My wife and I just returned from the Austin, Texas area for a Memorial Day visit with friends, and I literally got a sick, depressed feeling when I started to enter Crestview.
If we didn't have decent jobs here (not in Crestview), we would have turned around and left. The first night there, it took us an hour to decide where to eat — compared to the 30 seconds it takes here.
Krystal will end up in the same place every other business in the last 10 years that tried to come to Crestucky has — in Destin! They have our Target, Olive Garden and several others.
Someone needs to do an investigation covering past and current council members to see what kind of money Destin is paying them to force the north end of the county to keep them alive during the off season.
I've talked to several business owners that would love to bring some franchises to the area, but impact fees and the tax rate keep most out.
Are you seriously telling me the city would rather have $0 tax revenue than to receive millions in annual revenue and provide some jobs for the community because they don't want to give businesses a break to locate here?
Only one thing could possibly explain that: corruption or personal interest in keeping business out.
Since when is it the responsibility of the business owners to pay for the city’s lack of a traffic management plan? Highway 85 should have been widened to six lanes like Fort Walton Beach and Niceville years ago. Krystal will not make the afternoon parking lot any worse.
Just like the hold-up on the new mall project — same game, different name.
See a pattern here, people?
I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend my money here than have to drive to Destin.
Based on the city of Crestview's history over the last 25 years, I'm willing to bet my next paycheck we don't get the Krystal or the mall.
Everyone needs to go to the workshop the city is having at 4 p.m. June 4 at City Hall and voice your support for these businesses.
If we do not push for it folks, it won't happen!
What's your view? Write a letter to the editor.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: GUEST COLUMN: Krystal, mall hold-ups part of a pattern