Will the sale of land in City/County Plaza to the Grove Park Inn cause a net increase of greenspace?
No. The plaza will be smaller if the land is sold. That’s just common sense. The oft-repeated statement that “the implementation of the Renaissance Plan will result in a net gain of 1/3 of an acre of greenspace” is due to the plan’s original intent to convert the pavement in the plaza to greenspace. This key part of the Renaissance plan would occur with or without a GPI construction project. To claim that there will be a net gain of greenspace as a result of the GPI project is misleading. A high-rise will make the plaza smaller. Period. • Is the City receiving top dollar for the parcel of land? No. The Grove Park Inn has negotiated a sale price with city staff of $656,000 based on an appraisal performed by city staff last November. (Development Agreement) The appraisal appears to have been based on averaging the appraisals of several downtown parcels far from the plaza. It’s worth noting that the City is currently negotiating to purchase land near the Grove Arcade for more than twice t
