COMMENT OF THE DAY: JITNEY JITNEY BANG BANG “This looks like a textbook case of ‘regulatory capture,’ where one company or industry influences the government to write regulations in such as way that public protection is not the main purpose–the purpose instead is to prevent new competitors from entering. (See also bail bondsmen.)” [RWB, commenting on Will the City’s New Jitney Rules Cut Out the Little Electric Guys?]
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COMMENT OF THE DAY: HOLDING DOWN THE FORT AT 3400 MONTROSE “The building has not been shut down, I am still renting there. They have not communicated any plans. It would make an excellent art studio building, and there is money in that- take Winter Street Studios as an example. Would also make great living spaces, but would require tremendous remodel. If you hear any clues about plans of owners, please post!” [Stoney, commenting on Scott Gertner’s Skybar Closing, May Take the Whole Building with It]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHERE THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS BAD PUBLICITY “Only in Houston would someone use a blog post about a building’s code violations to advertise FOR the building.” [JCoy, commenting on The Somewhat Public To-Do List Posted at 230 West Alabama]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE CREEPING SOCIALIST MENACE THAT LURKS WITHIN “It’s horrifying to think that a business would have to actually have to work with neighbors who will be living with their presence for a long, long time. The next thing you know, people will start thinking that as citizens they have some stake in the city they live in, and a right to participate and influence its future! What kind of crazy society would we be then?” [John, commenting on Mayor Parker to Walmart: Start Talking]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHY HOUSTON NEEDS THAT NEW WALMART BY THE BAYOU “With all this rain, surely pollutants are leeching out from the soils of this brownfield site and flowing into White Oak Bayou. If there were a Wal-Mart here, the surface would be impermeable with only trace amounts of leaked motor oil contaminating the bayou. And as a kayaker that enjoys high water, that means less cancer for me!” [TheNiche, commenting on Only a Little Off Target: Walmart Heading Right Between Washington Ave and the Heights]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: A 3400 MONTROSE BLVD. INSPECTION REPORT “I did due diligence on this building a few years ago for the prior owners (The Ali Brothers). It was in pretty bad shape back then. The chilled water system was byzantine and the egress (especially from the Skybar) was not anywhere near complying with code. The garage needed work and had headroom problems on the ramps. For re-purposing, 3400 Montrose actually laid out well into residential or a hotel. I thought that given the limited parking situtation that they should give the Skybar the boot and convert the building to rental apartments. The structural bay depths and the continuous glazing on each floor laid out nicely, and the garage was almost the perfect size for this. Of course the entire building would have to be gutted in the process to accomplish any major update to the building. I swore I would never go into the Skybar again when I saw how unsafe the egress would be in a fire.” [mt, commenting on Why Scott Gertner’s Skybar Is Leaving the Montrose Sky]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THERE’S PROBABLY AN ‘N’ MISSING IN THERE, BUT HOUSTON ARCHITECTS WILL TAKE ALL THE COMPLIMENTS THEY CAN GET “Mr Bolton is a great guy. I have worked for him on and off over the years and have learned very much from him. He loves those big widows and I don’t think he has ever designed a home with less than an eight foot door. He is a man of integrity and the man is to be admired and respected.” [Kevin W. Stewart, commenting on North Post Oak Courtyard Mod: When Townhome Didn’t Mean Stairs]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: A SUGGESTED TWEAK FOR HOUSTON’S OFF-STREET PARKING ORDINANCE “The wholesale appropriation of strip center parking spaces by restaurants et al. for valet parking is reprehensible [and] ought to be made illegal!” [Robert Mark Megna, commenting on Hooked on Valet: The Folks Scaring Away Your Strip Center Parking Spots; previously on Swamplot]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: VALET CONFIDENTIAL “My first job was as a valet at a dinner club, and it was a great job. I set the policy for the lot, and I never restricted or blocked any spaces. Some people would have me park their cars even when all the front spaces were open. Others would cruise the far reaches of the lot rather than let me do it. That was OK with me. There are some good reasons not to turn your car over to a stranger – such as valuables or guns in the car or peculiarities about how the car runs. Also OK was the small percentage of non-tippers. I figured that some people mistakenly though sincerely believed that the service was complimentary by the restaurant. Others did not have the change on hand but would make it up the next time. What I hated was when the driver had a tip ready but put it back in his pocket as soon as he saw that I was not going to pressure him for it. I always ran for the cars and made it a point to remember who drove what car, so I made patrons feel important instead of turning them into claim check numbers. I am particularly offended by shopping centers that block all of the close spaces for valet service. It’s fine to provide the service for those who need or want it, but hogging the front spaces sends the message ‘We’re fancier than you, so you have to pay to get near our stores.’†[erasmus, commenting on Hooked on Valet: The Folks Scaring Away Your Strip Center Parking Spots]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: FOR THOSE OF YOU UNDER THE MISTAKEN IMPRESSION THAT PEARLAND IS FULL OF ZOMBIES “Ok, I’ll spill the beans, we don’t have REAL zombies in Southern Trails. What people have seen are the fake ones we put out at night. It’s a scheme dreamed up by our Neighhborhood Watch program that works on the scarecrow principle. We set them up around the neighborhood after dark, then before the next morning we rush out and pick them up. We take turns hiding them in different garages.” [Tim, commenting on Pearland Home of the Bloggess Is Guaranteed Zombie-Free. Sort Of]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: VALET CUPCAKE SERVICE WOULD COST EXTRA “Hey, if they can sell cupcakes for $3.75 – more power to them! If people want to buy $3.75 cupcakes? Awesome. Someone gets to make some money for a while. It’s not like they cone’d off the cheap cupcakes and make you stare at them while they force you to buy the expensive one.” [drone, commenting on The Cupcake Backup at Highland Village]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE UCHI HOUSTON PARKING PLAN “They have the whole 40,000 sf under contract, which includes the Prive building and the 12,000 sf lot across the street. The Prive building probably wont be leased to a bar or restaurant, thus freeing up more parking for the peak hours.” [Adam Brackman, commenting on Montrose Uchi To Be an Uchi; No Plans To Crush Felix]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: WRITE-IN ADDITION TO THE NEW KITCHEN-SINK ASTRODOME REDEVELOPMENT PLAN “How about turning the Astrodome into the Smithsonian Museum of Energy and Power? Just like the National Air & Space Museum, it could collect the actual artifacts of the industry that calls Houston home and that plays such an important part in all of our daily lives. You could put a whole supertanker, a few notorious drilling rigs, some significant parts of an oil refinery, working solar panels and several generations of windmill turbines inside. Divide up the concourse spaces for offices (alternative energy business incubators, etc) Could be really interesting and also an appropriate use for the facility.” [SCL, commenting on Latest Astrodome Redevelopment Proposal Features Large Domed Space for People To Mill About, Wondering What To Do with Astrodome]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: SPENDING AN ETERNITY BEHIND MARY’S LOUNGE “. . . there is a garden in the back which holds the ashes of men who passed in the early AIDS epidemic. I am shocked no one in the Houston Community has brought this to anyone’s attention. . . .” [j, commenting on Swamplot Street Sleuths: Gotta Fight for Your Right]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: REAL MODERNISTS GO COMMANDO “The bathroom sinks are too shallow to soak your undies.” [miss_msry, commenting on Dunstan Lounge Plays House]