Newspaper roundup

1. Tom Boswell tells us, in "On the Waterfront, Hope Beginning to Spring Eternal," that maybe the Washington Nationals stadium is going to work out after all in terms of great views. Plus, the Lerners are ponying up money for improvements (of course it's about maximizing revenues but that's the way of business) to the stadium on their own dime. See "Nationals Owners To Dig Even Deeper," subtitled "Lerners Plan to Spend Millions More On Improvements to D.C. Ballpark." Both from the Post.

Still, tickets are expensive. I got an email from a friend looking to divvy up part of her Washington Nationals seasonal package. Tickets for two for one game were $82...

2. Newly announced Committee chair assignments for the DC City Council cause some serious shivering. But I realize since I testify before various committees that I have to bite my tongue. Just remember that I address "economic development" and "urban affairs" issues... See "Gray Plans to Push Education Problems to Forefront With New Panel," from the Post.
Waffle Shop, 619 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. HABS photo. This building was torn down a couple decades ago.

3. Re the hullaballoo over the Mt. Pleasant historic preservation review issue that I wrote about the other day, as a colleague said "when something like that happens, it's usually because of a lousy architect." She's right.

But it's still interesting to compare Blake Gopnik's well-received article calling for saving the Waffle Shop (and the public response to this), "Fast-Order Classic," subtitled "Downtown's Delectable Waffle Shop Soon May Be Toast," versus Roger Lewis' column today, "My 2007 Wish List: An Intercounty Connector, a Purple Line . . .," which calls for design review across the board (among other ), versus Marc Fisher's column from the other day, "Putting Home's Appearance Ahead of Helping Frail Couple." (All Post.)
Is the Waffle Shop on 10th Street NW, the last remaining original diner-like restaurant downtown, destined to meet the same fate of its siblings--on Pennsylvania Avenue NW and in Columbia Heights?
The Columbia Heights Waffle Shop has been displaced in favor the DC-USA development. However the restaurant is supposed to relocate to the 11th Street NW commercial strip. Image from DCist.

4. Instead of putting money into crappy, temporary trailers, FEMA looks to be shifting its focus towards higher quality housing, according to "U.S. Gives Grants to 4 Gulf Coast States to Upgrade Disaster Housing," from the New York Times.
Image: Federal Emergency Management Agency. Artists’ renderings show some of the models that state officials along the Gulf Coast will build under a federal grant program that seeks new approaches to housing the victims of disaster. The largest grant will finance Mississippi’s construction of the Park Model, second from top.

5. The New York Times also reports good things about Amtrak, in "Surprising Forecast for Amtrak: Growth."

6. Maryland's Gazette Newspapers have a good piece about store location decisions, "The anatomy of a shopping mall."

How many times do I have to say don't ignore how retail chains do business, learn from them, and figure out how to use their experience to strengthen the authenticity and uniqueness of independent retail?
Raphael Talisman⁄The Gazette. Shoe stores, such as the Finish Line in the Centre of Forestville, often want to be located near other shoe stores in malls, says Larry Lund, principal of Real Estate Planning Group in Chicago. “The worst spots are near the anchors."

7. Speaking of globalization of the real estate industry, yesterday's New York Times has a story about how "run down apartment buildings" are being upgraded with vast increase in rents, in St. Petersburg... Russia. See "A Price Run-Up for Run-Down Communes." In a similar way, what were once local real estate markets in places like Clarendon in Arlington County, or the 14th and U Street corridors in DC, are also being changed, on the commercial side.
Pentagram. Design from Pentagram for a rebranded holiday.

8. "It's all about the brand." Speaking of commodification, check out "Rebrand Us, Every One," from the New York Times, and "In China, Feeling Snowed Under by Christmas," from the Washington Post. The latter article discusses how Western "holidays" are being adopted as commercial opportunities in China.

Index Keywords: urban-revitalization