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Leonard

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Everything posted by Leonard

  1. Marksmu - we're paying over $6M for the equivalent of one extra 20-year-old tree (12 more caliper inches total added than removed from the ROW).
  2. Why so many tree haters on an architechtural forum? weird. They removed 9 live oaks on Yale near the bridge that were most likely planted in the early 90's making them at least and probably more than 20 years old. This part of the street will be not be replanted, even with smaller trees. The developer is making up his "tree credits" by planting in the Heights esplanade. The taxpayers are paying for all of this via the 380.
  3. The live oaks removed averaged more than 11 inches in caliper. They will not be replanting trees on this stretch of Yale. The trees did look like they grew a lot during the year and a quarter since the google picture was taken. While the Walmart probably won't turn into a swamp, they will be sending more water faster down stream.
  4. The developer just took out 9 mature live oaks on Yale near the bridge. They were supposed to leave the one nearest the bridge, but they didn't. This stretch of standard-width (not extra wide) sidewalk will be unshaded from now on. To make up their "tree credits" for trees taken down on Yale, they're going to add trees to Koehler, I10 and the Heights esplanade. Yale will mostly be unshaded with about 75% less tree caliper than before the development.
  5. http://documents.publicworks.houstontx.gov/documents/divisions/traffic/tia_faqs_ver5.pdf "Property owner shall be responsible to implement the mitigation measures."
  6. All the roadwork is required via the TIA. They can't get a Certificate of Occupancy without it. Therefore, it's required. From the TIA: As part of the proposed retail development additional roadway improvements are planned as a deliberate effort to enhance mobility, provide access and reduce the impact of this development on traffic. Some of these major improvements are, �� Installation of fully actuated traffic signal at intersection of Koehler Street at Yale Street �� Widening and extending Koehler Street from Bass Street to Heights Boulevard �� Extending and reconstructing Bass Street north of Koehler Street to IH-10 EBFR �� Constructing a northbound left turn lane on Heights Boulevard at Koehler Street �� Widening Yale Street to provide dedicated left turn lanes to the proposed development
  7. samagon: "is there an expectation that if you buy a piece of land that previously had a building on it (and therefore had all sewer, water, electric) that you re-do all of those lines even if they work properly? I didn't bring up the park, cause well that's such a small component of the overall cost. But the drainage is a pretty big component, and if there is no rule in place that they would normally have to upgrade all sewer lines, then why would they unless compelled through a mechanism such as this?" This is a great point - if the lines all work properly and are adequate for the development, they should not be redone by anyone. It would be a waste of money.
  8. You're right, Redscare. They would only do half the street at a time. We'll see when they're done. The Exhibit C list in the 380 is preliminary, they have eliminated the onsite detention and the traffic light at Heights and Koehler/2nd (the City did not want the light). They've also eliminated resurfacing the Yale Street Bridge (the surface was deemed "adequate") - not sure about resurfacing the Heights bridges.
  9. Oh, sorry - makes sense. Do not like Parker.
  10. "I told you what a snake she was during the historic district fight, but you gleefully supported her then." WRONG! You just make stuff up don't you? I don't support Parker and I never have. I didn't during the historic district fight and I don't support her now. Again, they only repaved half of Bonner (one lane) and that's because they tore it up.
  11. samagon - what bigger trees? How are trees unconstitutional?
  12. "The fact that they haven't said a word shows that they aren't really against 380s at all, just Walmarts." Walmart doesn't have a 380 that I'm aware of. I understand that you're a lawyer, do you go on and on to total strangers in chat rooms about lawsuits you may or may not file in the future? Is that what you call practicing good law? Like s3mh said, the 380 states that the items in the 380 "must be developed to serve the Project". Parker also said that the 380 was "interest free" less than a week before the 380 went on council's agenda. I wouldn't put too much stock in what she says, but you might want to wonder why they did approach Ainbinder about the 380.
  13. I hope RUDH goes after both the HEB Gulfgate and the Kroger 380.
  14. Ill-informed? You're the one that calls it noodling, when it's clearly catfisting. I'm not sure how anybody's comments here, ill-informed or otherwise are coercive.
  15. Redscare: "That is a rather large disagreement, since the only possible required upgrades would be turn lanes and a stoplight on Yale, a project that would cost no more than about $175,000." Dude, read the 380. I know without going back to look the traffic light alone is estimated at $200K. And then you gotta add on 20% soft costs and 20% contingency on top of that for $288K just for the stop light.
  16. In summary: We all agree that the City is financing infrastructure through Ainbinder at an unknown and uncapped interest rate. We all agree that some of the infrastructure is required for the development, and some is not. We all agree that the City will ultimately pay for all of the infrastructure in the 380 up to $6.05M plus unknown and uncapped interest, regardless if it is required for the development or not. The only thing we disagree on is what infrastructure is required for the development and what is not required.
  17. samagon - which street are you talking about?
  18. Exactly. The City is paying for infrastructure that the development should be required to pay for. The traffic light and the turn lane being two examples. Even you must concede that some of the money for sewer, water and storm water connections would be required. Just because you want to argue that it's not required doesn't make it true. It's all required. The onsite detention wasn't required, so they took it out. The traffic light at Koehler and Heights wasn't required, so they took it out. They took these items out because they weren't required. They left in the stuff that is required. The park and median improvements are the equivalent of the Olivewood "donation" in the Kroger 380 - designed to make it "look good" but costing a small fraction of the total. The Olivewood "donation" is obviously skeevy (I think donating to Olivewood is a good thing, by the way - it's skeevy for the City and Kroger to say that Kroger is donating to Olivewood when they are getting reimbursed plus 5.17% interest) but the park and median work here is the same sort of thing. These agreements were put together by the same City employees.
  19. Of course it's an estimate. Contingency can ONLY be on an estimate. Actual amounts are never spent on "contingency", they are spent on actual stuff. You're the one that originally said these amounts are too high. I was agreeing with you.
  20. I think 5% contingency would be more in line, and not on top of soft costs. The Kroger 380 has 10% contingency, not on top of soft costs. Although the Kroger 380 includes contingency on the $40K "donation", which makes no sense. I've read the Ainbinder 380 many times, starting when it first came out. Yes, I have gone back to refer to it. I'll try to find a link to the Ainbinder TIA.
  21. You are absolutely right - the costs listed in the 380 are probably much too high - and 20% soft costs and 20% contingency on top of that is way out of line. All of the water, sewer and storm sewer connections are listed as belonging to a street - possibly because they run under the street. For example, half of Bonner (one lane) was torn up for the sanitary sewer connection - it's listed under the Bonner Street section. Just to make the sanitary sewer connections the 380 Exhibit C lists these costs as over $70K (not including any road work). I guess you could have saved the City tens of thousands of dollars on just this work alone. But you can read the 380 yourself and see what they say it all costs. The Koehler extension is listed in the Traffic Impact Analysis: "As part of the proposed retail development additional roadway improvements are planned as a deliberate effort to enhance mobility, provide access and reduce the impact of this development on traffic." It's required, like the traffic lights and the turn lanes. The 380 itself calls the Improvements (the Exhibit C list) "necessary to serve the Project".
  22. TheNiche - you're wrong about the infrastructure not being required. They have to connect to water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer systems. Surely you concede that these items in the 380 are required (Walmart needs water for it's low flow urinals and somewhere to flush them to). They have to provide traffic controls - it's in the Traffic Impact Analysis they had to commission. For example, the $200K traffic signal at Yale and Koheler is REQUIRED for the development - the developer should pay for this. The idiotic language in the 380 saying they have to conform to codes and ordinances means nothing - of course they have to conform to codes and ordinances - whether or not there is a 380. If COH does not pay the entire amount on the 15th month anniversary of the grand opening of the Walmart, the interest rate is 10%. In the Council discussion of the Kroger 380, CM Clutterbuck said COH can borrow money with tax exempt bonds at 2.55%, or taxable bonds at 4.06%. Both of these are lower than 4.25%. Ainbinder most likely thinks this is a good deal or they wouldn't have made it. If they CERTAINLY would rather have the money than have it tied up in infrastructure, then CERTAINLY they wouldn't have made this deal.
  23. It's called an Infrastructure and Financing Agreement, so maybe it is a loan. But it's definitely not a loan TO Ainbinder. If it is a loan, it's a loan FROM Ainbinder TO the City. To pay for stuff Ainbinder should be paying for.
  24. It's easy to see in the Kroger one. Kroger is making a $40K "donation" to Olivewood. For this faux-lanthropy, Kroger gets paid back the $40K plus 5.17% interest. That's a pretty good rate. Same deal with the stuff Ainbinder is doing, except we don't know the interest rate.
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