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johnfwd

Member Since 20 Oct 2010
Offline Last Active Mar 26 2024 11:44 AM
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Topics I've Started

Hotel tax revenue for new convention center?

15 February 2024 - 10:33 AM

I guess a hotel occupancy tax on the ballot is the new thing to build new public buildings.  Used to be the bond issue.  Logically, such a tax would be a kind of user fee for a new hotel, not a convention center.  Article about this in Fort Worth Inc.'s newsletter.

 

https://fortworthinc...2026E7643790G2W


Street concrete mounds for bike lane

11 January 2024 - 03:00 PM

Could have posted this in the city issues thread, but it is an urban design thing.  Driving on West Seventh in the Crockett Row area (or whatever it's called these days), more than once I've had to gently swerve my car to avoid going over the concrete mounds that are partially in the main thoroughfare in order to separate the thoroughfare from new bike lanes.  The mounds have dirt and plants on them.  My concern is that some careless motorist will--eventually--run over a mound and cause an accident.  This might more likely happen at night when it's harder to see the roadway.  In the Crockett Row area, it might also happen on account of an intoxicated motorist.  It's not a major issue in the scheme of things.  But does anyone share my concern?

 

 


Trash pickup surcharge

03 January 2024 - 08:22 AM

The City of Fort Worth has decided to pass on to trash collection customers a surcharge for over-spilling of the bin.  Large families are not going to be happy with this decision.  Link is from the Channel 5 website.

 

https://www.msn.com/...8c7098994&ei=69


Future of downtowns

08 November 2023 - 09:13 AM

Thought about posting this in "City Issues," but it does affect future urban design.

 

Historically, downtowns in our country started as forts (e.g. Fort Worth) or trading posts (e.g., Detroit), or shipping import centers like New York or Houston.  Modern downtowns evolved and grew with ever increasing and taller buildings for economic and socio-cultural reasons and because they served as central locations for office, commercial, and residential development.  

 

Anecdotally speaking, downtowns are having an identity crisis.  Changes in technology and transportation, as well as the way we now choose to work and live, are having a gradual but profound effect on the future of downtowns.  I'm guessing that skyscrapers these days may be more a product of hubris than of economics.  We've discussed in this forum about the horizontal trends in corporate campuses, meaning they tend to relocate on large tracts away from downtowns.

 

The 21st Century means more electronic communications, not the least of which are platforms like Zoom, so that workers may in the future not be needed as much in an office building.  As an attorney, I haven't needed to be close to the downtown courthouse for filing documents because e-filing is now mandatory.  And the pandemic gave a lot of judges the discretion to have hearings via Zoom rather than in person.  

 

The trend in Fort Worth's downtown seems to be more residential than office. What will we do with all those tall office buildings that become vacant in the distant future?


7060 Camp Bowie

08 November 2023 - 08:38 AM

Having grown up around here, I find it interesting how buildings change hands.  This one started out, back in the 1960s, as a Nieman Marcus, then became a children's academy, circa 2000 (?).  Now, it's the FW ISD District Service Center.  It's been spruced up in appearance.