VicMan

Alright

In regards to

"Okay, so if there are transient residents the area could become slummy (which could be caused by any number of other things, as well). Is he making his non-American citizen statement based on figures he has of similar projects? And are non-citizen rates even reported? (and if so, are they accurate?)"

In regards to that, I don't know of any websites or groups which report % rates of non citizens in these complexes - In regards to how and why Elder is coming to this conclusion, I would have to e-mail him

Thanks for bringing some of that up - wanna take a stab at my unanswered question?

WAZ: The definition of "low cost" housing in Houston may differ from the definitions of "low cost" in other cities.

Manhattan is well-connected to the other boroughs via public transport, and Manhattan itself has some poor people.

Sorry, not buying that. In that case explain Manhattan. Average cost of housing in Manhattan is 4 times the national average and I haven't heard anyone complaining about shortages of restaurants or businesses there.

Katy is under served by restaurants because of its inability to deliver a weekday lunch crowd, not lack of workers.

The proposed development is not in Katy. If Katy wanted any power over this area they should have incorporated it.

It's in Houston's extra-territorial jurisdiction, so Katy can only annex it if Houston releases the land from its extra-territorial jurisdiction.

The City-Data thread about this was shut down recently.

Anyway, Callo, before I examine your post, let's look at Elder's statement:

* "“Many of them aren’t even American citizens,” Elder added."

So, in regards to 1. He ran unopposed as the Katy mayor, while he does represent them, he also has a responsibility to preserve Katy's reputation and face. His mistake in making the above quote damages the reputation of the City of Katy. The people of the City of Katy do have a right to oppose the development. They cannot directly stop it from being built, as it is next door. Also, as pointed out in the development, the only school serving Katy that is directly affected by the development (provided school boundaries stay the same) is Katy High School.

2. He doesn't directly mention ethnicity. He does mention nationality - not any particular nationality, but the "Many of them aren’t even American citizens" is certainly a reference to nationality.

3. This isn't a thread for discussing illegal immigration.

4. Freedom of speech also has responsibilities. He can legally say it, but the reputation of the City of Katy is damaged because of what he said. He might possibly lose an election at another point, and I am certain that his PR image is tainted.

5. The only person directly attacked by the commentary on here is Elder. The people of Katy may find that this complex is not a threat to their livelihoods.

Why not keep the remaining 2/3rds for when you have coffee or tea at home? Use 1/3 each per cup, so that way you aren't wasting any sugar

If I use in tea or coffee, I only use about 1/3 of the little bag and chunk the rest. I see some people put 2 full bags! Suicide in slow motion. No thanks!

Yes, I did quote your post. I was adding that so what if Elder does not like illegals. Neither do many others.

So you inferred that Elder likely would not like illegals, but that was not directly supported by what Elder said. Next time, please make it clear and say "Based on what he said about non-Americans above, I would imagine that Elder would not like illegals either" or something like that.

Elder's quote was “Many of them aren’t even American citizens,” -- had nothing to do with illegals

So he doesn't like illegals. Boo hoo. Neither do many other Citizens.

One of the things he said on city-data is that West Memorial elementary and junior high are relatively small for their size

I would like to see building utilization figures or capacity figures for the campuses. That way we can figure out if they can take more students easily.

West Memorial Elementary opened in 1973: http://web.archive.org/web/20060116130144/schools.katyisd.org/Portal/Default.aspx?tabid=60&campus=wme

The junior high opened in 1976: http://web.archive.org/web/20050206042956/schools.katyisd.org/Portal/Default.aspx?tabid=62&campus=wmjh

As I said earlier, being fairly close to the Energy Corridor may be a plus for the complex. After all someone needs to man the Energy Corridor sandwich shops, gas stations, retail stores, etc., and being close to work will be a plus for the residents.

I'll say the same thing I said on City Data - Because outsiders can rationally determine what is best not just for that neighborhood, but for the city as a whole - Homeowners in that area may be too emotionally involved (having a fear of losing property values, however unjustified, or however justified)

ABC13 news story

I thinks it's funny when people who don't even own a home in the area, have the nerves to pass judgment on why homeowners don't want the apartments built......Why don't you show up to the meeting and volunteer your neighborhood?

Let's look at this from an infrastructure standpoint.

1. What is the exact plot of land proposed for the new development?

2. What is the capacity of the proposed complex?

3. Will the roads be overcome with traffic?

4. Will the schools be overcrowded?

The intersection is Katy Fort Bend Road at Grand Harbor Drive, and it is outside of the Katy city limits. See the map - I don't know if it will be built to the north of Katy Fort Bend or to the south of Katy Fort Bend.

EDIT: http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7348297 It will be east of Katy Fort Bend and north of Grand Harbor

EDIT: According to http://apps.katyisd.org/public/katyisdcampusmap/Default.aspx The proposed site will be zoned to West Memorial Elementary School, West Memorial Junior High School, and Katy High School - Of the schools only KHS serves portions of the City of Katy

In regards to all three schools, what is the building utilization like? How many people is this complex supposed to hold? About how many of them are supposed to be children?

Here are school population statistics of the schools that would take children from this complex:

* Katy High School: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/2517002809/school.aspx

* West Memorial Junior High School: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/2517002813/school.aspx

* West Memorial Elementary School: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/2517002812/school.aspx

I don't know the exact capacity of West Memorial Junior High School - Many middle schools are around 1200, but WM JH as about 800. I wonder if it can more easily take an increase in population.

Another point is that this complex is in proximity to the Energy Corridor, a major business district - One could say that one needs to have another Section 8 complex within a reasonable distance to the Energy Corridor.

but the morons we have for drivers here. In other words, BAD+BAD=EPIC FAIL. You could put up all of the blinking red lights, crossing arms and loud horns that you want, but the average moronic Houston driver will still find a way to get into an accident and eff up the commute for everyone else.

I would advocate for more punitive fines for accidents caused by ignoring no turn signs or aggressive behavior - that should either cause drivers to smarten up, or it would become a big revenue generator for the city and/or METRO.

When thinking about the name "Cy-Fair," there is one positive and one negative. On one one hand the school district is called Cy-Fair. On the other hand Fairbanks itself has been within the City of Houston since 1956: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/FF/hvf3.html so it seems odd to have the "Fair" part in there.

I wonder why a city founded over 1000 years ago has a more developed transit system than a city founded 270 years ago.

...especially a city which began to expand rapidly in 1950s, which was an era when freeways were built and public transit was not as prevalent in urban development. It is understandable why Houston is where it is now.

$5 on each airline, SW has Finlandia and Cont has Skyy. I think they both use Mr. and Mrs. T Bloody Mary mix.

Thank you for clarifying! So Continental already has bloody marys, but they aren't free.

Speaking of tomatoes, a Cafe Express tomato soup, salad, and bread meal might be a good fit for the buy on board program. Also the airline should make sure that any burgers always come with ketchup on the side.

Cy-Fair ISD and other fast-growing districts around the state don't get their fair-share of per capita funding back from the State of Texas under the current formula. This needs to change in the next legislative session or our Reps and Senators need to be FIRED.

Is there a link detailing the exact formulas used by the State of Texas on how money is distributed to school districts?

Both Continental and Southwest have free bloody mary mixes - I'm not sure how much it would cost to add alcohol to the mixes.

Maybe they need to serve Bloody Mary's in lieu of food. 

And salty. I know a lot of processed food HAS salt in it, but those noodles have salt and TASTE salty.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/science/news/article_1539215.php/Tomato-juice-irresistibly-good-at-32-000-feet-experts-confirm says:

"The researchers at Fraunhofer IBP came to the startling conclusion that reduced cabin air pressure enhanced human taste receptors for salt, sugar and tomato flavours, which are scarcely noticeable on the ground." - Perhaps this means that the ramen for airplane consumption could be made with less salt?

Perhaps they could just put Maruchan Ramen Noodles on board and still provide it free. That stuff is way cheaper than a wilted lettuce sandwich.

Continental might provide ramen as an option, but still ask people to pay for it. Air Canada has ramen as one of its snack options. http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/onboard/dining/na/onboard/snacks.html - Air Canada charges $3 CDN for each ramen pack.

The airline should offer ramen on shorter buy on board flights as well as longer ones.

Keep in mind that airline food has to be frozen and reheated in a microwave. That's a large part of why its so bad.

That's part of what I alluded to in the phrase "The food recipes will have to be prepared differently as airline food preparation is special" - While that is true, airlines have been finding ways to get around the reality of having to use a microwave and the fact that human taste buds act differently.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/science/news/article_1539215.php/Tomato-juice-irresistibly-good-at-32-000-feet-experts-confirm talks about why people like drinking tomato juice on airplanes.

The same article says: "The findings also showed that certain meals taste better under reduced-pressure conditions. Asian dishes were tastier to the test subjects than were the standard 'chicken or fish' airline meals. The scientists determined that chicken and fish dishes tasted bland under cabin conditions. They recommended those dishes be cooked with more herbs and spices."

It sounds like Continental could do well if it has BOB options with the Kim Son brand.

HAIFers, which of the following Houston chains would be a good fit for an airline buy on board service?

* Cafe Express/Taco Milagro

* Beck's Prime

* James Coney Island

* Pappas Family Restaurants (any)

* Luby's

* Goode Company (any)

* Kim Son

And of the ones you want, what menu items would you propose?

The food recipes will have to be prepared differently as airline food preparation is special and human taste buds react differently in the air, but hopefully Chelsea would be knowledgeable enough to duplicate the experiences of these chains as faithfully as possible.

In regards to the legroom, if someone tries to book specifically an exit row seat in economy, under most circumstances he or she will be charged. Also I believe a Pappas location has a location inside of Terminal E - I'm not sure.

This is a really good idea. And don't several of the Houston chains operate in the new terminal already?

I am sad to see them ditch their meal service. It was the one thing that made me fly them over other airlines (honest, I am not just saying that).

Anyhow, I also thought I heard somewhere that they are going to be charging extra for additional legroom. WTH?!?

In this USA Today article http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=83427.blog:

In Central America, Continental says it will keep free meals on routes to business-heavy markets like Mexico City or Managua, but that routes to leisure destinations like Cancun or Puerto Vallarta will be subject to the new meal charges.

So the airline will keep food on some Latin America flights, even though they are under six hours.

Unless it's over six hours, I doubt they'll continue free meals in coach, even to Guatemala City. I can also see them getting rid of the dinner options on the Houston-Lima flight for coach passengers.

Poor Gordon Bethune... He built Continental back up and his "Work Hard, FlY Right" campaign was pure genius. Continental has stood apart from the pack for years. Now, like the other legacy carriers, they seem to be caught up in the race to the floor.

Continental was trying to hold on to the freebies (it was one of the last to apply 1st checked bag fees, and it is the last to drop free food) - but the U.S. domestic market has changed to a point where price is the main determining factor for selecting flights.

It started with outsourcing commuter flights away from ExpressJet.

Are you referring to when Continental spun off ExpressJet into a separate company? Or are you referring to an increase in the share of ExpressJet flights? Or are you referring to Continental deciding to allow Chautauqua to be a regional partner?

Continental is rarely the cheapest option. In the past though, they could offer certain things that made you feel like it was worth it, and yes, a free meal can go a long way. Consider this... you're flying from Guatemala City to Boston on Continental but your connection is way too tight and immigration is backed up so you can't manage a meal in the terminal. In the past, you'd be guaranteed two light snacks for free without hassle on your 8 1/2 hour journey. Now, you're gonna have to whip out your credit card in midair and spend $7 for Twizzlers, peanuts, and other trash and be told it's a "meal."

The airline will likely consider Guatemala City to be a "business" international destination, so the free food will remain on that flight. The international destinations in North America that get mostly tourists will have the paid meals.

Also Continental could possibly introduce good buy on board options (on other forums people said they like Virgin America's, seen here: http://www.virginamerica.com/va/travelInfo.do?pageName=meals&rightBar=food_and_beverages_right_bar ) - Also one could have additional options available that would have to be booked before the flight

Couldn't have said it better! I have been saying Houstonians are cheap, but after hearing comments on chron.com and talking to people, a lot of people would rather have a grade separate rail weather it be above, below, or in its own right of way.

People may say things on message boards, but are they willing to walk the walk and pay the extra money for grade separation?

Some buy on board programs have some "hot" options available - I would like to see Continental have some hot options - Perhaps they can only be purchased in advance over the internet so the airline knows how many hot meals that it has to give out.

For breakfast:

* Pancakes with maple syrup and small sausages

* Breakfast tacos with ground chorizo

* Ham and cheese omelet

For lunch and dinner:

* Carne asada tacos with Chili con queso and Mexican-style hot sauce

* Vietnamese bahn mi sandwich with spring rolls

* Cheeseburger with french fries or potato chips

* Chili con carne (no beans) with tortilla chips

* Potato soup (hot) and salad (cold)

Continental should be able to distinguish its own product and make more money at the same time.

Cold options (cold sandwiches, snack packs, cereal packs, etc.) could be purchased during the flight. I would like to see cheese and cracker trays with plenty of grapes.

So, what should be on the menu?

I have looked at other buy on board programs, and there would likely be salads and sandwiches available.

Another idea would be for the airline to offer free meals to people who hold OnePass statuses. That way people who built up status still feel like they are getting something extra.