An "Impatient" Hunt on Lower Greenville Redo

• Sweet, just what the neighborhood needs, a roach coach trailer park.

• Jesus used a food truck to heal the lepers.

• I like power lines above the sidewalk. They add character to the neighborhood.

• Yes! Cedar Springs area needs alot of improvement as well please! More cops, more cameras, more help! And I grew up in Austin and i can tell you there is a feeling of "lets help eachother out and atleast try to be nice to everybody" type mentality down there. I couldn't tell you how it happened. And I am only referring to Southwest Austin area. But whatever Austin did I want Dallas to follow. I say bring on the food trucks, flowers or whatever else could help improve the area. The city never said this will solve all the crime down there magically. But every baby step helps. The city of Austin and its people are obviously doing something right or it wouldn't be ranked as one of the top cities in the nation to live in!

• I say just move the power lines behind the building rather then infront of the building. Cost less and solves the problem.

• "The problem with this is that no consideration was given to the people who currently patronize the area." The funny thing is you give no consideration to the people who live in the area.

• The Austin Sctick...wow. Trailers? The hipster ethos transported to every single part of the city. What part of that is appealing to the demographic who visit lower Greenville? I mean, this sounds well and fine, but the demographic that currently goes to Greenville won't be terribly interested, and the hipster demographic as well as the Dallas deuche demographic already have areas (OakCliff, Henderson, Uptown, Deep Ellum) that appeal to them... The problem with this is that no consideration was given to the people who currently patronize the area. Of course, why WOULD anyone consider them when they're all "latino gang bangers, frat boys, and hooligans". Of course, 98% of the people never caused an incident and were simply there to have a good time. But the fact that this point is never stressed boggles my mind, and it's how you come up with a plan for an area that does nothing to appeal to the population that patronizes it and brings in dollars. Instead it's a city-sponsored and completely inorganic effort at creating an Austin style Shangri-La. I've said before there were problems on Greenville, but this Austin schtick is not the solution. I'm sure it will all be fine, but nothing near what could have been accomplished with a more balanced and holistic effort not tinged by undertones of intolerance that have permeated this whole debate. The biggest improvement to the street will be getting the 10,000 unnecessary cops off the street that will probably accompany it. None of this required SUP's or all the hullaballoo that's come along with this whole effort.

• @JBH You bring up a good point regarding ongoing maintenance. What NYC has done is create a Business Improvement District (BID), which assesses a small tax on the surrounding businesses (need to have a minimum of 51% of biz support). This tax goes directly back to the BID and funds three things: Upgrades/Improvements, Maintenance, and Programming. Relying on the city to maintain these developments has been the problem in the past...public works is in the business of building, but not so much administering (I'm not saying this is good or bad, just reality). NYC has found that businesses that sign up to create a BID are happy because they know that the taxes they are paying for this go directly into their area (unlike all others which are distributed throughout the city)...plus, the BID is keeping the area active and utilized (that's why programming is needed). From here on out, when we begin building these new "walkable/livable" areas, we do need to build in the ongoing maint./programming so that the investment is worthwhile, and I see that is being a new focus as well. Here's more on NYC's BID's: http://www.nyc.gov/html/sbs/html/neighborhood/bid.shtml

• What is Benavides smoking. The plan to make Greenville and Matilda each one way was totaly dumb. The problem now is late night bars not the street, except for the potholes between Ross and Belmont. Now before the food trailers they were going to build a nice building but then the economy went in the tank and they have to do something with the vacant lot.

• Angela Hunt is a voice of reason on a City Council gunning it in a handbasket to hell.

• The Cedar Springs strip is another block that could use some serious re-imagining. It needs improved lighting and repaved streets (and a bike lane). A police camera or two would help identify some of the muggings that take place constantly along Reagan, Throckmorton, etc.

• "Second, some folks had wondered if we could get rid of the overhead powerlines on the east side of the street. " I've long thought Deep Ellum could use the same treatment.

• When it comes to burying power lines, that would more than likely qualify under some sort of government re-dev grant program. I say look for the money and get it done accordingly, not just on lowest greenville, but places like Deep Ellum as well.

• Can you find out how or who plans to pay for the upkeep of these enhancements? Spending money on trees, flower boxes, upgraded street lights, benches, etc. sounds like a good idea, but I've seen other areas where the city has invested in such amenities and in six months the area looks like crap again because of lack of maintenance and general upkeep. Someone has to water the plants, replace dead plants, remove the graffiti, pick the cigarette butts out of the planters and fix the broken benches. Areas of the city where this investment has been made and the accouterments still looks decent, typically an entity such as a PID is usually involved to keep everything looking spiffy. What are the plans for Greenville? Please don't tell me it's the city's responsibility or we are just throwing good money after bad.

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