And then there was one
Earlier this week, Oshkosh City Manager and local developers rolled out their plans for development along the riverfront. Of all the plans we've heard about during the past three years or so, just one remains. It is for a 25,000-square-foot office building, restaurant and 45-unit apartment building, and has been proposed by local developers Andy and Art Dumke, Mike Goudreau and Randy Schmiedel, collectively known as Oshkosh River Development LLC (ORD). Approving the re-assignment of the Development Agreement from Akcess Acquisition Group to ORD and approving a term sheet for the revised development agreement was on the agenda at a special meeting of the RDA scheduled for yesterday.
ORD entered the picture several weeks ago, when Akcess pulled out of the project. A vote on the ORD proposal was to have been taken last month, but was delayed when councilman Paul Esslinger went to the meeting with word of a “mystery developer” who had big plans and who wouldn’t need TIF money. The following week that developer appeared in the form of Sweetwater Performance Marina and Care Properties owner Jason Lindemann. Lindemann proposed two office buildings, a hotel, 42 urban cottages along the Fox River and a deli-coffee shop at the corner of Marion Road and Jackson Street. But that proposal was short-lived and made Esslinger the laughing stock with some in the community, when earlier this week Lindemann withdrew his pitch for developing the area. (It should be noted he still may work with the folks from ORD on something in the future.)
Speaking of that, while some are hailing Esslinger as some kind of hero for “bringing Lindemann forward,” I have to say I personally thought – and a lot of folks agree with me – that Esslinger injecting himself into this situation was both ridiculous and highly inappropriate. The reason he appeared at the RDA meeting was apparently because Lindemann was out of town the day the meeting was held, but wanted to see if a vote on the ORD plan could be delayed, giving him time to present his ideas to the city. Frankly, I think that could have been accomplished without Esslinger’s “assistance.”
After all, Lindemann, who already runs a successful business in town, was given the city’s stamp of approval this summer when the council gave a liquor license, previously held by the owners of the former Pioneer Inn, to his group for the Boat Yard Bar & Grill, a new restaurant concept to be located along the Fox River on Fifth Street. Ironically enough, that application beat out one from Esslinger, who was vying for the same liquor license. So I believe that if Lindemann had gone to the city and explained he could not attend the meeting, but had an idea that he wanted to present, the city may well have delayed its vote so he could make a full presentation the following week. It really did not need Esslinger’s involvement and I certainly don’t understand the need for anonymity during the week in between the RDA meeting Esslinger appeared at and when Lindemann materialized with his plans. But for all that hoopla of big promises and saving the taxpayers money, for Lindemann to withdraw only a couple weeks later, has left Esslinger looking foolish - perhaps appropriately so. He’s also been uncharacteristically silent on the issue to date, with not one quote that I’ve seen in the paper or heard on the radio since Lindemann’s withdrawal. I don’t know Lindemann’s reasons for withdrawal and I hope something gets going along the riverfront soon, but this will hopefully make Esslinger think twice in the future about putting himself into the middle of a situation where he really doesn’t need to be, even if his ego tempts him to be.
ORD entered the picture several weeks ago, when Akcess pulled out of the project. A vote on the ORD proposal was to have been taken last month, but was delayed when councilman Paul Esslinger went to the meeting with word of a “mystery developer” who had big plans and who wouldn’t need TIF money. The following week that developer appeared in the form of Sweetwater Performance Marina and Care Properties owner Jason Lindemann. Lindemann proposed two office buildings, a hotel, 42 urban cottages along the Fox River and a deli-coffee shop at the corner of Marion Road and Jackson Street. But that proposal was short-lived and made Esslinger the laughing stock with some in the community, when earlier this week Lindemann withdrew his pitch for developing the area. (It should be noted he still may work with the folks from ORD on something in the future.)
Speaking of that, while some are hailing Esslinger as some kind of hero for “bringing Lindemann forward,” I have to say I personally thought – and a lot of folks agree with me – that Esslinger injecting himself into this situation was both ridiculous and highly inappropriate. The reason he appeared at the RDA meeting was apparently because Lindemann was out of town the day the meeting was held, but wanted to see if a vote on the ORD plan could be delayed, giving him time to present his ideas to the city. Frankly, I think that could have been accomplished without Esslinger’s “assistance.”
After all, Lindemann, who already runs a successful business in town, was given the city’s stamp of approval this summer when the council gave a liquor license, previously held by the owners of the former Pioneer Inn, to his group for the Boat Yard Bar & Grill, a new restaurant concept to be located along the Fox River on Fifth Street. Ironically enough, that application beat out one from Esslinger, who was vying for the same liquor license. So I believe that if Lindemann had gone to the city and explained he could not attend the meeting, but had an idea that he wanted to present, the city may well have delayed its vote so he could make a full presentation the following week. It really did not need Esslinger’s involvement and I certainly don’t understand the need for anonymity during the week in between the RDA meeting Esslinger appeared at and when Lindemann materialized with his plans. But for all that hoopla of big promises and saving the taxpayers money, for Lindemann to withdraw only a couple weeks later, has left Esslinger looking foolish - perhaps appropriately so. He’s also been uncharacteristically silent on the issue to date, with not one quote that I’ve seen in the paper or heard on the radio since Lindemann’s withdrawal. I don’t know Lindemann’s reasons for withdrawal and I hope something gets going along the riverfront soon, but this will hopefully make Esslinger think twice in the future about putting himself into the middle of a situation where he really doesn’t need to be, even if his ego tempts him to be.
posted by Cheryl Hentz at 12:56 PM
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