The City Got Starbucked. (Or, $45 Grand... For What?)

This is a cropped picture of the former McMahon Tire building in question. Ironically, this is now all that is left of the building, as well.

From The News-Sentinel.
A Texas company plans to invest more than $1 million to open a Starbucks Coffee shop in the historic but vacant Firestone Tire building at the corner of Fairfield Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard.
The city has offered more than $100,000 to N3 Capital, LLC of Fort Worth to help pay for façade, access and environmental improvements at the site. Vacant since 1999, the building, No. 5 on local historical group ARCH’s most recent list of endangered structures, is in the art deco style with a 47-foot tower overlooking the intersection.
The planned 1,725-square-foot coffeehouse will not have the typical Starbucks facade with green awnings, said Harry Chapman of Marathon Builders in Dallas, the project contractor. Instead, it will preserve the tower and feature vintage grey colors that complement the period architecture, though it will sport modern signage and logos. Portions of the building’s northern sections not considered historically significant will be demolished. Architects expect the design to be finished in January.
“They like their buildings to be different,” Chapman said about the Starbucks, “each one to be not a cookie-cutter type of architecture.”
ARCH Director Angie Quinn said the Firestone Tire building was constructed in the 1920s, with sections added to it in the 1930s. It represents a common design at the time for automotive businesses, though few in the Midwest remain, she added.
“The Firestone building is an opportunity,” Quinn said. “It is good to see somebody recognize that. It will encourage business downtown.”
The city has made available as much as $105,000 in incentives, with $60,000 of that set aside to assess and clean up several hydraulic lifts and two 1,000-gallon waste-storage tanks left behind when McMahon Tire vacated the site in 1999.
City Redevelopment Director Lisa Lange said environmental challenges were partially responsible for the building lying vacant for five years. She knew retaining the historic tower would cost extra, so the city saw an opportunity to help the developer.
“We wanted to demonstrate to them that we were excited about them coming into our community, there was some community interest in saving some of the façade, and that it might propose a unique opportunity,” Lange said. “However, we knew what it might do to their bottom line, and we were interested in trying to fill that gap.”

So let's say that Starbucks (who, last I saw, was far from broke) NEEDED the $105 grand incentive to save the building. And let's accept the fact that without the removal of the tanks and miscellaneous garbage left behind, the property wouldn't be viable. That's 60 grand. That leaves 45 grand for preservation and restoration. EXCEPT......

Part of the building collapsed (albeit the northern part that they were going to demolish already.) They tore down the rest of the building....except the corner office....saving both the tower....and presumably the $45 grand left that the city gave them. This is historic preservation?

Just think....our tax dollars going to prop up the lowly Starbucks chain...while local coffee shops have to deal with pesky things like rent, and remodeling, and fixtures.....I wonder if any of the recently closed Calhoun Street places (Smith and Hines, Julians Pizza, etc.) could have used $45 grand for 'historic preservation?'

Hell, give ME $45 grand. I bet I can get a coffee shop off the ground for that. I'll even put it in a historic building....if I can find one that the city hasn't torn down for a parking lot.