Where's the vision?

• Author: RUNDLES, JEFF

As a columnist, I love this time of year. As a citizen, it's dangerous because the Colorado Legislature is in session. But as an observer of business and political folly, there's nothing like the first three months of the year for sheer theater.

Sometimes, oftentimes, the two -- business and politics -- mix into sublime drama. Like this year, as the Legislature seriously considers deregulating a ton of phone service on behalf of its largest benefactor, US West, at the same time that other governmental entities are fining the company record amounts for poor service. It's an election year, so you have to know who is buttering your bread, but it's an election year and butter may seem extravagant to irate voters. Being a legislator can be tricky.

But it's not an election year for the City and County of Denver, so it's not tricky at all. The politicians can pretty much do anything without fear of voter retribution. It's in these off years that getting a B- in city management looks like a good grade.

For the latest folly of city government, I have to give the city a grade of D. This would be for the announcement, on the last day of January, of "ambitious" plans to redevelop the former Stapleton Airport.

Oh, I am all for redevelopment of Stapleton. But I was for it 10 years ago, and not only is the plan too late in coming, it is about as far from ambitious as you can get.

First of all, the new airport has been open for five years, and it was under construction for many years before that, so getting a plan to redevelop Stapleton in the year 2000 borders on the mystifying.

I have been saying for at least 10 years that the Stapleton property, all 4,700 acres of it, is the most valuable piece of land in the entire country. No other city in America has this kind of raw land within its borders, and with so much access to transportation and other amenities. In an age of sprawl -- and especially for Denver, since whatever benefits that sprawl might offer never accrue to the city itself -- having an in-fill gem like Stapleton is one of the greatest opportunities that will ever come our way.

But where's the vision? The mayor envisions eight districts on the property, along with ample...