Hey, there! Log in / Register
Menino: Leave that frickin' hole there - that'll teach those New Yorkers!
By adamg on Thu, 04/14/2011 - 7:21am
The Herald seems to have captured Menino saying the Hole can stay a hole until those goddamn New Yorkers learn Boston means business. Or something:
People say to me: 'Oh, you've got a hole there - so what! The hole is going to be there until those folks from New York understand we in Boston know how to do development. And just because they can't get development done, that's not my fault.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
why o why do we tolerate this
why o why do we tolerate this behavior by our elected officials ?
find the high road instead of driving to the gutter
Taking the upcoming Knicks-Celtics series a bit too seriously?
"Let them eat cake!"
All hail the king!
(Who has the torches and pitchforks ready?)
People taking this the wrong way?
It sounds like people might be taking this the wrong way. It sounds like behind closed doors Vornado may have been using their high asking price and stalling tactics to extort more concessions from the city to "help" unload the property (basically, they want to turn their failure into a profit). Menino sounds more like he's done caring what they want and are going to put the screws to them until they build something or sell it no matter what it's costing them to sit on the property.
That sounds like the kind of decision we want our politicians taking to these sorts of property holders who think they can still act as if real estate has no risk or that "capitalism" doesn't include the chance for failure. They also act like when they start running a loss that there will be a creative accounting practice that will let them write it off and keep turning a profit on the failure...and THEN, when they can no longer play within the loopholes, they'll sucker/strong-arm the government into bailing them out of their predicament...so that they can still book it as a win instead of a loss.
Menino should start going one step further and start putting whatever available pressures on the property owners to force their hand further and faster as opposed to just acting neutral on it. But at least he's stopped bending over backwards to help them out for taking on an investment at the wrong time and not being able to complete their project.
I like your version more
In part because Boston gets more out of it, in part because it fits in with Menino's other recent actions on Vornado, such as having the BRA lift the permit for the project.
Got a century?
Boston doesn't even know how to time stoplights to prevent traffic jams. I think it will be a while before Menino, Inc. sorts out the realities of the 21st century.
Boston's timing is better than Cambridge's
Esp. in the Central Sq. area. It continues to boggle my mind when they time the walk signals to turn on at the exact time when traffic lights that allow traffic to intersect the pedestrians to turn green!
So I've been waiting here 2 minutes to cross this intersection, lights turn green, but I have to stop b/c they have a walk signal. Plus, the "Don't walk sign" comes on when I get a Red light. WTH Cambridge?!
This is how it is in most cities
Having the light turn green but having the walk signal go on at the same time happens here in Boston and in New York City, too. It seems incomprehensible but apparently wiser minds than ours think it's preferable to either a) walkers going first, before the light changes or b) light changing before walk signal changes.
Yes, the drivers get the shaft, but maybe that extra 5 seconds they have idling in one place will give them time to reflect on their lives.
...here we go! Boston sucks because: x, y, z
You're off topic, but I still feel compelled to respond to your comment as Boston bashing is so tiresome. If driving in Boston is too tricky for you, then take public transportation. Besides, I don't recommend suburbanites driving or cycling in Boston.
A direct quote is off topic?
Who knew?
yes , a direct quote and then
yes , a direct quote and then a comment that has nothing to do with the quote or the topic at hand would be considered 'off topic'.
Owning property in similarly-sized city ...
... one that increased in population 30% over 15 years while raising the quality of life, walkability, and transit options through comprehensive planning and development, I can tell you very specifcally that Boston does not know how to do development. If it does have systems in place to do basic land use planning, transportation planning, etc., the NIMBY contingent and Mayor Uberalles have far too much power to derail the most functional designs - from the relatively minor Charlestown bike lane nonsense to the giant hole and the steady increase in empty storefronts downtown.
Ohhh, but it is evile and elitist and not fair!!!!! to make comparisons with similar-sized cities! That is just meannnn!
Which city?
I'd love to see improvements in how development is done in Boston, and am always interested in learning more about places that are doing a better job of it.
1. SwirlyGrrl is not a
1. SwirlyGrrl is not a suburbanite, as far as I know.
2. Buses and trolleys are *more* affected by mistimed traffic lights than cars are, since they can't take alternate routes, and a late vehicle will be late for the rest of its run.
The hole is going to be there
That sentence just exploded my brain