Manhattan Housing Plan Is Another Give-A-Way

News/Editorial

By Jon A. Brake

In 1978-79 Fort Riley opened 300 housing units, it devastated the Manhattan Real Estate market. Now the City of
Manhattan wants 2,975 new units over the next 5 years. It will destroy the Real Estate market and break the City Bank.

The Manhattan City Commission received and passed the "Housing Manhattan: Planning For The Future" report
Tuesday night. It is called a Five-Year Housing Strategy. In fact it is another high dollar push towards Socialism.

The City has only added 2,390 units in the past ten years. Where will the 6,000 plus people come from to fill 3,000 new
units? It would take a population the size of Marysville to fill 3,000 new units. Can you imagine 6,000 people moving to
Manhattan over the next five-years? It will not happen.

If you add the millions of dollars that the subsidized housing will cost the taxpayers along with the "Quality of Life
Bond Issue" that the Commissioners want, you'r talking big bucks. The Commissioners have already stated they want:
$8 million Bus System, $14 million Indoor Sports Facility, $700,000 for the Linear Park Trail, and $10 million for a new
Pool.

The report also calls for 445 acres of land to be used. Some Commissioners wanted to know if some of the acres could
be from the older part of town. A Conditions Survey found:

8,310 (85.2%) homes were Standard; 1,253 (12.9%) were Moderately Deteriorated; 174 (1.8%) were Severely
Deteriorated; and only 12 (0.1%) are in Dilapidated Condition. The housing in Manhattan is too good for that type of
redevelopment.

Forget about 3,000 new units; let’s just annex Marysville.