Harrisburg - Theater of the Absurd?

Sometimes, one needs comic relief. Today is such a day. It helps if one simply accepts - at least for a few moments - that Harrisburg is the Theater of the Absurd. What else would explain the on-again, off-again efforts to rehabilitate the Broad Street Market? Like so much about Harrisburg development/redevelopment, this effort represents a one step forward, two steps back approach. Plans are paid for and made, only to be blocked for unexplained reasons. Litigation ensues, mainly to the benefit of the lawyers. And the cultural treasure and source of fresh food in a food desert downtown with no major full-service grocery store within walking distance of thousands of residents (many without transportation) continues to deteriorate.

But, hey, developers are busy creating a playground for the new hip inhabitants who drive to Wegman's for their groceries from their KOZ tax-free rental apartments or tax abated renovated homes, leaving long-term renters without valuable housing stock and long-term owners shouldering an increasing tax burden for the municipal services newcomers and old-timers alike use. To top it off, developers like Alex Hartzler use their newly purchased paper and mayor to further their agenda and criticize anyone who doesn't march lock-step to their tune as elitist/privileged voices to be ignored. It's ironic, given that the elitist/privileged are the developers themselves whose skin-in-the-game represents a tiny fraction of the skin older long-time homeowners have in said game as a percentage of total net worth. Me thinks there's a lot of projection at work.