it still ain't cheap enough. I've been busy but I was following the comment thread over at EX133 (my nickname)for this: Metro City Homes Up for .........and I LOL'd at this --Is “Tjorax O’Tool” T’OT’s Swedish cousin?
23 | Posted by jamie from thriceallamerican | Apr 6, 07:59 AM
and generally I wanted to say I agree with thorax (Tjorax) and Crenshaw...I've been saying for years...
Building those condos is stupid. They don't appeal, as Crenshaw said @52...Tacoma is boring for folks that will spend 350,000 for a condo. Tacoma is boring, period.
so, my major housing rant in the last 6 years or so has been that there is not enough housing for the poor, the lower income workers, and the lower-than-middle-income families.
What should have been built downtown is a mix of high end with lower end prices with family-type services encouraged like:
Grocery stores, daycare, small department stores, doctor/dentist offices/doc-in-a-box, affordable movie house, movie rentals..........you get my drift.
Those things families (and others) use all day/everyday.
Families do not spend their nights out drinking and dining at El Groucho. I do, but this isn't about me(yet).
Imagine if every single empty condo (How smart is it to name your condo MTCondos....say it out loud)........
if every single empty condo was filled with a family....
Rent or buy. The economic dribble would be huge....
All those pizzas. All those diapers. All those impulse purchases.
I see this around Staydumb Thriftway n'hood where there is more of a mix.
Singles can live downtown. I'm downtown almost everyday, weekends too. It's pretty quiet. Not enough to do. Not enough entertainment. 80% of people who come thru my store are just looking....looking for something to do. Very few buy. But they could if they wanted to!
I know what the City Council was trying to do........Get rich people downtown to spend money. Give them free taxes.......
Pay them to come here. Gee, sounds so desperate.
If condos were built at a price of 100 grand to 200 grand with formica countertops.....downtown would be busy busy busy right now, instead of the ghost town it has been for the last 30 years.
I blame the City Council for toxic governing or lack thereof.
Good Urban Design is more than sidewalks vs cars.....
It's more than condo vs house....
I shop mostly at Albertsons at 38/Pacific. Businesses on every corner and around the block.
IT is BUSY there!
Why?
Affordable housing surrounds that corner.
Great public transportation too.
And a liquor store.
*Vintage & Handmade Clothes* Jewelry & Home Decor*
* always cute and never mediocre *
6 comments:
Tacoma is Boring. Get over it. The tax breaks were for the developers and owners to suck $$ from other needed services (operations, road maintenance "pot holes")
If only the Asian district at 38th and Yakima could have been downtown. Imagine what a different place downtown would be right now. The Asian influence on hilltop can still be seen today. Vicala, Le Le, Pho Bac. And that is just on one block. Thai Garden, Le Donut. Why did all those businesses locate where they are today, rent prices, foot traffic, neighborhood in close. Maybe the Asians would have left downtown years ago due to the lack of foot traffic, but I imagine they could have turned around downtown.
I think the saddest thing about the Internet is not being able to hear whether people laugh at things you say. Glad to hear someone finds my strange asides amusing.
jamie....I'm a bit strange myself....;-)
right crenshaw! I am amazed at the creativity, the hard work, etc. that folks will do to have their own business...I could not agree more...or maybe I could...But cheap rent is KEY! and since I know exactly what rents are downtown...I have a stinky feeling the "renewal" is more about seducing corporations (aside--I love Paddy Coynes) into coming downtown...in place of people like me. I fear Antique Row is gonna disappear under the weight of the Improvements...I doubt I can survive...I doubt I can pay the huge new rent increase that's gonna come early next year....
having been in Tacoma for almost 27 years I think I can safely and lovingly say: Tacoma is boring! So I think I'm over it...Yes, I count the potholes as I traverse my town...I stop counting once I get to 100...that takes about 5 minutes. Eric Anderson...that is a disgrace.
The good news is: I have new curbs on Broadway...and the rumor is: I get a mini-park in front of my bldg. Big fucking deal. Well, my dog will be happy to pee on the new trees/lightpoles...etc etc etc.
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