But it will take someone with a working-class sensitivity to understand that he can't displace the people who held out just to accommodate a new urban gentry. Blocks like Lex Street, where little is left but blight, will be leveled and the land offered to developers who will combine tax abatements, city-guaranteed loans and cheap land to create developments. But Lex Street is virtually surrounded by a new development called Jameson Court, which is at 100 percent occupancy and has a waiting list. Michaels Development Corp., which built Jameson Court, would start another phase tomorrow if it got a chance. A tougher sell may be to get people to buy into the mayor's plan for blocks such as those in the 10th Ward in West Oak Lane, where there is little or no blight.
People there are more concerned about taxes being exported to other areas.
It's a political dilemma. The ordinance will be introduced in Council in two weeks. Street will get it through. But not before promising something for everyone. I told them, 'I know what you think.