Private sector outcry about St. Paul municipal competition in land development. It must be a pack of "property-rights" Republicans in St. Paul too, just as in Ramsey. "Risky for taxpayers," the headline says.

We in Ramsey all know how the new GOP bloc on the Ramsey City Council spearheaded a public HRA funding buy-out of the failed Ramsey Town Center to play developer, and to create an ownership that yielded a monthly five-figure cash flow for the Landform firm.

The private sector probably missed notice, or had no care to protest.

Reporting about the St. Paul situation shows the private sector took notice of the socialization of development potential, at that locale:

St. Paul's plans as developer questioned

About 20 Twin Cities apartment property owners say the city's plan to take over the Penfield and Lofts at Farmers Market projects is unfair to the private market and risky for taxpayers.

Disgruntled apartment property owners have sent a letter protesting the city of St. Paul's intent to develop two downtown housing projects and asking officials to withdraw.

They say the city is creating "grossly unfair" competition with private real estate developers because it has access to cheap financing and doesn't have to pay taxes.

Last month, the city's Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) Board voted to take over the Penfield and another project, the Lofts at Farmers Market, lagging projects expected to cost $67 million to build. A combination of bonds, tax-increment loans and grants are the likely funding sources.

City officials acknowledged it was an unusual step for the city to become a developer, but they also said the projects are "catalytic" and couldn't get done without government financing help. The Penfield project includes a Lunds grocery store, and getting a grocery store downtown has been a high priority for the city.

"Catalytic" the item says. A city official called it that. In Ramsey, the comparable Ramsey Town Center purchase decision most certainly catalyzed a cozy cash flow, for the Landform insiders, such as they are.

Cash catalysis happens. It happens for the Landform firm and for their prosperity, in times when prosperity is a little harder a thing to obtain for the ordinary and unconnected among us.

Source of the St. Paul reporting is Strib, online October 20, 2010, this link. Read the entire article if you find the excerpt interesting and informative.

I wonder if any crony-socialist (not that different than crony-capitalist, but public sector instead of private) dimension arises in St. Paul. Will there be some favored five-figure per month consultant - drum beater contract, in St. Paul? Or will the private-sector attention and protest drawn by St. Paul's socialized development temper the tendency toward mischief?

I wonder whether the St. Paul situation will "rebrand."

And whether goofy highway signage changes are anticipated there.