Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Searching for The Port of Ramsey redux.



A rerun.

With talk of a NorthStar stop in Ramsey, how will it be financed. By a Port Authority? As in NYC, where the Port Authority runs the subway system?

If there's to be or not be a Port Authority, is there to be or not be a referendum first?

If there ends up being a Port Authority, what, if any, borrowing limits will it have, beyond what today's market might be willing to lend it?

If there's a Ramsey stop for NorthStar, who benefits, who pays, what's fair?

I could see Jim Deal's Town Center land being more marketable, him getting a better price with a NorthStar stop, although I find it hard to imagine anyone paying a higher price per acre [per square foot] than the Anoka County taxpayers, for the morgue site. That was voted in by the present County Commissioners, with several now up for reelection.

I can see the handful of bus riders possibly opting in for a more pleasant train ride downtown, and using a Ramsey stopping point depending on price differentials for the Elk River stop minutes away from Town Center, the Anoka stop, also minutes away, and the potential Ramsey site. There already has been a rail authority tax added to property tax bills. What more, how much?