Your letter is well written but, I think it has missed some key facts.

The current design for Renaissance Square is scaled down. The first design by Moshe Safdie would've cost $100M more than the current design. Many thanks to our team of LOCAL architects, engineers and their support teams.

More importantly, the project partners that are actually financing and paying for the project are in agreement on the design. Further, the Main & Clinton board, which includes Mayor Dufy, unanimously voted to move the project to final design in February, 2009. The board at that time also vote to spend $6M more on the existing design and move toward propert acquisition and demolition. That spend was approved by the board unanimously as well...

I think the better question for those who are against it is, why exactly? I expect that many of them simply need to be more educated about the project and how it can help the community - specifically the inner city - accomplish its goals.

For more information, go to www.renaissancesquare.net

It seems to me that those who supportREn Square should expalin why they are FOR the project, not the other way around. Why to Not support this project ? 1. It does NOT represent good urban design. 2. It will not produce many long-term job opportunities. 3. The property does not pay ANY property taxes but will require essential public services.4.It will likely require long-term public subsidies, like the airport, convention center, Blue Cross arena and sports stadiums. 5. It offers no plans for re-use of the Sibley Bldg. or Auditorium theater. 6. It is a dubious economic development project . So again, why is Ren Square being supported by the County Executive ? Could it be that many county staff are being paid from project funding thereby relieving a payroll cost from the county budget? And let's recognize that a bus transfer area can be located ANYWHERE-Broad Street adjacent to Midtown, Exchange Blvd., or even Central Avenue. Ren Square is what I have considered it to be from the time Bill Nojay hatched the 1st rendition- a political edifice complex. Nothing more-nothing less !

Mr. Condo, I am in favor of Ren Square for the simple fact that it gets the wall of idling buses, and the often unruly crowds of transferring passengers, off of Main Street (and Clinton and St Paul). It will also ensure that transferring passengers are not running across Main Street traffic to catch their connection. I am especially concerned about our disabled community that is so dependent on RTS for mobility. Every year there is at least one handicapped person hit crossing Main Street attempting to make their transfer. Ren Square will put a stop to that.

The current situation is the result of a poorly-planned "transit mall" that was supposed to save downtown retail but instead accelerated its demise. Without a complete overhaul of RTS routes that gets rid of the hub-and-spoke network (which may have significant detriments to downtown's accessibility in the peak-oil era), Ren Square IS the best option. You can forget Broad Street, you yourself are supportive of the plan to remove the Broad Street Bridge. Where on Exchange Blvd would you put a transfer station? On the waterfront land adjacent to our signature bridge? That sounds much worse than Main & Clinton. And Central Avenue? Really? You want to send every bus all the way up to the north end of downtown, a mile from where riders want to be? Honestly, these are not realistic options.

You mention that Ren Square should contain re-use options for the Sibley Building. Why? It is a privately-owned facility, its owners should be devising those options (as well as figuring out how to pay their back taxes). Regardless, as long as there are transferring buses lined up outside Sibley, you can forget a developer sinking millions into its revitalization.

It's true that there are negatives associated with Ren Square, and you do a good job of summarizing them, but the positives far outweigh those negatives. Main & Clinton is a basketcase and has been for 25 years, well before Ren Square was announced. We stand at the gateway to finally ridding ourselves of the most unsightly block of buildings in our once-grand downtown. The funding has been cobbled together to make it happen, the funds for the theater will materialize in time, all we need is for the amateur planners and wannabe activists to get out of the darn way.

Could Robutrad do the work, are 'friends of Maggie' the ones who will profit financially?

I look forward to bus fumes and congestion in the soon to be sterile REN Square area.