Saturday, May 06, 2006
Stephen Colbert Nails Rep. Earl Blumenauer
Comedy Central's "news anchor" Stephen Colbert grills Portland U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer about his stand on livable communities and cycling (warning: requires Windows Media Player, high-speed connection). To be fair, Colbert pretends to be a conservative Republican and in doing so makes fun of conservative Republicans, but we can still laugh. Blumenauer looks as though he doesn't understand this is supposed to be comedy.
Among the best lines:
Colbert: "What to you is a livable community?"
Blumenauer: "A livable community has a wide range of opportunities for people, single family, apartments, condominia"
C: "Where does my Hummer fit into that?"
B: "In many livable communities, a Hummer would be illegal and they are denied access to some neighborhoods."
C: "So you are for ghettoizing certain people because of their cars?"
B: "Play it by the rules."
C: "Rosa Parks did not fight for my Hummer to go to the back of the bus! Right?"
B: (looking confused) "Yes. I won't debate that."
Somehow, I doubt that a real reporter could get Blumenauer to say things like that!
Among the best lines:
Colbert: "What to you is a livable community?"
Blumenauer: "A livable community has a wide range of opportunities for people, single family, apartments, condominia"
C: "Where does my Hummer fit into that?"
B: "In many livable communities, a Hummer would be illegal and they are denied access to some neighborhoods."
C: "So you are for ghettoizing certain people because of their cars?"
B: "Play it by the rules."
C: "Rosa Parks did not fight for my Hummer to go to the back of the bus! Right?"
B: (looking confused) "Yes. I won't debate that."
Somehow, I doubt that a real reporter could get Blumenauer to say things like that!
Md.: New homes upstream, dry farm downstream
Okay, my home state of Maryland is not known as desert or even "dry" country, because most of the time, the state gets plenty of rain (and some snow in the winter months).
But farmers are still vulnerable to the re-arranging of creeks and streams, even when the re-arrangments are carried out on the orders of county, state and federal environmental regulators, as can been seen from the plight of Joseph Mills, a Prince George's County farmer and reported by this Baltimore Sun article.
But farmers are still vulnerable to the re-arranging of creeks and streams, even when the re-arrangments are carried out on the orders of county, state and federal environmental regulators, as can been seen from the plight of Joseph Mills, a Prince George's County farmer and reported by this Baltimore Sun article.
N.Y.: Spitzer Is Cool to Pataki's Plan for a Rail Link to Kennedy
Spending billions of taxpayer dollars on new rail transit lines to airports is in vogue these days in some parts of the United States.
But it seems that New York State Attorney General (and leading candidate for governor), Eliot Spitzer, is less than impressed with the proposed $6 billion rail line from Manhattan to JFK Airport.
Maybe Mr. Spitzer should consider the European model, where train lines to airports have been financed, built and operated by the private sector, such as London's Heathrow Express and Stockholm's Arlanda Express?
But it seems that New York State Attorney General (and leading candidate for governor), Eliot Spitzer, is less than impressed with the proposed $6 billion rail line from Manhattan to JFK Airport.
Maybe Mr. Spitzer should consider the European model, where train lines to airports have been financed, built and operated by the private sector, such as London's Heathrow Express and Stockholm's Arlanda Express?
Friday, May 05, 2006
Honey, I Shrunk the District [of Columbia]
This is from from the Washington Citypaper, and describes the long-term decline in the population of the Nation's Capital, and some of the reasons why.
Shiny condos and a flashy marketing campaign haven’t solved the District’s epic population problem.
Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau seems to tell Washington it needs “city living, dc style!” more than ever.
For the past several years, the bureau and District officials have engaged in a regular, fiery, and utterly predictable tango. It goes something like this: The Census Bureau reveals numbers that show the District continues to empty; the officials complain like hell.
Today, the District is smaller in population terms than the three large suburban "Beltway" counties, Fairfax (Va.), Montgomery (Md.) and Prince George's (Md.). It wasn't always this way.
D.C.’s influence has outclassed its population for its entire history—but never more so than today. Whereas in 1950, Washington was the nation’s 9th largest city, it is now estimated by the Census Bureau to be the nation’s 24th largest, outsized by such rapidly growing burgs as El Paso and Fort Worth. Washington has less than 8 percent of New York’s population, but when it comes to media, culture, power, and people’s imaginations, D.C.’s still in the ballpark. When’s the last time you heard someone debate DFW vs. NY?
But for nearly half a century, D.C. and other U.S. cities have found it nearly impossible to maintain their populations, let alone attract new residents. It’s a trend that shows no sign of stopping: Census Bureau figures released last month show that from 2000 to 2004, 18 of the nation’s 25 largest metro areas had more people move out than move in. And a dropping population starts all sorts of downward spirals. Abandoned houses lead to crime, which leads to more abandoned houses. When children leave a school system, the buildings that held them remain, leaving surplus property that still needs to be maintained, sucking funds away from students who do stay. And it’s a failing school system that starts the most destructive downward spiral of them all, the one that kills the middle class.
See also this recent editorial by the Washington Post about the D.C. Public Schools.
And even though this Washington Monthly article by Jason DeParle is from way back in 1989, it still holds more than one nugget of truth.
The worst city government in America - Washington, D.C. - When it comes to screwing the poor and feathering their nests, the District of Columbia's bureaucrats take the prize.
Shiny condos and a flashy marketing campaign haven’t solved the District’s epic population problem.
Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau seems to tell Washington it needs “city living, dc style!” more than ever.
For the past several years, the bureau and District officials have engaged in a regular, fiery, and utterly predictable tango. It goes something like this: The Census Bureau reveals numbers that show the District continues to empty; the officials complain like hell.
Today, the District is smaller in population terms than the three large suburban "Beltway" counties, Fairfax (Va.), Montgomery (Md.) and Prince George's (Md.). It wasn't always this way.
D.C.’s influence has outclassed its population for its entire history—but never more so than today. Whereas in 1950, Washington was the nation’s 9th largest city, it is now estimated by the Census Bureau to be the nation’s 24th largest, outsized by such rapidly growing burgs as El Paso and Fort Worth. Washington has less than 8 percent of New York’s population, but when it comes to media, culture, power, and people’s imaginations, D.C.’s still in the ballpark. When’s the last time you heard someone debate DFW vs. NY?
But for nearly half a century, D.C. and other U.S. cities have found it nearly impossible to maintain their populations, let alone attract new residents. It’s a trend that shows no sign of stopping: Census Bureau figures released last month show that from 2000 to 2004, 18 of the nation’s 25 largest metro areas had more people move out than move in. And a dropping population starts all sorts of downward spirals. Abandoned houses lead to crime, which leads to more abandoned houses. When children leave a school system, the buildings that held them remain, leaving surplus property that still needs to be maintained, sucking funds away from students who do stay. And it’s a failing school system that starts the most destructive downward spiral of them all, the one that kills the middle class.
See also this recent editorial by the Washington Post about the D.C. Public Schools.
And even though this Washington Monthly article by Jason DeParle is from way back in 1989, it still holds more than one nugget of truth.
The worst city government in America - Washington, D.C. - When it comes to screwing the poor and feathering their nests, the District of Columbia's bureaucrats take the prize.
Another Billion for the So What District
Portland's high-density boondoggle, the South Waterfront (So What) District, cannot succeed without a billion-dollar light-rail line, says Portland city Commissioner Sam Adams. This is a big surprise to other members of the city council who have had their fill with subsidies and cost overruns to the So What District.
The owners of the Willamette River waterfront land where the So What District is being built originally proposed a moderately high-density housing project of two- and three-story buildings. But that was not good enough for Portland planners, who instead told the landowners that they should build twenty-story office, condo, and apartment towers. To support this development, the city offered the landowners all sorts of tax breaks and other subsidies.
The offices would serve a hospital district located in the hills above the Willamette River and the two were to be connected by an aerial tram that, when approved, was estimated to cost $15 million. So far the cost is up to $55 million -- and city planners admit that they knew the $15 million estimate was way too low when they presented it to the city council.
In addition to the aerial tram, the So What plan called for more than $200 million in other public funds, mainly financed out of tax-increment financing. City planners have already admitted that the tram is not the only public cost that they underestimated; the cost of street improvements are expected to go $50 million over budget.
To supplement the tram, the So What District is supposed to have a streetcar line connecting it to downtown. But now Sam Adams -- coached no doubt by Portland's transit agency -- says a streetcar is not good enough. He wants to run a light-rail line from downtown to So What and then build a $550 million bridge across the Willamette River and extend the light-rail to Milwaukie. Voters rejected funding for this light-rail line in 1998, but the transit agency has made it clear that it intends to build it anyway.
The bridge, of course, would be closed to cars. Meanwhile, another bridge over the river just south of the proposed one is crumbling and in danger of condemnation and the city says it does not have the $100 million it would take to replace it.
Debates over cost overruns and the aerial tram may cost one or two city commissioners their jobs in an election to be held on May 16. Commissioner Adams' timing in announcing that another billion dollars or so is needed for the So What District may add fuel to these city races.
The owners of the Willamette River waterfront land where the So What District is being built originally proposed a moderately high-density housing project of two- and three-story buildings. But that was not good enough for Portland planners, who instead told the landowners that they should build twenty-story office, condo, and apartment towers. To support this development, the city offered the landowners all sorts of tax breaks and other subsidies.
The offices would serve a hospital district located in the hills above the Willamette River and the two were to be connected by an aerial tram that, when approved, was estimated to cost $15 million. So far the cost is up to $55 million -- and city planners admit that they knew the $15 million estimate was way too low when they presented it to the city council.
In addition to the aerial tram, the So What plan called for more than $200 million in other public funds, mainly financed out of tax-increment financing. City planners have already admitted that the tram is not the only public cost that they underestimated; the cost of street improvements are expected to go $50 million over budget.
To supplement the tram, the So What District is supposed to have a streetcar line connecting it to downtown. But now Sam Adams -- coached no doubt by Portland's transit agency -- says a streetcar is not good enough. He wants to run a light-rail line from downtown to So What and then build a $550 million bridge across the Willamette River and extend the light-rail to Milwaukie. Voters rejected funding for this light-rail line in 1998, but the transit agency has made it clear that it intends to build it anyway.
The bridge, of course, would be closed to cars. Meanwhile, another bridge over the river just south of the proposed one is crumbling and in danger of condemnation and the city says it does not have the $100 million it would take to replace it.
Debates over cost overruns and the aerial tram may cost one or two city commissioners their jobs in an election to be held on May 16. Commissioner Adams' timing in announcing that another billion dollars or so is needed for the So What District may add fuel to these city races.
Transit Money is A Waste
Raleigh, NC - The John Locke Foundation says it's time for the state to put the brakes on funding for public transit systems across North Carolina. The state's 10 largest transit systems are eating up a larger chunk of the state budget, but they do little to meet their stated goals, the report says. "Contrary to popular belief, the 10 systems have a miniscule impact on congestion reduction or air quality improvement," said study author David Hartgen, Professor of Transportation Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte."The time has come to re-assess the direction of these systems and their roles in each community's transportation picture. While the state and federal transportation bill is growing, the transit systems are not drawing people away from the cars that clog city roads. The systems serve less than one-half of 1 percent of regional commuting and impact about one-quarter of 1 percent of regional air pollution or congestion."That's why Hartgen endorses an across-the-board reassessment of the role of transit services in the state's largest regions. He makes a series of recommendations for state and local leaders in his Policy Report.
Tired Analogy: David vs Goliath
San Francisco, CA - The Hercules City Council will consider whether to use eminent domain to wrest a 17-acre property from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. after the nation's largest retailer rejected a city offer to buy the site with views of San Pablo Bay. Wal-Mart bought the property overlooking central Hercules in November after another developer received city approvals for a neighborhood shopping center. Then city planners recommended denying Wal-Mart's proposal for a big-box store on its property, saying the plan was not in keeping with what had been approved for the location, which commands a view of one of the Bay Area's most vaunted New Urbanist communities, with pedestrian-oriented streets and large open-space set-asides, as well as sweeping views of the bay.
The company withdrew its application. In response, the City Council voted to make an offer for the land for an undisclosed amount of money. Then Wal-Mart submitted a new application that it said substantially conforms to city requirements.
"What the council has said is that we want to buy the property,'' a City Councilman said, describing the tussle with Wal-Mart as a "David and Goliath'' struggle.
The company withdrew its application. In response, the City Council voted to make an offer for the land for an undisclosed amount of money. Then Wal-Mart submitted a new application that it said substantially conforms to city requirements.
"What the council has said is that we want to buy the property,'' a City Councilman said, describing the tussle with Wal-Mart as a "David and Goliath'' struggle.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Blue prince for cities
Agree or disagree with him, Britain's Prince Charles does say what's on his mind when it comes to planning.
The link above points to a story on the BBC's Web site, where there are provisions for people to comment about it.
Too bad that the story spends so much time with a U.S. anti-auto, anti-highway and anti-mobilitiy activist, Hank Dittmar.
Prince Charles is even featured in the current issue of the National Geographic magazine, which discusses his extensive holdings of real property in England, including the new urban community of Poundbury.
The link above points to a story on the BBC's Web site, where there are provisions for people to comment about it.
Too bad that the story spends so much time with a U.S. anti-auto, anti-highway and anti-mobilitiy activist, Hank Dittmar.
Prince Charles is even featured in the current issue of the National Geographic magazine, which discusses his extensive holdings of real property in England, including the new urban community of Poundbury.
Springtime for Amtrak and America
Springtime for Amtrak and America
by Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D.
Backgrounder #1932
May 3, 2006
Because Amtrak’s most recent annual report reveals that financial and operational problems continue to worsen, the railroad’s new board and management should begin to eliminate some of its more wasteful routes: first, the Sunset Limited, with its $433 subsidy per passenger, followed by the Silver Service, with total losses exceeding $100 million in 2005.
Springtime for Amtrak and America
by Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D.
Backgrounder #1932
by Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D.
Backgrounder #1932
May 3, 2006
Because Amtrak’s most recent annual report reveals that financial and operational problems continue to worsen, the railroad’s new board and management should begin to eliminate some of its more wasteful routes: first, the Sunset Limited, with its $433 subsidy per passenger, followed by the Silver Service, with total losses exceeding $100 million in 2005.
Springtime for Amtrak and America
by Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D.
Backgrounder #1932
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
From Joel Schwartz: Air pollution health risks: popular portrayals and scientific evidence
Hot off the press from Joel are these:
Polls show that most Americans worry about air pollution.
Environmentalists, regulators, health scientists, and journalists are the main purveyors of public information about air pollution risks, and most of this information is indeed alarming. In a new AEI paper, Air Pollution and Health: Do Popular Portrayals Reflect the Scientific Evidence? I show that these popular portrayals create an appearance of much greater and more certain harm from current, historically low air pollution levels than is warranted by the underlying evidence. I also discuss how the incentives in air pollution health science and regulation encourage risk exaggeration.
On a related note, the American Lung Association has just released its annual State of the Air report. In a new column for Tech Central Station, I show how journalists and opinion leaders have completely missed the unprecedented decline in violations of the federal 8-hour ozone and annual PM2.5 standards during the last few years. For example, 43% of national ozone monitoring sites violated the standard in 2003, but only 18% in 2005.
Nevertheless, just as in previous years, State of the Air continues to claim that half of all Americans live in areas that violate the standard.
Polls show that most Americans worry about air pollution.
Environmentalists, regulators, health scientists, and journalists are the main purveyors of public information about air pollution risks, and most of this information is indeed alarming. In a new AEI paper, Air Pollution and Health: Do Popular Portrayals Reflect the Scientific Evidence? I show that these popular portrayals create an appearance of much greater and more certain harm from current, historically low air pollution levels than is warranted by the underlying evidence. I also discuss how the incentives in air pollution health science and regulation encourage risk exaggeration.
On a related note, the American Lung Association has just released its annual State of the Air report. In a new column for Tech Central Station, I show how journalists and opinion leaders have completely missed the unprecedented decline in violations of the federal 8-hour ozone and annual PM2.5 standards during the last few years. For example, 43% of national ozone monitoring sites violated the standard in 2003, but only 18% in 2005.
Nevertheless, just as in previous years, State of the Air continues to claim that half of all Americans live in areas that violate the standard.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
New Orleans Announces Evacuation Plan
Only eight months after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin announced the city's evacuation plan in case a hurricane ever threatens the city. I am sure this will be a great relief to all of the people who were worried that a hurricane might cause one of the city's seawalls to fail.
Of course, New Orleans had an evacuation plan before Hurricane Katrina. David Brooks observed in the New York Times that this plan "must rank among the greatest emergency preparedness plans" ever written. The only problem was that no one bothered to carry it out.
The difference between the new plan and the old plan is that, under the new plan, when no one bothers to send buses to evacuate people who don't own cars, people will be allowed to carry their pets in the buses that don't show up. Under the old plan, people were not allowed to bring their pets, so some people decided not to go to the staging areas where the buses failed to show up.
Obviously, the new plan is far superior to the old one. I am sure that Mayor Nagin is hoping that it will help him win the run-off election so he can remain in office to welcome the next few hurricanes to hit the Gulf Coast.
Of course, New Orleans had an evacuation plan before Hurricane Katrina. David Brooks observed in the New York Times that this plan "must rank among the greatest emergency preparedness plans" ever written. The only problem was that no one bothered to carry it out.
The difference between the new plan and the old plan is that, under the new plan, when no one bothers to send buses to evacuate people who don't own cars, people will be allowed to carry their pets in the buses that don't show up. Under the old plan, people were not allowed to bring their pets, so some people decided not to go to the staging areas where the buses failed to show up.
Obviously, the new plan is far superior to the old one. I am sure that Mayor Nagin is hoping that it will help him win the run-off election so he can remain in office to welcome the next few hurricanes to hit the Gulf Coast.
Congrats to Ken Reid!
Leesburg Today reports here that Ken Reid, member of the American Dream Coalition, has won election to the Town Council of Leesburg, Virginia.
I know Ken worked very hard on his campaign, spending a lot of time and a fair amount of money on the effort, and it seems to have been worth it!
I know Ken worked very hard on his campaign, spending a lot of time and a fair amount of money on the effort, and it seems to have been worth it!
Va.: Albemarle Boasts Largest Planning Staff - Lowest Housing Affordability
Neil Williamson of the Free Enterprise Forum in Charlottesville, Virginia shared this new report with me, and you might find it interesting as well.
Albemarle County ranks lowest in housing affordability in the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) according to a new report issued today by The Free Enterprise Forum. The "Locked Out" report finds that just 16% of Albemarle homes are available to families earning median income. The report also finds Albemarle County has the largest planning department staff, the largest comprehensive plan and the longest approval time for subdivisions. Fluvanna County had the highest percentage of homes available to families earning median income.
Read the report at the link below:
Va.: Locked Out: The Impact of Local Regulation on Affordable Housing (Adobe Acrobat .pdf, 248 KB)
Albemarle County ranks lowest in housing affordability in the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) according to a new report issued today by The Free Enterprise Forum. The "Locked Out" report finds that just 16% of Albemarle homes are available to families earning median income. The report also finds Albemarle County has the largest planning department staff, the largest comprehensive plan and the longest approval time for subdivisions. Fluvanna County had the highest percentage of homes available to families earning median income.
Read the report at the link below:
Va.: Locked Out: The Impact of Local Regulation on Affordable Housing (Adobe Acrobat .pdf, 248 KB)
Monday, May 01, 2006
Outgrowing Jane Jacobs and Her New York
In the N. Y. Times, Nicolai Ouroussoff makes several good points about the late Jane Jacobs:
... her death may also give us permission to move on, to let go of the obsessive belief that Ms. Jacobs held the answer to every evil that faces the contemporary city.
For New Yorkers, Ms. Jacobs's life remains suspended between two seismic events: The publication, in 1961, of "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" and her showdown in the late 60's with Mr. Moses over a proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway that would have reduced much of SoHo's handsome cast-iron district to rubble. The expressway was killed by Mayor John V. Lindsay in 1969.
By then, Ms. Jacobs had fled for Toronto, and Mr. Moses, who died in 1981, had lost much of his power and prestige.
Ms. Jacobs had few answers for suburban sprawl or the nation's dependence on cars, which remains critical to the development of American cities.
The threats facing the contemporary city are not what they were when she first formed her ideas, now nearly 50 years ago. The activists of Ms. Jacobs's generation may have saved SoHo from Mr. Moses' bulldozers, but they could not stop it from becoming an open-air mall.
... her death may also give us permission to move on, to let go of the obsessive belief that Ms. Jacobs held the answer to every evil that faces the contemporary city.
For New Yorkers, Ms. Jacobs's life remains suspended between two seismic events: The publication, in 1961, of "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" and her showdown in the late 60's with Mr. Moses over a proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway that would have reduced much of SoHo's handsome cast-iron district to rubble. The expressway was killed by Mayor John V. Lindsay in 1969.
By then, Ms. Jacobs had fled for Toronto, and Mr. Moses, who died in 1981, had lost much of his power and prestige.
Ms. Jacobs had few answers for suburban sprawl or the nation's dependence on cars, which remains critical to the development of American cities.
The threats facing the contemporary city are not what they were when she first formed her ideas, now nearly 50 years ago. The activists of Ms. Jacobs's generation may have saved SoHo from Mr. Moses' bulldozers, but they could not stop it from becoming an open-air mall.
Dissolving Gridlock
The web edition of the The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif. has an extensive feature entitled Dissolving Gridlock that should be of interest to many, even persons outside of California.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Rising Motor Fuel Prices
The Wall Street Journal is reporting As Gasoline Prices Soar, Americans Resist Major Cuts in Consumption (subscription required - if you want to read the full article, leave me a comment with your e-mail address).
With gasoline prices in the U.S. approaching an average $3 a gallon, Americans are moaning about the rising cost, but so far they are resisting big changes in their gas-guzzling ways.
A 25% jump in prices at the pump since December has set off a firestorm in Washington. Politicians are threatening auto makers with tougher federal fuel-economy standards and oil companies with higher taxes on record profits, while warning against price gouging.
And in a related article, the WSJ reports that Gas-Price Uproar Is Likely To Shift U.S. Energy Policy:
The surging price of oil and gasoline has sparked a wave of jockeying in Washington that could presage the biggest change in federal energy policy since the 1970s.
Suddenly, ideas that have languished on various wish lists for years have a realistic chance of becoming policy, as motorists in many parts of the country face $3-a-gallon gasoline even before the summer driving season starts. Among those getting serious consideration for cutting gasoline costs and reducing foreign-oil dependence: higher fuel-economy standards for cars, new incentives to shift cars away from gasoline, a crackdown on energy-price manipulation and inducements to encourage more refining.
With gasoline prices in the U.S. approaching an average $3 a gallon, Americans are moaning about the rising cost, but so far they are resisting big changes in their gas-guzzling ways.
A 25% jump in prices at the pump since December has set off a firestorm in Washington. Politicians are threatening auto makers with tougher federal fuel-economy standards and oil companies with higher taxes on record profits, while warning against price gouging.
And in a related article, the WSJ reports that Gas-Price Uproar Is Likely To Shift U.S. Energy Policy:
The surging price of oil and gasoline has sparked a wave of jockeying in Washington that could presage the biggest change in federal energy policy since the 1970s.
Suddenly, ideas that have languished on various wish lists for years have a realistic chance of becoming policy, as motorists in many parts of the country face $3-a-gallon gasoline even before the summer driving season starts. Among those getting serious consideration for cutting gasoline costs and reducing foreign-oil dependence: higher fuel-economy standards for cars, new incentives to shift cars away from gasoline, a crackdown on energy-price manipulation and inducements to encourage more refining.
Norfolk Southern Helps Failing Project
Research Triangle Park, NC - The Triangle Transit Authority has taken another step toward realizing its plan of a regional rail system by sealing two deals with the Norfolk Southern Railroad company needed to ensure use of existing sections of railroad. TTA also signed a deal with state-owned North Carolina Railroad Co. to allow use of the railroad corridor between Raleigh and Durham and an agreement with freight carrier CSX to secure access to a corridor between Cary and Raleigh. The agreements with Norfolk Southern gives the TTA access to the corridors necessary to build the 28-mile rail transit system, which is schedule to have 12 stations connecting Durham, Research Triangle Park, Cary and Raleigh. The TTA's plan for a regional rail linking the key destinations in the Triangle has suffered major shortfalls in terms of funding and support. In December, the Federal Transit Administration announced that the project would receive a low rating. Less than a month later, a number of Wake County commissioners and state legislators opined that the plug should be pulled on TTA's local funding.
Selling or Taking?
Research Triangle Park, NC - TTA agrees to pay $3.67M for less than two acres in downtown Raleigh and puts brothers out of business. Larry & Reece Hester probably couldn't stop TTA from taking the land via condemnation, they challenged the amount TTA offered. The two sides reached afigure in mediation, preventing them from having to argue the case in court. The brothers served a downtown clientele from a strategic location with little competition but plenty of state government workers who liked being able to walk to the office after dropping off their cars. Larry, an affable 57-year-old originally from Durham, developed an eye disease early in life that rendered him blind at age 35. He was able to continue working at the garage because he had become so familiar with where everything was. Every morning, he and Reece, now 47, would get a chance to talk about family and the business over coffee as they opened the store. Knowing that TTA was going to take the land, the brothers closed the business in December. "We thought and prayed hard about it for a long time," Larry says of the decision to close the business. "It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I had blood, sweat and tears in that place," he says.
