stp: Howard Hughes Grabs a Headline

The PiPress had a story today about the purely hypothetical Bridges development. Some of you might have seen the outdoor ads last fall touting the proposal. It hasn't gone anywhere yet, and isn't likely to in the future. Can anyone see a movie theater on the Saint Paul floodplain?

This guy Trooien is probably the wackiest of the Twin Cities wealthy real estate wackos -- a list that includes Kelly Doran, Zigi Wilf, and now Bill McGuire.

The developer bought a large portion of the 75-acre site in 1987 and has been talking about his ideas for it for more than a decade. He formally unveiled the Bridges plan in November 2003.

The Bridges would add nearly a half-million square feet of retail space, including a movie theater complex, restaurants and shops. In addition to more than 1,100 condominiums initially, it would include Mythica: The Center for Human Mythology and World Journey, a monument of sorts to the human experience.
[ . . . ]
Several calls to White Plains, N.Y.-based Westin Hotels & Resorts were not returned.

The last thing Saint Paul needs is another hotel. Is there anyone who doesn't think this is a snow job?

Plus:

I spotted a pretty artist's rendering of what the new (natural gas) High Bridge power plant will look like, and how beautiful Saint Paul's river valley will be without that giant smokestack.

On the other hand, won't we kind of miss the ugly thing?

density&diversity: Rush Hours Nostradamus

The PiPress has a story this Saturday (when nobody reads it) about how bad traffic will be in the future.

While overall congestion was better, some areas went from bad to worse. And the report also predicts congestion will resume its upward march. The number of congested miles stayed steady at 21 percent over the past two years. The report predicts that by 2030, 33 percent to 41 percent of the highway miles will be congested.

This kind of thing is the inevitable consequence of all the freeway construction they did in the 70's. I never really realized (because I don't live over there) how bad the traffic is in the Western suburbs. Highways 169 and 100 are some of the most congested parts of the freeway system.

mpls: The Wave = Downtown Park?

Astute reader anonymous suggested a better use for the possible money that would come from developing "The Wave" -- the proposed condo along the 3rd Ave Bridge riverfront. S/he writes:

How about developing the land and taking the money to purchase land for parkspace in downtown, where a the need is evident.

I kind of (kind of) like this idea, providing it actually happens. I can think of quite a few surface parking lots (and old buildings) that would make better parks than lots. For example, the block b/w 9th & 10th streets and 2nd and 3rd avenues would be great!

Does anyone have any particular ideas?

But on the other hand, wre they to use the money to fund "park police," I'd be less than pleased. And, I highly doubt that the city could be willing to use up a (very) valuable open downtown block on a park without some sort of landmark or historical reason as a call to arms . . .

Update:

Just when I post on this, the story appears in the Strib:

United Health Corp. CEO Dr. William McGuire is offering to build a $5 million park just east of the new riverfront Guthrie Theater as part of a personal effort to preserve a leafy urban reputation.

[ . . . ]

McGuire's proposal envisions leasing the land from the city for 10 years for $500,000. He would plant approximately 325 mature trees, including about 100 lindens along 2nd St. S. McGuire would take care of maintenance -- probably through an endowed organization -- including irrigation, garbage collection, snow clearing on pathways, electricity and water costs.

media: Is 100.3 the New MPR?

I've been wanting to post about my other areas of interest, but haven't found the opportunity as of late.

Namely, the Twin Cities media and election scenes. (If you'll bear with me.) These are the "sidewalks" of our democracy, the public spaces where citizens share ideas and participate in an informed debate . . . at least in theory. And maintaining the media and democratic venues takes a lot of collective work.

Yes?

But really, I just wanted ot point out that the new (swing state) 100.3 Talk Radio (Limbaugh) FM radio station's billboards are coincidentally very much like those of Minnesota Public Radio.One is blue on white, the other is white on blue, and both feature a wave-y logo thing and some sort of punchy slogan.

Coincidence or not?

Also:

Another uncanny happening happened when the Strib story about MPR's high executive salaries broke right in the middle of the MPR fund drive. Did anyone notice? Did they reach their goal? How businesslike can/should MPR get before they start abandoning their principles?

Or, is growth nothing but a good thing, when you consider a) the abysmal state of corporate media and b) the vibrant independent public radio scene in this state . . .

I report. You deride.

elections: Minnesota's Nation-Best Turnout At Risk

On the election front, a few weeks ago I made the bold pledge that I would "move to Woodbury" if anyone high up in the DFL endorsed the IRV (instant runoff voting) proposal being floated to the Minneapolis City Council.

Well, a week or so after that I was listening to MPR's mid-morning and they had the two party chairs on the radio, "debating" each other. The Republican's Ron Casey and the DFL's Brian Melendez went back and forth, and I couldn't really listen to it.

But right before I could reach up and turn the radio off, they started talking about the Governor's race, and the candidacy of one Peter Hutchinson. (Damn you!!) And, as they pressed Mr. Melendez about the precise meaning of the word "spolier," he actually came out and said he was in favor of IRV. I couldn't believe it -- and I promise, someday, I'll drive through Woodbury. (Here's the link to prove it.)

Of course, it'll still never happen, becuase I don't think Melendez really means what he said. (Or even if he does, he'll not spend much time pushing other Dems to support it.)

But he should mean it, and he should push for it, because he should know that third parties are never going away. They're going to continue to pop up and make things very difficult for big tent parties in this state, and with our partiuclar political landscape, most of those third party challenges are going to come from the left. (That is, unless the Libertarians can get organized.)

Without IRV or something like it, the big parties will continue to live with the Hutchinsonian axe hovering over them threatening to bleed 5% off their vote each time they have a tight battle.

Or, does anyone really thing that Hutchinson is going to steal voters from Pawlenty?

Plus:

One thing that pisses me off is all this talk in the Republican Party about requiring photo ID's at the polls. What an anti-immigrant, anti-democratic idea! I guess that's why they're not called the "democratic" party . . .