Letter To The Editor: Request To County Council Concerning Property At 20th And Trinity – Los Alamos Daily Post

By DAVID HAMPTONLos Alamos

Dear County Council,

In 2019, Council voted to use a LEDA Grant to give six lots of County-owned land to a developer to create a privately-owned convention center, cafe, and hotel under the Marriott brand at Trinity and 20th.

The contractual deadline for the developer to submit site plans for all aspects of the development is about to expire, and Council must decide how to handle this upcoming crossroads.

While we disagree on many issues, the undersigned members of the Republican Party of Los Alamos, theDemocratic Party of Los Alamos,and the Libertarian Party of Los Alamos oppose extending the contract between Los Alamos County and the developer of the land for the proposed Marriott convention center.

There has not been substantive progress toward the agreed upon goals in the original contract, and the small business environment in Los Alamos County has continued to deteriorate. We believe Council should revert the six lots of county land to what was originally intended: community capital investment to support owner-operated small business, similar to what is presently being pursued with Pet Pangea.

We believe that opportunities such as these are essential to retain successful businesses like those that have recently departed, such as Fleur de Lys.

We hope that this nonpartisan recommendation will encourage the current Council to choose to reclaim this land for its highest and best use: supporting community investment in locally-owned small businesses.

Thank you for your consideration:

Editors note: County Council Chair Randall Ryti replied to Hamptons letter as follows:

Mr. Hampton

On behalf of Council, I thank you and the signatories to this letter for your input on the question of extending the agreement for the 20th Street LEDA project.

Randall Ryti, County Council Chair

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Letter To The Editor: Request To County Council Concerning Property At 20th And Trinity - Los Alamos Daily Post