kbates2

Ok man, I won't fight with you. Everything works in all numbers.

Also the ability of areas to handle two of something is definitely not equal in all respects. Two Indian restaurants and bars would be quite different than grocers. We have bars all down main across from each other but 7 NBA teams in 7 stadiums across from each other wouldn't work the same. I'm obviously using a lot of hyperbole here but just trying to make the general point.

Competition is good but that doesn't necessarily mean that both competitors survive, just that the better one will (or should). This area may well be able to handle two and I would be happier for it. I would hate to lose either but having two over there would be very cool. That said, the initial point is the news of a grocer is awesome but if the grocer was a bit more spread out, the news would be more awesome.

I shop at Phoenicia a pretty fair amount and while they have some specialty products for sure, they would still probably suffer more than benefit. That said my comment is really in regards to proximity. I live downtown and would even shop at Phoenicia more often if it was closer to me personally. Adding the second downtown grocer directly next to the current doesn't help to make walking to the grocery store a reality for more downtown residents, just expands the options for the ones that live on that side.

Real grocer is awesome, putting them right across the street from our only other grocer is less awesome.

They had the Interio Bar sign up on Main. Forgot to take a picture. Looks ready to open.

The idea behind the subsidy is that it pays for itself and thensome through increasing the tax base in the long run. The subsidy was thought to be necessary to get the first new residential projects going, which would pay higher taxes in the long run, and to spurn new projects without a subsidy.

Which ones do you still have?

It gets insanely packed during lunch at this point. Agree on the general lack of charm Sparrow's (?) nest. Wouldn't go just for the bar but the food options will keep me there regularly. That lobby is phenomenal. When I first say Denver's conversion of their Union Station, I thought about what we could do here. With Finn already done, this lobby could be an amazing extension of some sort.

Right but not all of the way up right? I looked at 4 units there and none had windows on more than one side and all would fit well in the footprint of this building.

Don't Capitol Lofts and Kirby Lofts have many units with only one wall of windows that are fairly deep?

Again, UT bought the land and didn't provide a plan for the land. When pressed they said they did not intend to add a four-year university but didn't have any solid plans to assure that. As they had skipped the whole approval process when purchasing and they bought it for a ton from a donor alum, it all looked shady.

swtsig doesn't really post sources but is rarely, if ever, wrong about these things.

You said clear, the quotes I used said obscure, nonstransparent, and inconsistent. The point was to show that clear was the opposite of their initial plans. I also indicated that after the backlash, McRaven sated that they would not be building a 4 year university. That was not overlooking quotes, that was stating that they were after the backlash that effectively killed this.

Cold not have been more clear? Look up EVERY SINGLE story about this and you will see that "UT Chancellor William McRaven scuttled UT's project in March after lawmakers and UT's own regents criticized its high spending and lack of specific plan." "Earlier this year, after significant pushback to an obscure vision" "“My greatest concern regarding the UT land deal has always been about the nontransparent method by which the land was acquired and by the system's inconsistent explanations for how the land was to be used.” After the backlash, McRaven said that he did not plan to build a 4 year university but would not throw in guarantees. After calling it off, the plans were unveiled showing the data center. Unfortunately, the shady deal and the attempt to circumvent the state legislation had already killed this.