leadership of Magna. The first sentence alone is a dead giveaway., "First of all we at Magna would like to thank you and your team for all of your efforts and enthusiasm on behalf of this issue." Now, what part of "we at Magna" don't you understand?

The entire email is here.