Your Uptown Mess

Commentary tries to avoid the Uptown area. Traffic is a mess. So what they do over there is not a priority of mine. Here is a blurb from the Chron:

A group of uptown business and property owners called on the city to stop a planned bus project and halt permitting of new high-rise construction at a news conference in the Galleria area Monday morning. 

The group objects to a 40-story high-rise at the corner of San Felipe and Post Oak and a bus project that would create two bus-only lanes on Post Oak. It says the projects would hurt business in the Galleria area. 

Preliminary construction on the bus project is scheduled to begin within days, the group said. 

Wayne Dolcefino, a consultant hired by the local property owners, said that the bus project is not a true effort to solve Galleria congestion. District G Councilman Greg Travis also joined group members at the press conference Monday. 

Before more high-rise construction permits are allocated, the uptown group wants the city to complete a new, independent study of traffic congestion in the area.

I don’t even know why you need a study when folks already know it is congested out there.

Then I got this email:

Friends,   We need your help to SAVE UPTOWN.  Unelected bureaucrats want to destroy the neighborhood that we all love.  We all know what three years of construction will do to our business. We all know what that will do to traffic. Our customers will avoid the Galleria area.   For what?   Tearing up Post Oak boulevard for two lanes that only Metro buses will be able to use.   To make room for these buses, turn lanes on Post Oak at Westheimer and San Felipe will be eliminated.   The Uptown management district broke its promise to be transparent. Secret Meetings. Conflicts of Interests.   There is something wrong when Uptown officials pushing the project will make millions on the real estate deals.   In just a few weeks, Uptown will start removing trees and destroying medians, even though Uptown doesn’t even own all the property they need for the project. The City of Houston will have to take property because a lot of people refuse to sell right of way.   The Harris County District Attorney is investigating possible criminal violations of transparency laws, but that doesn’t seem to faze Uptown. Mayor Turner should stop the project, but he’s been silent too.   So if we want to stop this colossal waste of money and a devastating blow to the neighborhood we love we may have to do it ourselves.   It is true that a lawsuit against Metro failed, but we are finalizing a new legal challenge to Uptown. We don’t want to give them too many clues, but we believe these real estate deals can be voided by a judge. A lawsuit will allow us to uncover the secret deals. Who is getting rich while our business disappears?    If you live in Uptown, work in Uptown, or own a business in Uptown this is your fight.   Donate to www.saveuptown.com. Your contributions will be used in the battle ahead.   Russell Masraff Well, I don’t live or work there or own a business there so it is not my fight. What a mess.

 

 

Who leads the MLB in pitching losses this season?

Donald Trump was on the “Today” show this morning and he called out the GOP for not ponying up the dough to his campaign. He didn’t go after Secretary Hillary Clinton which tells me his mind is on raising money for his campaign. Here is from a Politico story:

“We have a party that, I mean I’m having more difficulty frankly with some of the people in the party than I am with the Democrats. Because they just don’t want to come on. They will probably eventually come on. Honestly, if they don’t it’s just fine. I can win it either way,” Trump told NBC’s “Today” in another Tuesday telephone interview. “I’ve raised a lot of money, but you also have to have some help from the party.”

Meanwhile, there is no internal strife with Dems.  Here is from an AP story on potential running mates for Hillary:

Hillary Clinton’s search for a running mate is moving into a more intense phase, according to several Democrats, as aides contact a pared-down pool of candidates to ask for reams of personal information and set up interviews with the presumptive Democratic nominee’s vetting team.

Those on the shortlist include Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a favorite of progressives who has emerged as a blistering critic of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump; Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a well-liked lawmaker from an important general election battleground state; and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro of Texas, a rising star in the Democratic Party.

I am having a hard time believing that it is down to three candidates. We will see, I guess.

Dallas Keuchel and Chris Archer of the Rays each have nine losses to lead MLB.

The best part of last night at The Yard other than winning and great conversation with My Best Friend was watching Jose Altuve crush one off the wall just a shade off deep, deep center. Wow!

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