Right, wrong investment priorities for city

Carson City supervisors recently granted $100,000 each to two business projects expected to help solidify the foundation gradually being built for downtown.

For Adele's restaurant and the Plaza Hotel, the contributions represent less than a fifth of the projects' total costs and fit well with the purpose of the Carson City Redevelopment Authority. Both will help draw business to the city's center.

The grants do represent tax dollars, but it is revenue generated by the city's Redevelopment District (most of downtown). It works by increasing property values within the district, then taking the incremental tax revenues and reinvesting them. The St. Charles Hotel refurbishment and the beautification project - iron railings along the sidewalks, landscaping in the medians - came from that pool of money.

The more property values rise downtown, the more money is available for investment. It's a wise and forward-looking use of the money.

The same can't be said for the city's list of projects for its Housing and Urban Development allocation, the first since Carson City passed the 50,000 population mark and qualified for the money.

There are some worthy proposals on the list - a neighborhood park and playground, sidewalk improvements, legal services for seniors, homeless services - but it's the way the pie is split that concerns us.

The most money ($109,000) is proposed for Americans With Disabilities Act improvements to the Blue Line Trail. Another $55,000 is earmarked for Internet access in public areas downtown for "low- to moderate-income" residents.

The second-biggest allocation ($107,600) is for planning and administration of the grant - 20 percent of the total $536,000 coming to Carson City.

Homeless services is an afterthought at $10,000, unless one figures quite a few homeless people will be going downtown to use the Internet or tour the Blue Line.

We wouldn't argue with any of these projects, but we would argue with the priorities. There seems to be too much emphasis on the "urban development" portion of the grant and very little on the "housing."

Carson City has affordable-housing problems, and much of the housing people can afford is in poor shape. Next time the federal government has a half-million dollars for the city, we'd like to see a plan that addresses the depths of those needs.