Skyscrapers

A plumbing permit was purchased for Kazan Ramen yesterday. Details from the permit: Use: 3,895 restaurant remodel 1-1-5-A2-B '15 IBC SPK/FA FCC Group: Non-residential alteration Kazan Ramen is opening at 191 Heights Blvd. The restaurant is occupying the former 1751 Sea & Bar unit.

Additional sign permits were purchased yesterday for 1515 Studemont St, Ste 203: Sign construction permit Sign operating permit Signs electrical installation permit Details from the permits: Use: N3 Ilum 1fc 18x5x30 -logo- Elara / Orthodontics; N3 Ilum 1fc 18x5x35 -logo- Elara / Orthodontics FCC Group: High technology sign Elara Orthodontics is part of 10 and Heights, a newly constructed commercial mixed-use. Sign construction permit Sign operating permit Signs electrical installation permit

I had the same thought when he purchased the property by Memorial Dr, it was right around the same time Mark Cuban sold some land to Las Vegas Sands Corp for a potential casino in Dallas. Seems like they are just waiting for the opportunity to come to build them.

Already alluded to it regarding housing prices. These decisions that seem reasonable at the small-scale, individual level build up into tremendous externality effects. What happens when more land locked away? Less supply. What happens with less supply? Less options for developments, leading to less affordability. What happens with less options for development and affordability? Further exacerbation of suburban sprawl. And with more sprawl? Comes gross problems of greater flooding, more pollution, more infrastructure burden with less people, etc. And all in the name of propping up petty fiefdoms. I personally think deed-restrictions (and HOAs, "historic districts", and other such stuff) should be abolished outright. However... I'll grant you this — the deed restricted, historical protected, and other such carve-outs are not the "low-hanging fruit" (especially given, as you say, the preference that residents within would have for such protections). Much more crucial things to target for now, such as minimum requirements (i.e. setbacks, off-street parking, etc). What is interesting about the deed restrictions, SPLS, or other such "opt-outs" is that the attempts to justify them often circle back to the problems of car-dependency (and policies that subsidize it). That is, they recognize the problems of car-focused design, how it ruins the aesthetic of constructs in general (parking garages, townhouses, etc). Unfortunately, they simply lack the critical-thinking skills to understanding that the problems that they refer to are precisely a by-product of certain elements of the city's codes: the "NIMBYs" actually should focus their efforts on repealing stuff like parking minimums city-wide, if anything. Hence, I do think that restrictions need to be "loosened up" (at least, shorten the renewal frequency to no more than 2-4 years). If not abolished outright. No more so than the 13th amendment "took away the rights" of certain states to practice certain actions...

Wow if the mayor is this stupid on such a smart design for this area then I really don't see how the 11st street bike lanes remain with Whitmore. He's gung ho for everything that helps cars.