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renamerusk

Member Since 14 Apr 2004
Offline Last Active Jul 18 2023 12:05 AM
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#113090 Texas Eagle & Heartland Flyer

Posted by renamerusk on 28 August 2018 - 02:55 PM

NS, thanks for sharing a perspective through an insider's point of view. 

 

So much has changed since the days that I worked for a time for a Western Line Railroad with one exception - the never ending tug between railroad management to reduce crews and other support jobs and strong resistance by labor.

 

All said, it does raises the question of why the Tarrant Express Rail chose not to build in PTC at the inception of the line? 




#113078 Blanton Museum Gives Over 500 Artworks to Texas Museums

Posted by renamerusk on 27 August 2018 - 10:11 PM

17 Texas Museums. Unfortunately, none of them in FW....

 

  The donations appear to have targeted Texas' regional art museums; so it is very doubtful that the Big 3 Museums would have been that interested in the works.  However, the Fort Worth Community Art Center would have been an appropriate beneficiary.




#113059 Home2 Suites NEQ of Lancaster and University.

Posted by renamerusk on 27 August 2018 - 12:07 PM

 

Here is the hospitality portfolio of the architect of the building

 

http://www.ponder2.com/hospitality.php

I like the design of the Hotel Flamenco in Costa Rica, if there's a enough space for it in the Cultural District area.

 

 

I don't believe there is enough space for a Hotel Flamenco, but something like this from Barcelona, Spain would be exciting.  The one caveat is the Amon Carter Skyline View restrictions; and of course, this Spanish hotel is probably beyond the limited budget of H2S

 

10-the-barcelona-edition-barcelona-spain




#112959 Meacham Airport

Posted by renamerusk on 24 August 2018 - 12:32 PM

I hope that there will be strong support voiced by the City and through this Forum for FTW.  Lord knows that the locally based opponents will try to put up as many obstacles as they can to keep the status quo....

 

 

That doesn't exactly sound like a ringing endorsement from the mayor.

 

 

Can't scare AA after giving them all those incentives...

 

Excuse this rant; but wow such iffy-ness.

 

I knew instinctively that there would be those who would put self interest above the interest of the City overall.  I suspect that DFW, AA and B will assert their inconsiderable influence on the Council.  However, I am encouraged to read that the Council is not united against commerical passenger service returning to Meacham.

 

As Love Field has shown, DFW is not threatened; and AA problems stem more from fuel and competition from the other top 5 airlines.  Under the radar, the Council made major investments updating Meacham ostensibly fto improve the amenities and service needs of  the "Private Jet" Class; not for the greater general public.

 

It becomes hard to justify these improvements if Meacham is not allowed to provide the general public the opportunity to benefit from new and market driven air service from startup and current carriers. 

 

In the past, the City has listen to and appeared to give into the inside interests (think streetcar) then siding with the public's greater support for things that its says it wants.  I believe that the public will be supportive of air service at Meacham; it should not be left to some executive decision.

 

I hope it is not the case that the Mayor seems to be listening to the some of and the most likely candidates expressing local opposition, DFW, AA and American  Aero FTW  to such a point that she is willing to signal to them that she has some concerns.

 

What concerns can there be.  With a county approaching 2 million people and the City giving the green light to developments like 100k pop.  Walsh Ranch, a place 30 miles from DFW Airport, how is DFW their airport?  Has anyone suggested that DFW is not Fort Worth's airport? Did Dallas say that DFW is not its airport, yet it did not stand in the way of the economic and jobs impact that comes from a Love Field, an airport that Fort Worth residents undoubtedly used.  The SWA passenger fatality was an individual from Weatherford!

 

An awakening to Fort Worth is underway. New people from the outside, who finally see the city as not an extension of its larger neighbor, but as a market to be mined, are badly needed and should be welcomed.  Fort Worth should no remain the "plantation run" city that has been seen far too long.  Diversity in projects will generate a prosperity that the City has never seen before.

 

There must be a referendum or a credible poll/survey soon to determine this issue, not from the top down.

 

https://www.prnewswi...-300396135.html




#112945 Potential Expansion of the Omni Fort Worth Hotel

Posted by renamerusk on 23 August 2018 - 10:29 PM

Yes, that is the essence of downtowns.  The only point I was making is that if a tall building is built to the south of the Omni, and it was owned and developed by the Omni, then that means that the company from whom I purchased the condo, was also responsible for ruining my view.

 

 I do understand.  However, no one should both live in downtown and simultaneously think that a high rise could not someday sprout outside of your balcony or windows.




#112918 Potential Expansion of the Omni Fort Worth Hotel

Posted by renamerusk on 23 August 2018 - 02:02 PM

Great find. There appears to be a lot of exterior similarity shared by the Omni(s) San Diego and the Fort Worth; and the design pairs well with FWO.

 

http://skyscraperpag...buildingID=9831

 

 

sandtn-omni-san-diego-omni-and-skyline.j




#112871 West 7th Development

Posted by renamerusk on 21 August 2018 - 10:12 PM

 

Now the whole one-way conversion stuff makes sense to me.  Taking a lane out of a bunch of those roads opens up a lot of space for on-street parking.  And now the city is going to get paid for that parking.


This may also force a lot of these people to look more closely at the Farrington field parking

 

  So long ago, I proposed Farrington Field to be a great opportunity for the FWISD to generate some revenue; and the revenue might be designated to go to the athletic department. 

 

A two-level 400 spaces garage staffed by FWISD employee(s) to collect parking fee. 

 

FWISD events would be granted free parking.




#112840 Amazon in search of 2nd headquarters

Posted by renamerusk on 20 August 2018 - 08:28 PM

 

I don't think Austin wants it very bad:.....We've got plenty going on here in Austin with expanding businesses and sprouting buildings.  BTW, with no strategic planning around needed critical infrastructure.  If you've been here lately you know the dystopian gridlock that descends on the major roads and highways

 

I still think Newark, Buffalo, or Detroit would be great areas for Amazon to revive.

 

 

 With Austin telegraphing to Amazon, thanks but no thanks,  Its looking a lot like North Texas seems ever more a possibility. 

 

 If Fort Worth, what should the City seek in exchange for tax incentives?

 

 I will lead off with an ask of Amazon, a $1T company and Mr. Bezos, the wealthiest individual in the U.S. that in exchange the City gets a financial commitment for a starter street car line Downtown - Panther Island - Stockyards.  Even with inflation, the $80m DOT grant that the City rejected should only now be around $100m today and would cover the cost of the starter line This ask is not unimaginable ask of Amazon since it is already apart of its civic minded Seattle culture.

 

 

BTW, I favored Baltimore if Amazon was looking for a Eastern Time Zone location because like Fort Worth, Baltimore has its own "Panther Island-like" project currently developing in its core.  Amazon is probably not looking for a 2HQ which is a 4hr flight from Seattle, maybe somewhere 2-3 hrs from the either the West or East Coasts.




#112761 Amazon in search of 2nd headquarters

Posted by renamerusk on 16 August 2018 - 06:09 PM

 

It looks like Fort Worth could make a very strong case for that campus.

 

 I hope you are correct. If Texas, its either Austin or DFW.

 

I would hope that Mr. Bezos knows something about Fort Worth; and maybe he has even visited the City in the past.  I believe that A55 is laying out the City's deficiencies.   The C of C seems upbeat; we will see.  Panther Island, already having a defined development plan in place, should be Fort Worth's offer.

 

 

 

Amazon seems to prefer an urban or downtown campus. By suburban, do you mean Frisco, Mid-Cities, Westlake?  Amazon is comfortable with its Seattle-style urban core headquarters and my guess is that it is looking to replicate that atmosphere; not to counter by adding to urban sprawl. ....Texas is centrally located between both coasts.  However, Texas is seen as being too conservative for many of its employees with the exception being Austin, Texas. 

 

So, Austin or DFW.  Is there a large urban plot of land left within the core of Austin? Is there a large urban plot of land left within the core of Dallas? Austin may win because of its coolness; Fort Worth may win because it has Panther Island.

 

 

 

Mayor Price needs to point out Panther Island as THE site for Amazon to consider. There very few cities that can offer lake front property in close proximity to downtown with the land requirements that Amazon is looking for.....Although, Fort Worth does not have the rail/subway system I don't see that as being a big negative selling point.

 

I understand that Mr. Bezos likes Fort Worth, the food and the people.  So he knows about Cowtown.

 

.... A temperate climate will be important.  A central location/airport makes travel between Seattle and HQ2 under 3 hours; and NYC/Boston/WDC have very expensive costs of living that will add additional pressure and hardship on entry level tech workers; and the East Coast is 4-5 hour flight to and from Seattle. 

 

I don't know enough about Austin, Texas but it will be Fort Worth's greatest competition.

 

American Airlines - Give a shout out for Fort Worth!.

 

CNBC has just released its grade for the 20 HQ2 finalists and its data is leaning towards Texas: Austin and Dallas.  Earlier, I surmised that  Austin would be fierce competition; but that Austin traffic is a killer; and its cost of living and its being "weird" is losing its cache.To that end, I predicted that we would be in it; and that Fort Worth is really in it (DFW) because of location, low taxes, and infrastructure. Worrying about a lack of public transit,  Amazon/Bezos is a major and willing contributor of funds for the streetcar system in Seattle; Amazon would likely be willing to do the same for Fort Worth for an exchange in tax incentives.

 

I  don't really mind that the term "Dallas" is dropped at a hat when referring to "North Texas", "DFW" "Dallas", (airlines routinely do it);  it is what ever one calls it.

 

In reality, we are a sprawling quilt of communities all with a legitimate claim to DFW Airport as an asset.  Undeveloped  land is plentiful, but in the outlying region. There is however one city that is not a part of the outlying region; and one city with a qualifying patch of fallow land in its downtown core which is undergoing preparations for development on a campus sized scale - it is known affectionately as Panther Island.

 

Is there another city of  "North Texas, DFW, Dallas" - what ever one calls it, able to offer something even close to that for a site?

 

CNBC could be wrong, but if not Austin, but instead "North Texas, DFW, Dallas" - what ever one calls it, then it could be Panther Island of "North Texas, DFW Dallas" or what ever one calls it. 

 

If it turns out that Texas is top of the list, then Panther Island is in play.

 

https://www.cnbc.com...ing-strong.html




#112741 Possible Mixed Use Project at S. Main & Vickery

Posted by renamerusk on 16 August 2018 - 08:24 AM

This FWBP article may have already been posted, but I read it and saw the art rendering published with the article.  I am confused as to the true height of this proposed building.  The article itself puts it at 10 stories. Looking at the artist's drawing I count 12 floors (including ground floor and the top suites).  Which is it?

 

  With a preset construction budget, similar things are happening when both supply is being pinched and cost of materials is rising.  To stay within budget and on schedule, presumably there are not many options aside from downsizing.




#112705 Downtown Office Occupancy.

Posted by renamerusk on 15 August 2018 - 11:01 AM

It can be that both factors are working in tandem - fast growth and a demand for space.

 

At this time, there are likely other companies yet to reach the crossroads where growth forces them actually to seek new accommodations but can see it coming. This is when and why there should be a certain amount of speculative Class AA office space in the pipeline that companies can see and then commit to in advance 18-24 month.

 

Whitley Penn (WP)  wanted the great location of being in the core of Downtown along with the flexibility and technological and energy savings that new buildings provide; it is safe to assume that Class B office space does not prompt the same impulse to re-office that a state-of-the-art tower would do.

 

Downtown is a location that companies from other regional submarkets are looking to have an office presence as a way to expand in the Fort Worth/Tarrant County area.  It is also the location that companies new to Texas might want to consider if there is a Class AA space available or coming online in the near future.

 

At this time, I do believe that another speculative Class AA tower should be in the works providing a continuity and prompting more companies like WP to migrate to the Downtown core.




#112700 The Old TXU North Main Power Plant

Posted by renamerusk on 15 August 2018 - 09:53 AM

JBB is generally correct.  I have seen some instances where it is cheaper to restore or adaptively re-use a building.  However, we to have to think about the history here.  Adaptively re-using the old power plant would be a plus for the Tarrant County College.  Look how much they have already spent on their downtown campuses.  Converting the old power plant probably would be just a drop in the bucket for them.  If anyone is wondering, the power plant has NO historic designation(s). 

 

 IMO, unless it was deemed to be a safety issue, demolishing the tower was a mistake and we missed the opportunity for turning it into an even more significant landmark than it was at the time. Imagine this -bailey-power-plant-rendering-1-149990168




#112647 Westcliff Shopping Center

Posted by renamerusk on 14 August 2018 - 09:27 AM

Question/Suggestion:

 

 Q. Is this the developer associated in any way with the now demolished Westchester Tower?

 

 S.  If so,  the former site of the Westchester Tower is the better location for this ALC.




#112632 JPS Health Network

Posted by renamerusk on 13 August 2018 - 12:46 PM

Not much specifics, but it appears that JPS is readying itself to build a major multi-use development at the eastern end of Magnolia.

 

http://www.fortworth...3016d8275e.html




#112628 Deco 969 - 27 Floors, 315 ft. - 969 Commerce St.

Posted by renamerusk on 13 August 2018 - 09:31 AM

I think its pretty safe to assume it would have gotten attention and been supported if it were announced at 17 floors. Why would the developer owe the city a taller building when the financial conditions changed?

 

 As I am being to fear, it is not as much as financial conditions changing as it may become a supply of product conditions. 

 

 Downsizing may be one sign developing from a policy to save the jobs of coal miners and steel workers in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.  Neither industries that alone can meet the enormous domestic demand of a strong U.S. economy.

 

It is frustrating to see projects scaled back but the blame is likely better put on an Administration that is anti-trade and protectionist; an Adminstration that is causing markets import and export of goods to be interrupted with careless aplomb than to put it on developers who are finding their supply shrinking and their cost rising.

 

Our economy is being driven towards a painful reversal.