A Humble Suggestion

With this Tom Daykin article describing Harley's decision to back out of developing offices on 6th & Canal, I have a humble suggestion to make.

Tom writes:

If approved Sept. 20 by the Common Council, Harley would not be obligated to develop the buildings, totaling 100,000 square feet, on the parking lots it owns west of S. 6th St., across from the museum.In return, Harley would pay the city $700,000.

Also, if Harley gets an offer to sell the parking lots over the next five years, it must first give the city an opportunity to buy the 3.5-acre parcel for $535,000. The city could then sell the land to a developer, or hold it for future development prospects.

 If you look at the location:




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You can see it offers immediate bicycle & pedestrian access to the Hank Aaron Trail as well as downtown area and the lakefront. 

I suggest that instead of simply accepting $700,000 from Harley, the City negotiate with Harley to turn over those two parking lots, and then the City use those lots for visitors wishing safe access to the trail.  One of my pet peeves in the past has been than it can be difficult to access bike paths and trails in other communities. The City could even figure out if it'd be worthwhile to install meters (in affordable hourly increments).