TGM

"Hi, this is Patrick Bateman. I'd like to reserve a table for two at 7pm"

My plans are centered around an automated aluminum can and bottle recycling kiosk in Midtown with a convenient drive-through lane for shopping carts. I'm also looking at locations in West-U, Upper Kirby, and the Heights.

Is this specific to historic areas or are they just going around tresspassing in a variety of neighborhoods.

Correct, they are not going to run it as a soup kitchen. The beef is that it is yet another non-profit, social-service agency in Midtown. If these non-profits were Starbucks locations, then we would have regular news coverage, protests, advocacy groups, and citizens speaking up. (Hmm, maybe we should paint them all forest green with topless mermaids) The point is 25 Starbucks locations in Midtown would result in people asking them to go elsewhere for the next dozen or so stores.

Because the walls of an apartment at a Camden are thick enough to muffle the all night flippy-cup game. Like Ross said, the evil corps don't put up with non-sense, they're in the business to rent. They pick up the parenting where the dorm manager left off.

What happened to "Question Authority"? How about "Dissent is patriotic"? So are should everyone just tolerate that which is broken and abusive? Read this before your next post. http://www.theskepticsguide.org/resources/logicalfallacies.aspx

The land is not getting any cheaper, which is why you may see more mid-rises than individual homes. The townhomes you will see will reflect the cost of the expensive land and will be hard to justify for those who can afford them. It's hard to justify purchasing a $450-$650+ Townhome in a still transitional area when the same money will get you a home inside the loop that does not have a drug dealer on one corner and a guy waving his c*ck on the other. If you spend that kind of money in the Heights area the only thing you'll have to deal with is the purists complaining about the new construction. No Greyhound, no Search, no Lord of the streets. Midtown will be a place for young college graduates, or interns that are looking for a great urban area where they can have fun, party, and then leave it behind when they are ready to move into the next stage of life, or now view what was once part of the edgy city ambiance as tiring and irritating. (When you push the newborn around and there is someone waving their d*ng at your wife and child it tends to get tiresome.) I hope I'm wrong. I hope Midtown gets serious and is able to overcome the institutional negatives and becomes a dynamic neighborhood that people view as a long-term place to live, rather than their future rental property or starter home.

The influx of renters was a major catalyst for me to look elsewhere. I've lived next to renters that were great and I was sad to see them go, but the problem always seems to occur when landlords rent to people with multiple roommates. For starters, parking will be an issue, and some people think its perfectly okay to park the 3rd car in parallel with the garage door, or haphazardly in the driveway alley in the way of others. Noise and parties are also issues when you're connected to their Townhome. The biggest issue for me is that a certain type of renter is afraid to report maintenance items out of fear their rent will go up. This impacts you a their neighbor when you notice your sheetrock is wet and the neighbor says "oh yeah, it's been doing that, but I did not think it was worth contacting my landlord about". Really? Older homes, renters with frathouse mentality, systemic issues with homelessness and prostitution, and no real improvements on the east-side of Main in terms of everyday living amenities compared to the West-side are things to think about before purchasing there.

No, hell no. More taxes for the city is not what I consider best and highest use. However since we are not in a fully deregulated world where you can choose your police force, where the water comes from, etc you receive city services. It would be nice if they contributed to cost of these services.

No way they would tear down the ExxonMobil building. Too far. It would make more sense to purchase 1600 Smith. Probably both. In Asia it is really about the natural gas markets and the tremendous growth that is occurring there. I think what you will see is that as people retire their replacements (whenever possible) will be located in Houston. Chevron and all other energy companies need to maintain and grow earth sciences talent as they will see a large percentage of it retiring in the next 15-20 years. If I were in my teens today I would pursue a degree in Petroleum Engineering or Geology.

Not going to happen on the ExxonMobil building. Too far away from the other buildings to be able to meet face to face with people during a hectic work day. Odds are if there was a need for a 4th tower it would go where the current daycare building is as it could be connected via sky-bridge. So on the relocation question... who knows... Global Upstream is headquartered in Houston, but there is a great deal of benefit of having your HQ's on the west coast when Asia Pacific is where the future is. Again, who knows?

I think the objection is more of a "not another, non-profit, social-service agency in Midtown" These non-profits do not pay property taxes therefore the "best and highest use" cycle often ends with them.

I would be curious to see how many hidden taxes that Walmart pays in the way of fees, permits, surcharges, and assesments. I bet Mayor Parker gets all hot and bothered every time she drives by and sees that big impermeable concrete parking lot chock full of F150's.

I say the best living wage policy is a municipality that offers a low barrier of entry for those wanting to start their own business or relocate their business to said municipality.The real question to ask is why the hell is it harder to live in some places rather than others? The laughable circular disfunction is that the Walmart haters want them to pay a living wage, yet don't want these workers to be able to purchase discounted goods at stores like Walmart!

So you're suggesting that Walmart has a ton of great ideas, many years ahead of their time that will never be realized due to the actions of those who traded the long-term, big-picture view, for something that looks better on a yearly performance review? I better stock up on frozen peas before the next audit.

Your "you have to take the jobs that are available" statement pretty much sums up your belief that we are all just subjects, or serfs to some greater force out there, with no choice, control, or ultimately accountability for our actions, decisions, and destiny. If you don't like what they are paying don't waste any time filling out the job application. I almost moved to DC back in 2000, but chose not to after several location scouting trips. While the DC area is a beautiful part of the county I did not like what I would have to pay to live in the equivalent of Midtown, Houston. Houston was the best value, and the most logical choice for my career path. It was an extremely tough choice to make because they offered a move-to bonus equal to my salary, and paid 2 points on a mortgage. I stayed in Houston and they went BK 2 years later. Oh and it was also hard to find a good Walmart in the area.

The jobs are real, the expectations of the anti-Walmart loons are not. You act as if they are not told what their hourly rate will be prior to accepting the job offer. How does one know how much they need to live, apply for a job that does not meet the requirement, then complain that they do not get paid enough?

Reprint from Hotair http://hotair.com/archives/2013/07/09/sigh-d-c-council-poised-to-chase-off-900-jobs-because-they-dont-like-wal-mart-so-there/ Sigh: D.C. Council poised to chase off 900 jobs because they don’t like Wal-Mart, so there POSTED AT 10:01 PM ON JULY 9, 2013 BY MARY KATHARINE HAM A couple lessons, here. First, businesses are not obligated to open in your city or your neighborhood, particularly when you incentivize them to locate elsewhere. Washington, D.C. is particularly susceptible to losing potential jobs (particularly in entry-level and working class retail positions, as opposed to lobbyist slots) to nearby jurisdictions because it doesn’t take much to simply cross the bridge to friendlier climes in, say, Virginia. Second, as Sonny Bunch reminds us of a lesson from Econ 101, hiking the minimum wage kills jobs. Here’s the haps. In Washington, Wal-Mart, the city council, the grocery store unions, and a thousand Wal-Mart hating community groups have been engaged in a delicate, dumb dance for years over whether the giant retailer should be allowed within the hallowed precincts of the District of Columbia. Other big box stores are allowed— Best Buy, Target, and Home Depot for example—but the mother of all box stores has been picketed and pushed and generally trashed throughout its attempts to set down some retail roots. The parties seemed to be coming to an agreement on three stores inside the District, predicted to bring 900 full and part-time jobs and some fresh grocery options to those so-called “food deserts” you hear about. But the agreement might fall apart over a “living wage” bill, which requires a segment of retailers that sounds suspiciously like “retailers that are Wal-Mart” to pay far and above D.C.’s $8.25 minimum wage: Representatives from Wal-Mart say the company will no longer build its planned stores at Skyland Town Center and Capitol Gateway, retail sites in Ward 7. “They’re not bluffing me,” Councilmember Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7) says, having just left a meeting with the world’s largest retailer. “We worked for many years to get this commitment. I really didn’t think it would get to this point.” The Large Retailer Accountability Act requires companies that take in at least $1 billion in revenue annually to pay their employees at least $12.50 an hour, well above the District’s minimum wage of $8.25. The bill also only applies to stores that are at least 75,000 square feet, thus exempting companies like Apple and Starbucks. Isn’t the carve-out for liberal-approved billion-dollar retailers precious? Wal-Mart’s announcement is enough to make some reconsider and see the big picture: In addition to the two Ward 7 stores, Alexander’s chief of staff, Ed Fisher, also says Wal-Mart’s move imperils a store planned for New York Avenue and Bladensburg Road NE. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5), who represents that area, was one of eight “yes” votes on the bill’s first reading. “That was without knowing Wal-Mart was going to pull out,” says Jeannette Mobley, McDuffie’s chief of staff. Mobley says her boss is “going to give this some thought” before tomorrow’s Council session. Fisher says each planned Walmart was going to have at least 300 full- and part-time employees, as well as enhance food shopping options in Ward 7, where there are only four full-service supermarkets. “We’re going to have fewer options for groceries and commercial retail,” Fisher says. “At least 900 people won’t have an opportuntiy whether it’s full-time or part-time. Whether it’s a student in high school or a senior or a job someone can use as a stepping stone.” As Bunch puts it: “So instead of decreasing the unemployment rate in blighted Washington, D.C., neighborhoods, there will be no jobs. Good job, guys! You really nailed this whole ‘governance’ thing.” The argument from the left is a petulant cry of, “Hey, the Waltons are real rich and they can’t afford to pay $12.50 an hour?!” Again, they’re not obligated to bring their stores to your city when you’re actively trying to make it harder for them to do business there, especially when they have other options nearby. In the same way, gun accessory manufacturers are not obligated to stay in your state when you’re banning their products. In the same way, smart, talented people are not obligated to be doctors when the cost of becoming a doctor and maintaining malpractice insurance isn’t worth the financial rewards of being a doctor. Incentives matter, and free people respond to them. Oh, and if the D.C. Council does end up blocking Wal-Mart in the city, it’ll be great fun to watch them all later endorse former Wal-Mart board of directors member Hillary Clinton. (For the record, though I’m defending Wal-Mart here, I’m not always down with the ways the company colludes with government to get into certain communities, via eminent domain, for instance.) - end

It died the day Walmart opened, but the RUDH folks bit it, re-animated it with the bridge argument, and now it walks around in a zombie stupor muttering "brains, 380, and Ainbinder."

Read but ignored. Mixed use is a joke in a city that has the land and space not to offer compromises in retail and residential spaces. Mixed use is fine when you're stacked like rats, because it's the only option.When I see it here I either think, "awe, an architect got someone to believe his charrette of how people will use it" or "wow, a developer used a token ground-floor retail space to negotiate for what he was really after." Either way you have a jack of all trades, master of none compromise, built on an east-coast "we're out of space" city model.

Apparently the developers and residents did not get your memo in time before they developed and purchased the homes in Timbergrove Point. Back roads, too industrial, 18 wheelers, etc are all present in the area surrounding this development. Also worth noting is that the Silber Walmart is only minutes away...

Time for a new cause for the over-reactors. There is a tower project in the Museum-Binz area that needs a' stopping. Even better: They already have cool protest posters featuring the required building with arms and thick eyebrows.

The Magic 50 acres can be accessed from the various back roads off of old Hempstead Hwy, 11th st, etc. There is no looming crisis of accessibility to this area. Hopefully they'll give them the mineral rights so they can tap the Eureka Heights field some day.

Update: More man hours have been wasted to protest this thing than to actually build it.

I'm digging it.