Masterplan: 35-45 demographic

A business partner once watched me struggle to get a handle on some small, weird detail. He said:

"If you don't understand a given situation, follow the money."[0]

I have used this to good effect over the years. I have heard council members and consultants talk about how they wanted to pull a younger demographic but never grokked it. I think it's starting to come into focus for me.

Let's take the 35-45 demo discussed in the 1/11 work session:

35-45 is where home ownership rates (and hence property taxes) start to increase; and
35-45 is too young to put pressure on senior services or qualify for the senior property tax exemption; and
35-45 is too old to have a bunch of kids putting long-term pressure on the school district and youth services.

BTW: Highland Park park spaces are highly valued not so much for their overall acreage-to-resident ratio, but because the neighborhoods are lovely and one's wife or daughter feels like she can run at night without getting assaulted.

[0] edited on 2/20/2010. I had rewritten the "if you don't understand" line before and left it in illegible condition.