Ross

Was the arborist invited by the owner to inspect the tree? If not, did the arborist perform the inspection from the street, or commit trespass by entering the property?

Leonard, did they not spend the $6 million as directed by the agreement with the City? I don't think the City just up and handed them a pile o' cash for no reason whatsoever. I've read the 380. It was pretty boring, as legal documents go, so I don't remember the specifics. I assume the City has these wonderful people called "lawyers" to make sure that all parties perform as agreed in the contract, which means I don't have to do that myself.

Part of Dad's Club was torn down. There's still a pool there, bu the facility isn't as large.

And, WalMart/Ainbinder did not get a gift of $6 million tax dollars. That's an outright falsehood.

Oops, that wasn't intentional - my phone was mad at me and decided to make me look bad. It has since been severely chastised.

It is not relevant to post large portions of someone else's work without comment. The appropriate method would be to place the link at the top of the post, with a few short quotes below, interspersed with cogent commentary on the quoted material.

It is not relevant to post large portions of someone else's work without comment. The appropriate method would be to place the link at the top of the post, with a few short quotes below, interspersed with cogent commentary on the quoted material.

I've lived in third world countries. Fortunately, I never had to use what passes for public transport in those places

Right, I want to merely survive and do no activities that my son enjoys. Who knows, he might be happy playing stickball, barefoot in the filthy street, but I doubt it. Some people might be fine without a car - that's their choice. I'll stick with my SUV that has room for sports equipment, camping gear, fishing and hunting gear,, can tow a boat, etc.

That's not really true. You probably have to disclose a murder, or a death related to the condition of the property. You do not have to disclose a natural death, suicide, terminal illness, or accident not related to the condition of the property.

I'm guessing you don't have a kid who plays golf, select baseball, is in Scouts, and likes to fish. There's no way we could get by without a car.

Because he's dead, and it just doesn't matter.

In the long run, I'll be dead and won't care.

Jetzt! Schnell!

not when it makes no economic sense, or when It's my property, and I want to do something with it. Feel free to preserve history, just don't try to force it on me.

100 years ago, most folks didn't have cars. As they started buying cars, they quit taking the train. Taking the train to Galveston seems like a huge pain, especially if you have a cooler, beach stuff, fishing equipment, picnic basket, stroller for the kid, etc. and, once you get there, it's not like there's lots of transportation in Galveston. Why would I take a train to Galveston, which takes a few hours, when I can drive there in an hour, go all over the town, doen to San Luis Pass, visit the restaurants I want, then get home on my schedule?

People move to find "home". That doesn't always coincide with the best chance to make a living. I feel fortunate that Houston is home, and a place where I can have a great job. I've been here since 1976, occasionally living overseas for relatively short periods, plus a stint in Bakersfield. In every one of those places, I always felt Houston was home, the place I belonged. I always enjoyed my time in other places, but always knew I would be returning to Houston. I've been fortunate to visit, and live in, many great cities - London, Paris, Istanbul, Cairo, Sydney, Auckland, Bangkok, etc., but I always return to Houston. There's no place like it, and it's home.

If Trammell Crow thought ground floor retail would work, it would be in the plan. You can't force this sort of thing on developers without a plan for them to make money out of it.

What's your point? The legislature listened to the anti-competitive pleas of the large donors in the auto dealers world and maintained barriers to entry for new participants. This happens in nearly every sector of the economy.

Why do you think destroying major cross country freeways would help downtown? I-10 doesn't even run through Downtown. Your proposals don't even consider about the impacts on interstate commerce and people outside the area. We do not live in a vacuum. Don't you think rail lines through town would have the same effect as freeways? Heavy commuter rail, or light rail, for large numbers of people take up a lot of space. That's one reason London doesn't have any cross town rail lines, requiring a transfer to the crowded Underground lines to get to another terminus. I like Houston the way it is, thank you.

I've lived in third world countries, and without exception, the goal of the locals I knew was to own a car. A major benefit for most employees was an employer provided bus to get to work.

I've spent a lot of time in London over the years. The transportation system there is good, but it doesn't make life a panoply of unicorns and rainbows. It's not fast, and it's crowded. There's nothing like spending 30 minutes with your nose in someone elses armpit to make you wish for the comfort of your car, even if it is expensive to drive.

I had to rely on the bus after Alison, since my care got flooded and took 4 weeks to repair. The buses were fine, other than taking 3 times as long as driving would have, which is the nature of buses.

Better hurry for the container tower, it looked like they were tearing the surrounding stuff down Memorial Day weekend.

I don't really care what happens in Istanbul. It's just not relevant to the discussion here. Turkey is not the United States, there are different cultural drivers, laws, traditions, etc that make comparisons unreliable. I could also argue that anyone who voted for Obama is too stupid to be allowed to do anything without close supervision. My argument would be just as valid as yours. I just love how the statists and new urbanists think they have the solution to all problems, and that the solution is ever growing intrusive government. That kind of thinking can only end in tears, and the deaths of all those opposed. That was the basic theory of Lenin.