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Taft, Calif. —
Taft needs a lot of things to return it to prosperity, but most of all it needs rooftops.
Not just any rooftops, like those you see over, say, apartments for people that can't afford to pay the rent.
No – it needs rooftops over the nice three-bedroom homes Bob Colston would like to build if it weren't for kit foxes, blunt nosed leopard lizards and a bunch of endangered species rules and regulations that are enforced far too strictly.
Those three bedroom homes would be occupied by families that earn incomes from the many well-paying jobs in the westside oilfields or at the two prison facilities built here two decades ago in the hope boosting a community hard hit by major changes in the oilfields.
Bringing the prisons to Taft was a great idea, but most of the jobs created were filled by people who commute over here from Bakersfield.
There was a shortage of quality housing here and a lack of child care.
Most of the prison employees join the daily drive with hundreds of people who work on this side of the county but don't live here.
Those are the people that should be living here, contributing to our economy and allowing existing businesses to prosper and attracting new ones.
Instead, the city has looked at other cures for what ails us, ranging from the disastrous experience with trying to rebuild a railroad into town and now dreams of making Taft a “destination city.”
Several years ago the city started the process of purchasing the downtown railroad property just south of the community's traditional business core
It was supposed to be a commercial development, one that wouldn't happen overnight, or in five years or even 10 years, but on that would be there for growth when the city's population increased and demographics changed.
Commercial property returns both property taxes and sales taxes to the city.
Instead, the first development is going to be apartments.
Call them what you will – affordable housing, workforce housing or whatever. They are not the kind of housing this town needs if it is going to return to prosperity
People that can't afford to pay the rent can't afford to support an economy. They'll probably end up using more in city and county services than their taxes will support.
And the city won't get anything from the residential development. Not even property tax.
The city needs to preserve that land for commercial development that will come after an intelligent approach to responsible growth.
We're developing housing where businesses should go and talking about a regional park in the fields east of Taft instead of taking the right steps towards a return to prosperity.
We're talking of turning Taft into a destination city when we should be focusing on our strengths rather than pipe dreams.
Taft is still a wonderful place to live, a safe community and the best place around to grow up, raise a family and retire.
But it won't stay that way forever if we don't choose the right path for the future.
Taft needs a lot of things to return it to prosperity, but most of all it needs rooftops.
Not just any rooftops, like those you see over, say, apartments for people that can't afford to pay the rent.
No – it needs rooftops over the nice three-bedroom homes Bob Colston would like to build if it weren't for kit foxes, blunt nosed leopard lizards and a bunch of endangered species rules and regulations that are enforced far too strictly.
Those three bedroom homes would be occupied by families that earn incomes from the many well-paying jobs in the westside oilfields or at the two prison facilities built here two decades ago in the hope boosting a community hard hit by major changes in the oilfields.
Bringing the prisons to Taft was a great idea, but most of the jobs created were filled by people who commute over here from Bakersfield.
There was a shortage of quality housing here and a lack of child care.
Most of the prison employees join the daily drive with hundreds of people who work on this side of the county but don't live here.
Those are the people that should be living here, contributing to our economy and allowing existing businesses to prosper and attracting new ones.
Instead, the city has looked at other cures for what ails us, ranging from the disastrous experience with trying to rebuild a railroad into town and now dreams of making Taft a “destination city.”
Several years ago the city started the process of purchasing the downtown railroad property just south of the community's traditional business core
It was supposed to be a commercial development, one that wouldn't happen overnight, or in five years or even 10 years, but on that would be there for growth when the city's population increased and demographics changed.
Commercial property returns both property taxes and sales taxes to the city.
Instead, the first development is going to be apartments.
Call them what you will – affordable housing, workforce housing or whatever. They are not the kind of housing this town needs if it is going to return to prosperity
People that can't afford to pay the rent can't afford to support an economy. They'll probably end up using more in city and county services than their taxes will support.
And the city won't get anything from the residential development. Not even property tax.
The city needs to preserve that land for commercial development that will come after an intelligent approach to responsible growth.
We're developing housing where businesses should go and talking about a regional park in the fields east of Taft instead of taking the right steps towards a return to prosperity.
We're talking of turning Taft into a destination city when we should be focusing on our strengths rather than pipe dreams.
Taft is still a wonderful place to live, a safe community and the best place around to grow up, raise a family and retire.
But it won't stay that way forever if we don't choose the right path for the future.
