Dinkytown not Megatown/Save Dinkytown

[FISHMANPET]

OK I've got to stop, I'm just trolling now.

Though I guess if nothing else this means there isn't really a very organized opposition. Much like I suspected, the Save DInkytown movement was wide but not deep. The hundreds of people that joined the group or signed the petition were willing to put about as much effort into it as it takes to join a Facebook group or sign an online petition.

What's left is mostly crazies, because they're willing to shout down even mhwbkr if the facts he states don't mesh with their opinions.

I think it's now a group where people can pine for the good old days, and also complain about all these whippersnappers they see around now.

[Silophant]

I'm done as well. I'm better than that, or I at least liked to believe I was.

That being said, I'm actually really curious about what the soul of Dinkytown was. Either the Podium or the hair salon, apparently.

[Silophant]

The Daily just called and interviewed me, based on my comments on the Facebook thread. So, keep an eye out for that story tomorrow, I guess.

In other facebook news, one of the most strident voices calling for Dinkytown to be frozen in time is now calling for a big towering Calhoun Square-style parking ramp to be built in Dinkytown, ideally connected to the Varsity. No comment on where such a thing would be built.

[Anondson]

That being said, I'm actually really curious about what the soul of Dinkytown was. Either the Podium or the hair salon, apparently.

Maybe it was Dreamhaven? Apparently it began going down around the time they left . . .

[FISHMANPET]

God dammit the UofM Ramp is so close. Of course she thinks the Uofm had some relation to the Utec building (calling it the UofM Tech building). Also she thinks that the UTEC lot was full all the time, which it wasn't. And I guess they think Opus is lying when they say they're building public parking?

Also today I parked on the lot Doran is proposing to build on, and it was a crappy experience. I had to download a 6MB app on my phone and then put in my credit card blah blah blah. If all the parking ramps used the same app it might be nice, but they all use different parking systems, and it's a huge pain the first time to pay. Also there was someone there ticketing the people that hadn't paid, and it looked like she was ticketing half the people in the lot, so I guess most people were just too frustrated to deal with it.

[Silophant]

Wait, you can only pay for that lot via a smartphone app? So, if you don't have a smartphone, or if you have the wrong kind of smartphone, you're out of luck? That's actually a pretty good argument in favor of redeveloping that site, to be honest.

[FISHMANPET]

You can also do it by calling a number, but that sounds pretty terrible as well.

On one hand, it's nice that you don't have to invest in a pay station or anything like that, but on the other hand how expensive can the city pay stations be? Just put one of those in, and give people the option to pay by phone if they want.

[go4guy]

The UTC lot was never more than a quarter full, unless it was a basketball/hockey game night. And I know PLENTY of people who park at the U ramp on game days and make the gruesome, exhausting, and very dangerous 2 block walk to Dinkytown. Doesnt bother them, why does it seem to bother all of the other customers for Dinkytown?

[Tom H.]

I saw tons of people on Saturday walking down University towards TCF Stadium, some as far away as University & 35W. Honestly, even walking a full mile through an interesting neighborhood is hardly cause for concern. I walk half a mile each way to Dinkytown from my office for lunch a few times a week - it's (somewhat literally) a walk in the park.

[Silophant]

Well, results are in on that proposed ramp's location. The original proposer feels that it should go in the current surface parking that Opus and Doran are trying to buy out, allowing the current buildings to be saved, ignoring the whole "Opus has actually started their project and torn down those buildings" issue. Another poster suggests "my bridge", which has me confused. Was there a lot of strife when the Dinkytown rail bridges were built or something?

[uptowncarag]

I have season tickets to the Gophers and I do park on the other side of 35W. It is a great walk through the neighborhoods and campus.

[Snelbian]

Aren't 19 block walks why there are at least half a dozen bus routes that run through Dinkytown right now? Holy Hyperbole, Batman!

[FISHMANPET]

Silophant, was it Nicolas Hallett that interviewed you? He just emailed me for an interview.

[Silophant]

No, it was Alex Chhith.

Also, that last name is 50% "h". Whoa.

[FISHMANPET]

Welp, interview done. He thought I would consider myself a movement of the Save Dinkytown movement, so he was quite surprised to find out I was against it, but he asked his questions anymore. His deadline is at 5PM tonight, so I'm sure we'll see the article tomorrow morning.

[FISHMANPET]

So here's the article I was interviewed for. I'm not surprised that I wasn't quoted, the answers I gave to his questions didn't really fit with the vibe the article was going for.

http://www.mndaily.com/news/campus/2013 ... apartments

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

[Silophant]

I'm assuming he just pulled your name from the SD Facebook group and assumed you'd be against development? Did he even read your posts?

[RailBaronYarr]

So when a person wants to buy/build a house in a neighborhood, should surrounding residents force them to sign some clause saying they'll stick around for the full term of the mortgage? Here's the question regarding ownership/management: will the staff, managers, contractors, etc working the building be MN residents, possibly local people, who do have a stake in keeping the building nice and well-maintained? Yes. Do local owners of buildings absolutely keep their properties looking nice and well-maintained (or even trend in that direction)? I have no idea (never seen data), but there are more than enough local landlords of run-down houses, commercial buildings, and apartments (including some in Dinkytown) to give some anecdotal evidence otherwise.

I just think the opposition to development (in general) is now using anything they can to spread fear. The quote in the article raising the question if the apartment bubble is about to pop and thus developers are selling fast is pure speculation, and runs counter to everything being said about the Minneapolis market. The U of M area may be tapped but that doesn't mean the bubble will necessarily burst, nor does it describe what the negative consequence of said burst would be (a reduction in rents? what?).

[Silophant]

That's a good question. Given that the University will always provide a steady, massive supply of reasonably location-locked renters, I have no idea what the negative consequence of a burst bubble could be. Well, for the renters. I can imagine some bad effects on the landlords.

[woofner]

Headline for tomorrow's Daily: CORPORATION ONLY CARES ABOUT PROFIT; Customer Alleges GreedCo Not Interested In How Her Day Went.

I can't believe that article wasted over 700 English language words and didn't get around to the concept that a company that specializes in building apartments may not also be a company that specializes in managing apartments. I'm a socialist and even I get that.