10 False Arguments Promoted by RSA that are Clouding the Real Issues.

1.              The only people opposed to this project are do-nothing, know-nothing little old ladies. The RSA’s failure to understand the nature of the concerns by the community is the direct result of the RSA’s refusal to seek any input from the public until the 11^th hour.  Anyone who attended the Landmarks Foundation Forum would know that legitimate design flaws in the current plan have been identified by both young and old, and with diverse backgrounds representing economic development concerns as well as concerns about the negative tourism impacts.  Those views were echoed and confirmed at the next Forum that was hosted by the Citizens for Downtown Revitalization.  Thus, the opposition to the current RSA plan is widespread— from little old ladies, to economic development consultants, to our Master Plan and accompanying Zoning Code, to downtown business owners, to the best minds in planning and design in the nation.

2.              This is a preservationist issue in which they want to make downtown replicate Colonial Williamsburg.  No one opposing the RSA’s current design has suggested that downtown Montgomery replicate Colonial Williamsburg.  And this is not only a preservationist issue.  It is an economic development issue in which proponents seek to follow the successful examples of Charleston, Washington DC and Paris.  Those cities have understood the importance of predictability and building design to the making of the city.  Indeed, Charleston has a waiting list for businesses seeking space downtown.  For the RSA to adopt the “anything goes” route of Houston is something to be avoided.  We deserve better.

3.              Dexter Avenue Needs Help.  It certainly does.  That is why we need to make sure that this substantial investment maximizes its potential to positively impact Dexter Avenue.  After all, the RSA has a reputation for constructing buildings that are designed to last generations.  Given this fact, it is imperative that this $200 million dollar project will stand the test of time.  Moving forward with all deliberate speed on a design that does not even stand up in our own generation due to correctable design flaws is a recipe for disaster.    In addition, other policy reforms should be pursued to discourage the squatter speculation that is keeping buildings boarded up along Dexter Avenue.

4.              The Downtown will benefit from a $200 million dollar building and the jobs it produces.  The Downtown will benefit even more from a $200 million dollar building which addresses the current design flaws of the proposed building that undermine the speedy revitalization of downtown.

5.              The RSA has done more for the downtown than any other developer and is the only entity building much needed class A office space downtown. Why would a private developer seek to compete against the RSA when the RSA enjoys the advantages of not paying tax, not incurring the costs of complying with local zoning regulations, and having the deep pockets associated with being a 30 billion dollar pension fund?

6.              State law permits the RSA to ignore the Master Plan and Code.  The power of sovereign immunity was not created so that the RSA could become a developer of private office buildings who is not required to follow local zoning laws.  Regardless, the failure of the RSA to comply with the recently adopted Master Plan undermines the predictability of the development.  If the RSA can build anything anywhere downtown, private developers will continue to go to the suburbs where they are greeted with greater predictability. If the RSA moves forward with the current plan, they might as well as put up “DO NOT INVEST” signs at the borders of the downtown and hand out directions to the suburbs for developers who were recently mislead into believing that the recently adopted Master Plan and Zoning Code would finally bring the predictability needed for them to feel comfortable investing in downtown development.

7.              The RSA has gone to extraordinary lengths to save the building.  Yes they have, but this is clearly not worth the $20 or $30 million due to its impact on the Capitol and surrounding grounds. The Scottish Rites/Judicial Building is a building worthy of preservation, but it is not on par with the importance of safeguarding the grandeur of the Capitol and surrounding grounds. 

8.              The RSA’s current plan does not diminish the grandeur of the Capitol.  This self-serving claim by the RSA has been rebutted by one of the nation’s most respected planners, Victor Dover, who wrote a clearly worded letter to Mayor Bright outlining the need for the RSA to follow the Downtown Master Plan.  And the substance of this advice formed the foundation of the original Olmsted plan for the Capitol and its surrounding grounds 80 years ago.  The Olmsted brothers were also entrusted with the design of the grounds for the U.S. Capitol and White House.  Given the fact that the Capitol and its surrounding grounds are the primary asset of downtown Montgomery, it is shocking that the RSA would go against the advice of the best minds in planning and advice on this issue.  The RSA should build on the strengths of the downtown, not undermine them.

9.              Former Chief Justices want to save the Judicial Building.  If that were sufficient reason to save a building, then we would all be condemned to living in the past.  It is time to look forward, and move forward.

10.           It is too late to correct the design flaws.  The RSA has not submitted construction documents to the Building Commision, so they still have the opportunity to get it right.  And to get it right, they should do the same thing our forefathers did approximately 100 years ago when a substantial controversy arose over the addition of wings to the Capitol.  They reached out to the nation’s most respected architect, Charles McKim, who helped guide us to a solution that worked for everyone.  This example can be replicated by bringing in some of the nation’s most respected designers who have had a direct hand in helping breathe life into the nation’s capitol.  These designers can help us understand the possibilities that will work now and for generations to come—- just like Charles McKim did 100 years ago.