Discuss Detroit » Archives - July 2007 » Real estate forum to focus on regional transit connections « Previous Next »
Top of pageBottom of page

Sg9018
Member
Username: Sg9018

Post Number: 57
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Friday, November 02, 2007 - 8:44 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

This real estate forum focus on the local real estate market. This year there focus is on transit links in this region and the effects on the real estate market.

I sure the Pro-transit people on this forum will like this quote from Christopher Leinberger ;
"If Detroit does not offer walkable urban development, a lot of people who want it are going someplace else."

If you want to go to the forum, the meeting will br held on Wednesday and Thursday at the MSU Management Education Center.
Located on 811 W. Square Lake Road, Troy.
More information in the Free Press,
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20071102/BUS INESS04/711020426/1002
Top of pageBottom of page

Sg9018
Member
Username: Sg9018

Post Number: 59
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Friday, November 02, 2007 - 8:52 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Here a two articles today from Mlive and Spinal Column Newsweekly,
http://www.spinalcolumnonline. com/1editorialbody.lasso?-toke n.folder=2007-10-31&-token.sto ry=54083.113117&-token.subpub=

http://www.mlive.com/business/ index.ssf/2007/11/locals_push_ for_regional_mass.html
Top of pageBottom of page

Danindc
Member
Username: Danindc

Post Number: 3680
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Friday, November 02, 2007 - 9:05 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Cool beans. Looks like the local political leadership is finally waking up.

I would encourage anyone the least bit interested to attend the real estate forum. Chris Zimmermann really knows his stuff, and should prove to be nothing less than a captivating speaker. He's been not only an Arlington County Supervisor for a while, but serves on the Metro Board of Directors.

Chris is a very approachable, down-to-earth guy, and has been directly (and heavily, at that) involved in Arlington's efforts to transform itself. Even though he admits that he doesn't live within walking distance of the subway, Mr. Zimmermann knows very well how much it has done for his county. It will be interesting to see how he relates Arlington's experiences to the Detroit area.

If anyone does attend, can you post a follow-up?
Top of pageBottom of page

Trainman
Member
Username: Trainman

Post Number: 552
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 10:54 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Danindc

quote from you

Cool beans. Looks like the local political leadership is finally waking up.

end of quote from you.

Really???? Where was our leadership in the days that Livonia struggled to save SMART?

They could have come to our city hall and saved our public bus system.

Maybe these same leaders will look at Livonia and Troy as being in the same regional area someday?

Or, maybe the voters will vote them out and then and vote in leaders that can look at Livonia and Troy and Detroit and see that they all need to be connected together to get the effective public bus systems that the hardworking taxpayers of southeast Michigan deserve.
Top of pageBottom of page

Iheartthed
Member
Username: Iheartthed

Post Number: 2063
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 10:56 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

^I thought it was Livonia that voted to remove itself from SMART...
Top of pageBottom of page

Buzzman0077
Member
Username: Buzzman0077

Post Number: 146
Registered: 11-2006
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 10:58 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Awe trainman, we can always count on your appearance in transit related threads.

Anyway I think this sounds like a good opportunity for our leadership to hear about the pent up demand out there for transit, and walkable communities.
Top of pageBottom of page

Charlottepaul
Member
Username: Charlottepaul

Post Number: 1938
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 11:16 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

"Looks like the local political leadership is finally waking up."

About time! Maybe I can come back to Detroit soon.
Top of pageBottom of page

Hans57
Member
Username: Hans57

Post Number: 221
Registered: 05-2006
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 12:35 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Too bad their focus is on the corridor between Birmingham and Troy. Good none the less for a study, but If that were to happen before the Woodward corridor, I would lose all hope.
Top of pageBottom of page

Livernoisyard
Member
Username: Livernoisyard

Post Number: 4529
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 12:58 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

quote:

Cool beans. Looks like the local political leadership is finally waking up.

Was marijuana recently legalized in DC? There's no inkling of anything about local political leadership being connected with that seminar. It's just another bunch of real estate profs and urban planning/rail proponents. They hold these seminars and private or public meetings all the time in their attempts to get rapid transit installed. Some of those types are essentially lobbyists with their own special interests. Big yawn...

(Message edited by LivernoisYard on November 03, 2007)
Top of pageBottom of page

Sstashmoo
Member
Username: Sstashmoo

Post Number: 549
Registered: 02-2007
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 1:47 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Quote: "Cool beans. Looks like the local political leadership is finally waking up."

Yeah it sure does.

Dan, The state is broke, the city is broke and the federal govt has made it abundantly clear how it feels about Detroit: Cheap imports ruining you? Too F'ing bad and matter of fact it's your own fault.

Mass transit isn't going to fix anything without jobs here.
Top of pageBottom of page

Danindc
Member
Username: Danindc

Post Number: 3684
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 2:00 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

quote:

Dan, The state is broke, the city is broke and the federal govt has made it abundantly clear how it feels about Detroit: Cheap imports ruining you? Too F'ing bad and matter of fact it's your own fault.

Mass transit isn't going to fix anything without jobs here.



Maybe part of the problem is that Detroit has been trying to "fix" one thing at a time, and not thinking or planning holistically.
Top of pageBottom of page

Livernoisyard
Member
Username: Livernoisyard

Post Number: 4530
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 2:45 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

quote:

Maybe part of the problem is that Detroit has been trying to "fix" one thing at a time, and not thinking or planning holistically.

Translated: spend more taxpayer funds on still more new urbanist programs...
Top of pageBottom of page

Livernoisyard
Member
Username: Livernoisyard

Post Number: 4531
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 6:50 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Charlotte's newspaper reported the results of a poll concerning the transit tax and school bond issue:
quote:

About the Poll

TelOpinion Research of Alexandria, Va., conducted the Mecklenburg poll Oct. 12-14 with 300 registered voters who voted in the 2002 and 2004 general elections, were first-time voters in the 2006 general election, or voted in 2004 and 2006 as newly registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percentage points.Forty percent of respondents described themselves as politically moderate, 39 percent as conservative and 19 percent as liberal. Forty-four percent said they were Democrats, 39 percent Republicans and 17 percent other. Seventy-five percent were white and 21 percent black. Three-quarters live in the city of Charlotte.

Mecklenburg Results

Q. Which issue needs most attention from local government? Crime/public safety: 36 percent

Construction/new schools: 27 percent

New/improved highways: 22 percent

Light rail: 12 percent

Q. How often will you use light rail? Never: 59 percent

Occasionally: 22 percent

Once or twice a month: 9 percent

Weekly or more: 8 percent

Q. Which relieves congestion better: Light rail or more roads? Roads: 51 percent

Light rail: 23 percent

Both: 19 percent

Not sure: 6 percent

Q. What's the quality of education in CMS? Good: 38 percent

Fair: 33 percent

Poor: 13 percent

Unsure: 13 percent

Excellent: 4 percent

Top of pageBottom of page

Trainman
Member
Username: Trainman

Post Number: 554
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 8:07 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Quote

I thought it was Livonia that voted to remove itself from SMART...

End of Quote

NO. It was the now defunct Detroit Area Regional Transportation Authority DARTA agreement that was voted out. Keeping SMART was not on the ballot.

The rest of metro Detroit that had SMART bus service did not have to face the DARTA agreement like Livonia had to. The vote was timed very well by city council members who knew very well that the agreement was a mockery and had to be abolished to maintain state revenue sharing and industry supports.
Top of pageBottom of page

Charlottepaul
Member
Username: Charlottepaul

Post Number: 1946
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 10:13 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I'll be the first one to report back on Wednesday Livernoisyard with the results of the transit repeal vote!

P.S. I of course voted (early voting that is) against the repeal of the transit tax.
Top of pageBottom of page

Livernoisyard
Member
Username: Livernoisyard

Post Number: 4532
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 10:52 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

That poll suggested that LRT was not that well received in the county. And yet it's pretty close to DC, hmmm.
Top of pageBottom of page

Lefty2
Member
Username: Lefty2

Post Number: 581
Registered: 07-2007
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 12:39 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

sounds like another boondoggle tax to me
Top of pageBottom of page

Eric_c
Member
Username: Eric_c

Post Number: 1085
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 7:15 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

"What's the quality of education in CMS? Good: 38 percent"


No wonder they don't understand transit.
Top of pageBottom of page

Jsmyers
Member
Username: Jsmyers

Post Number: 1938
Registered: 12-2003
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 11:43 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

quote:

There's no inkling of anything about local political leadership being connected with that seminar. It's just another bunch of real estate profs and urban planning/rail proponents. They hold these seminars and private or public meetings all the time in their attempts to get rapid transit installed.



Actually, LY doesn't have a clue what the ULI is. It is an association of real estate developers, who in my opinion do wield a fair amount of political power. For the most part the states academics keep pretty distant from ULI Detroit.

http://detroit.uli.org/AM/Temp late.cfm?Section=Our_Sponsors1
http://detroit.uli.org/AM/Temp late.cfm?Section=Current_Commi ttee_Chairs

And another thing, how many "real estate profs" does he think there are in the country? There are only a handful, since there are very view real estate degree programs out there. It took U of M a couple of years to find Leinberger because there are so few people like him. I should note that he is probably the biggest reason that any academics are going to a ULI Detroit function, and also that his position at UofM is basically a part time job. His other jobs being his development company and his associations with the (conservative but nonpartisan) Brookings Institute:

http://www.cleinberger.com/
Top of pageBottom of page

Livernoisyard
Member
Username: Livernoisyard

Post Number: 4535
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 12:44 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

As JS portrays, the RE program in the People's Republic of Ann Arbor is pretty much a lobby for real estate interests and rapid transit proponents and... Which is what I alluded to.

BTW, it's not at all unusual for colleges having departments to front for such various interests, especially for the left-wing, socialist varieties.
Top of pageBottom of page

Jjw
Member
Username: Jjw

Post Number: 500
Registered: 10-2005
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 12:56 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

That poll suggested that LRT was not that well received in the county. And yet it's pretty close to DC, hmmm.

The poll was conducted in Charlotte, NC--Quite a ways from DC
Top of pageBottom of page

Danindc
Member
Username: Danindc

Post Number: 3687
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 2:04 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

quote:

That poll suggested that LRT was not that well received in the county.



Quite interesting, considering the line isn't even in operation yet.
Top of pageBottom of page

Livernoisyard
Member
Username: Livernoisyard

Post Number: 4538
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 3:53 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

NC's a state right next to VA/DC...
Top of pageBottom of page

3rdworldcity
Member
Username: 3rdworldcity

Post Number: 968
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 4:23 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Bring in all the charismatic academics/urban land planners/shills for the manufacturers of light rail/bus equipment you want, but you might as well be pissing into the wind.

The region will get "mass" transit when enough users demonstrate a need for it and demand it be filled. It's possible it will come sooner but if there is insufficient demand it will be just another political, but expensive boondoggle just like the People
Mover.

In the off-season those guys shill for corn-based ethanol.
Top of pageBottom of page

Danindc
Member
Username: Danindc

Post Number: 3688
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 7:55 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

quote:

NC's a state right next to VA/DC...



And Charlotte is a 7-8-hour drive from DC (not like DC is relevant to Charlotte in any way). What's your point?

quote:

The region will get "mass" transit when enough users demonstrate a need for it and demand it be filled.



So the 180,000 people a day in the region who already use the bare-bones service that does exist--do they not count at all?
Top of pageBottom of page

3rdworldcity
Member
Username: 3rdworldcity

Post Number: 969
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 7:58 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Do you mean the 18,000 people who use the service? And, no, they don't count.
Top of pageBottom of page

Danindc
Member
Username: Danindc

Post Number: 3689
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 8:04 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

From the National Transit Database (figures for 2006):

DDOT average daily ridership - 128,646

http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdp rogram/pubs/profiles/2006/agen cy_profiles/5119.pdf


SMART average daily ridership - 39,537

http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdp rogram/pubs/profiles/2006/agen cy_profiles/5031.pdf


DPM average daily ridership - 5,928

http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdp rogram/pubs/profiles/2006/agen cy_profiles/5141.pdf


Sorry. I didn't mean to be off by a whopping 3.5%.
Top of pageBottom of page

3rdworldcity
Member
Username: 3rdworldcity

Post Number: 971
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 8:13 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

If you believe the National Transit Database or those other self-serving stats posted by DDOT, Smart or the DPM, I've got some great land in FL to sell you; it's above water frequently.

The DPM is lucky to get 500 riders a day.
Top of pageBottom of page

Charlottepaul
Member
Username: Charlottepaul

Post Number: 1957
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 8:31 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah, no Charlotte is nowhere close to DC, but if the transit tax holds here, then Livernoisyard, you must change your mind about what the average person thinks of transit.

"'What's the quality of education in CMS? Good: 38 percent' No wonder they don't understand transit."
Well one of the biggest problems of education is the simple fact that the schools can't be built quickly enough to keep up with the growth down here. Also, too, few people ever seem to be truly content with public education these days.

"That poll suggested that LRT was not that well received in the county."
A lot of the resentment for transit does come from the fact that the roads down here need to be drastically improved (For example there is no freeway heading east out of Charlotte toward the coast. Interstate 77 is wider in SC, but narrows once you cross the border into Charlotte NC. The lighting on the freeway that encircles downtown Charlotte is not operable making it esp. hard for those not from the area to see where they are going after dark). In NC, state highway funding is distributed based on geography and not population. Therefore, Eastern NC gets most of the funds. What many people in Charlotte fail to realise is that that is a state funding issue whereas the transit is funded by the county. So arguing that we should widen roads before building transit lines is a prime example of comparing apples to oranges.
Top of pageBottom of page

Charlottepaul
Member
Username: Charlottepaul

Post Number: 1958
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 8:44 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

"State road money for Charlotte? Under $2 per person. State road money for every North Carolina county east of I-95? $12 per person. Think this is strange? So do we!"

http://www.defendcharlotte.com /roads.htm
Top of pageBottom of page

Livernoisyard
Member
Username: Livernoisyard

Post Number: 4539
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 8:48 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

DDC, you're causing engineers to acquire a bad reputation if people might expect all of us engineers possess such faulty math/critical reasoning skills as yours.

To wit:
quote:

So the 180,000 people a day in the region who already use the bare-bones service that does exist--do they not count at all?


The sum total of the ridership figures you presented was: 174,111 (128,646 + 39,537 + 5,928)

And then you applied that sum to the above quote of yours--180,000. Furthermore, you stated that your error was only 3.5%:
quote:


Sorry. I didn't mean to be off by a whopping 3.5%.


Carrying out the fourth or fifth grade arithmetic: [I taught fourth and fifth grades when teaching close to a decade ago for three years but forgot just in which grade this arithmetic was covered...]

Error: 100% * (180,000 - 174,111)/174,111 = +3.4% (a wee bit off from your figure, but still incorrect to two significant decimal digits...

That calculation is hardly EIT or PE level complexity. However, the actual error of your ways was made in basic concepts--by using dissimilar terms in your calculations--the old apples and oranges concept. Therefore, I question either your thought process or your potential willingness to deceive...

A week or two ago, you posted that the ridership figures were figured one-way. A basic working assumption would be that those riding one-way would be returning the other way. Therefore the actual number of people riding would be around half the ridership totals. Or did you just conveniently forget that?

BTW, your actual error: 100% * (180,000 - 87,056)/87,056 = +106.8%

(Message edited by LivernoisYard on November 04, 2007)
Top of pageBottom of page

3rdworldcity
Member
Username: 3rdworldcity

Post Number: 972
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 10:00 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

If that guy is an engineer, he must be driving a subway train in DC.
Top of pageBottom of page

Mikeg
Member
Username: Mikeg

Post Number: 1245
Registered: 12-2005
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 10:26 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

If that guy is a structural engineer like he claims to be (quote: "I'm still laughing at Corktowner's claim that a steel building never succumbed to fire. But what do I know? I just design 'em.", Post 3266, Sept 11, 2007), he demonstrates a complete lack of professionalism, from his rude name-calling to his prolific posting habits during regular business hours.
Top of pageBottom of page

Lefty2
Member
Username: Lefty2

Post Number: 594
Registered: 07-2007
Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 10:48 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

LY congrats on the math calculations. facts overide fiction dayin dayout.
btw how much are others subsidizing mass transit? how much are employers contributing?
Top of pageBottom of page

Jsmyers
Member
Username: Jsmyers

Post Number: 1939
Registered: 12-2003
Posted on Monday, November 05, 2007 - 9:50 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

quote:

the RE program in the People's Republic of Ann Arbor is pretty much a lobby for real estate interests and rapid transit proponents and... Which is what I alluded to.

BTW, it's not at all unusual for colleges having departments to front for such various interests, especially for the left-wing, socialist varieties.



LY, you are a blubbering idiot.

The RE certificate program is mostly pursued by students who want to make money in real estate. The are by-and-large raging capitalists. There is no department, just a part time director and a handful of students who want to make a buck when the get out of college.

The other half of the event is ULI, an association of real estate developers who are raking it in. Is Al Taubman a capitalist? Is the Pope Catholic? Is the sky blue? Is LY a fool when he writes about these topics?

DaninDC:
quote:

What's your point?


His point is to make certain Michigan returns to the dark ages. Infrastructure: BAD! Education: WORTHLESS! Research: EVIL!
Top of pageBottom of page

Livernoisyard
Member
Username: Livernoisyard

Post Number: 4544
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Monday, November 05, 2007 - 10:33 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Talk about idiocy...

Some of the wealthiest expound socialism--mostly for others, with them in the lead or serving in some highly paid positions. One needn't be a raging capitalist in order to amass wealth! I know that some Chinese are extremely wealthy, and so should you.

Sheesh! Is yours the caliber of thought that emanates from the People's Republic these days?
Top of pageBottom of page

Jsmyers
Member
Username: Jsmyers

Post Number: 1940
Registered: 12-2003
Posted on Monday, November 05, 2007 - 10:49 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

quote:

expound socialism


Nobody is "expounding socialism." (Was that on your list of fascist buzzphrases to use this month?) It is a forum about how to make more money in the real estate market. If anything, the participants are pissed that their taxes are wasted on a bunch of inefficient highways.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I learned to think in the UP, and I'm currently thinking from that bastion of pinko thought, South Carolina.

There might be a couple of rich Chinese, but not as rich as the oil barons that fund the propaganda machines that have blinded you.

Get an education grumpy old man.
Top of pageBottom of page

Lefty2
Member
Username: Lefty2

Post Number: 624
Registered: 07-2007
Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 2:10 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

make money, how dare you, :-)

regional transit? when will it be profitable? who will pay?
Top of pageBottom of page

Jsmyers
Member
Username: Jsmyers

Post Number: 1941
Registered: 12-2003
Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 4:07 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

highways? when will they be profitable? who pays?
Top of pageBottom of page

Charlottepaul
Member
Username: Charlottepaul

Post Number: 1980
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 8:37 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hey all, the transit tax repeal did not pass here in Charlotte! Transit has been saved! The margin for the tax was larger even than when the tax was originally started back in the 90s:

"Mecklenburg County voters overwhelmingly backed the transit sales tax Tuesday, dismissing an aggressive grass-roots effort to repeal it and endorsing CATS' ambitious plans to expand light rail and buses.

The margin of victory stunned even transit supporters. With all but one precinct counted, 70 percent voted against repeal, with 30 percent in favor of stopping the tax. The number of people voting for repeal -- roughly 37,000 -- fell short of the 48,000 signatures collected that put the tax back on the ballot."
http://www.charlotte.com/elect ions/story/351524.html

TAKE THAT ALL YOU TRANSIT NAYSAYERS STUCK IN YOUR AUTOMOBILE PAST AND A GENERATION BEHIND!
When do you think that Detroit will figure out what they are missing out on?
Top of pageBottom of page

Danindc
Member
Username: Danindc

Post Number: 3711
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 9:31 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Amazing! I suppose either 70% of the voters in Charlotte are stupid, and free-spending with tax dollars, or they're tired of driving everywhere for everything.

The interesting thing will be to see how development occurs (or does not occur) around light rail stations in Charlotte. Of course, if dense nodes develop on the rail network, the usual suspects here will just say, "You can't compare Detroit to Charlotte."

To which I'd say, "Obviously".

Anyone going to the real estate forum today and/or tomorrow?
Top of pageBottom of page

Charlottepaul
Member
Username: Charlottepaul

Post Number: 1984
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 12:42 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

"The interesting thing will be to see how development occurs (or does not occur) around light rail stations in Charlotte."

Many argue that Detroit isn't dense enough for mass transit. Here in Charlotte they built the first phase of the light rail along a relatively underdeveloped road. They took a gamble thinking that yes, developments would spring up around the stations. So rather then go where there is density, the light rail hopes to bring density. So we will have to see what transpires, but at least Danindc, people can no longer argue that there isn't a demand for light rail.
Top of pageBottom of page

Livernoisyard
Member
Username: Livernoisyard

Post Number: 4551
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 1:03 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

BTW, the bond issue for the Wayne County Community College was defeated 60/40%. A possible omen concerning any future rail transit in Detroit: the main campus building for the WCCC is located at Third & Fort--at the exact location of the former Fort Street Union Depot...
Top of pageBottom of page

Charlottepaul
Member
Username: Charlottepaul

Post Number: 1989
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 9:03 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

"Wednesday, November 7, 2007 through Thursday, November 8, 2007

— Location —
Management Education Center
811 W. Square Lake Road
Auditorium
Troy, MI

On November 7 and 8, real estate professionals from across the industry will gather in Troy, Michigan to discuss a topic central to the growth of the region—connecting suburban and urban town centers via transit.

For sponsorship opportunities contact Don Taylor (734) 763-9707 dftaylor@umich.edu"
http://www.tcaup.umich.edu/umu liforum/

Did anyone go?
Top of pageBottom of page

Rocket_city
Member
Username: Rocket_city

Post Number: 463
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 10:12 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I did...the Thursday session anyway. From what was presented, I take it the quote, "connecting suburban and urban town centers" was in reference strictly to Birmingham (urban) and Troy (suburban) town centers. A comprehensive dialogue wasn't really focused on much and I recall one gentleman on the last panel saying that with transit on Big Beaver, it will be able to draw people from Detroit and Ann Arbor and Royal Oak for residents. DETROIT? What? Sigh.

Some goods and some bads to the forum. I got the impression that this was primarily focused on the Bham-Troy transit proposal and secondarily on regional transit. Then again, I may have missed an important revelation that may have been discussed on the Wednesday sessions.
Top of pageBottom of page

Livernoisyard
Member
Username: Livernoisyard

Post Number: 4560
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 10:24 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Apparently, the past couple days weren't the type of those slow-news days that usually get stuck with rapid-transit puff pieces and stock footage of trains running elsewhere. But again, even if covered by the media, showing those types of news events are the very times when the water department notices their water demand spiking and increased amounts of effluent returning...

Add Your Message Here
Posting is currently disabled in this topic. Contact your discussion moderator for more information.