Anonymous wrote:The comments submitted by Ward 3 Vision for inclusion in DC's comprehensive plan do seem like a troll parody: encourage denser taller vibrant upscale mixed use development all over Ward 3.

Sounds great. I am going to support those comments.

Anonymous wrote:

There is a huge market overlap. Cathedral commons is not just a lunch place. Many of these students may have huge gaps in the afternoon as well. We're you ever in college? You're aware that you can set a schedule that's not necessarily 9-5? I'm not sure why it's so important to you to prove that Tenleytown and cc are on two entirely different planets. To those of us in the neighborhood it's simply which way do you want to walk? The thing limiting Tenleytown to fast express is the unheard of rents that landlords like any are charging. Remember armands was there for years until the uptick... Or maybe you aren't from the neighborhood for long and don't remember. - happy walker

Armand's owned that building, which made staying there til Jimmy passed away tenable, or maybe you have lived in the neighborhood a long time but didn't bother to know that.

Tenleytown has the quick food bonanza because of the concentration of high school, college and law students, as well as heavy commuter foot traffic. It's pretty simple.

The comments submitted by Ward 3 Vision for inclusion in DC's comprehensive plan do seem like a troll parody: encourage denser taller vibrant upscale mixed use development all over Ward 3.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ita. The community has been very supportive of all of AU expansion. It's a betrayal. I hope the tenley/Wesley crowd fight every new dorm proposal, go after them for maintaining /beautifying public space and their sidewalks, and fight their bus rumbling through and polluting Tenleytown every 15 min.

OMG this maybe the craziest post yet on here - the "community" has most certainly not been supportive of AU's expansion! If you pay attention to things you will notice that several of the folks who turned out to protest the Johnson's closing have been long time critics of AU.

And in one of the many inanities of the never ending process the people who fought AU building more on campus housing (on a surface parking lot no less) are the same people who complain about students living off campus! The activist crowd (which is actually made up of about 5 people with lots of time on their hands) in fact has been fighting the proposal to build more dorms even though it reduces the need for AU students to have cars or transit the neighborhood or live off campus - but don't look for any sort of rational thinking or philosophy from these geriatric nut jobs.

And you are an idiot if you are complaining about the AU shuttle bus which moves a massive number of people every day for free and helps to keep cars off the road - you seem like someone more scared about public transit than educated about it but if you have any awareness of what goes on in the neighborhood you'd be aware that anyone can ride the AU shuttle for free - its a reliable way to get from campus to the Metro.

Many college kids don't drive and would have to walk to get their burger, but aside from that - my point is that the community has been supportive or simply tolerant of Au's EVER expanding footprint, from buildings to buses. The streetscape of New Mexico /Nebraska is 100% changed from a mere 8 years ago. Perhaps the five who show up at those meetings simply see AU for what it has proven to be. A taker. People don't like user friends or institutions.

Again I wonder if we live in the same neighborhood.

Very few people are engaged with AU and I know this from first hand experience. Which is a shame because the people who are engaged are absolutely irrationally nuts and have given AU every reason to not make any effort to engage with the community in a positive way. There is absolutely no way to make any sound inferences about how the broader community feels about AU based on the tiny number of people who engage with them but that group has not been supportive or tolerant or reasonable. Also it is actually not true that AU's footprint has expanded - all of their recent construction has been on property they've owned for at least 30 years and in fact they reduced their net property holdings when they recent sold 3 commercial properties in Tenleytown and the recent on-campus housing that they've built has resulted in a measurable shift to more students living on campus which is something you'd think would be a net positive for AU haters.

Very little has changed on New Mexico except the corner of the new East Campus. The changes on Nebraska with the new SAIS building and the East Campus and the new wing of the Nebraska Ave dorm are all big improvements over what used to be there as is the new law school.

And again the AU shuttle bus is a big benefit to the community - I missed where they expanded it (one end of one route was tweaked a bit in response to community complaints) but if they did expand it that is something everyone should support.

As they say you are entitled to your own opinions but you are not entitled to your own facts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, both areas are frequented and supported by the same community. And there are two restaurants doing well in 'low density" New Mexico Ave. practically on Au's doorstep (and the mall is owned by them). Not sure why Tenleytown is getting no love/appreciation from AU. Their AU bus rolls through constantly all day. Perhaps that should be looked at. Would be good for the students to walk more.

It is unclear what point you are trying to make (a recurring theme in this awful thread) but no Tenleytown and Cathedral Commons are not at all the same area even if they are on the same corridor.

If you drive everywhere they may seem like the same place to you.

But the many students in the neighborhood at Wilson, AU and to a lesser extend GDS and Sidwell do not in fact drive everywhere nor do they have unlimited time to get food. And the AU shuttle bus does not serve Cathedral Commons nor is Cathedral Commons near a Metro station.

So yes they are distinct areas for those populations that aren't driving everywhere - I get that you live in Ward 3 and don't understand that some people have different means of getting around but the fact is that not everyone gets in their car for every thing they do and that includes people in your demographic.

I do not own a car and I walk. Both are easily reachable by foot and I consider both in my backyard. You make assumptions it seems like only someone who drives everywhere would make on behalf of my pedestrian community... there are also bike shares and easy 30 buses to hop on. If you visit any of the exercise classes on the upper level in cathedral commons they are full to the brim with students/ AU and more.

Sigh.

A student (or office worker for that matter) on lunch break is not going to walk 15 minutes each way to get lunch.

So effectively Cathedral Commons is serving a very different market.

And I'm aware of the buses and Capital Bikeshare - I'm pretty confident I use both of them more often than you do.

You're right. I don't use bikeshare. I use DC buses plenty and prefer them to metro. Why are you so driven to profile me? Get a job with the tsa or fbi and get the training you clearly require to put that desire to use for the common good.

I'm simply pointing out that you keep making assumptions that the choices you make about how you get around and where you choose to spend your money are not typical for the neighborhood - just because you have been around for a while and don't want things to change doesn't make you representative of anything. There are layers of things going on around you that you don't understand and fear - pay a little more attention to how things work and are changing and you might not be so fearful of what is going on. You might even realize that some change is good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, both areas are frequented and supported by the same community. And there are two restaurants doing well in 'low density" New Mexico Ave. practically on Au's doorstep (and the mall is owned by them). Not sure why Tenleytown is getting no love/appreciation from AU. Their AU bus rolls through constantly all day. Perhaps that should be looked at. Would be good for the students to walk more.

It is unclear what point you are trying to make (a recurring theme in this awful thread) but no Tenleytown and Cathedral Commons are not at all the same area even if they are on the same corridor.

If you drive everywhere they may seem like the same place to you.

But the many students in the neighborhood at Wilson, AU and to a lesser extend GDS and Sidwell do not in fact drive everywhere nor do they have unlimited time to get food. And the AU shuttle bus does not serve Cathedral Commons nor is Cathedral Commons near a Metro station.

So yes they are distinct areas for those populations that aren't driving everywhere - I get that you live in Ward 3 and don't understand that some people have different means of getting around but the fact is that not everyone gets in their car for every thing they do and that includes people in your demographic.

I do not own a car and I walk. Both are easily reachable by foot and I consider both in my backyard. You make assumptions it seems like only someone who drives everywhere would make on behalf of my pedestrian community... there are also bike shares and easy 30 buses to hop on. If you visit any of the exercise classes on the upper level in cathedral commons they are full to the brim with students/ AU and more.

Sigh.

A student (or office worker for that matter) on lunch break is not going to walk 15 minutes each way to get lunch.

So effectively Cathedral Commons is serving a very different market.

And I'm aware of the buses and Capital Bikeshare - I'm pretty confident I use both of them more often than you do.

There is a huge market overlap. Cathedral commons is not just a lunch place. Many of these students may have huge gaps in the afternoon as well. We're you ever in college? You're aware that you can set a schedule that's not necessarily 9-5? I'm not sure why it's so important to you to prove that Tenleytown and cc are on two entirely different planets. To those of us in the neighborhood it's simply which way do you want to walk? The thing limiting Tenleytown to fast express is the unheard of rents that landlords like any are charging. Remember armands was there for years until the uptick... Or maybe you aren't from the neighborhood for long and don't remember. - happy walker

You have no idea what you are talking about and are flailing around on here speculating about rents and the market but you have no insight on either.

Tenleytown has long had sit down restaurants and they have always struggled (and I've been in the neighborhood for a long time) and that is because the immediate neighborhood is full of students who like fast casual and the neighborhood lacks a large population of adults who want sit down.

I understand that you are scratching your head about this and thinking "But I want sit down restaurants!" but there are not enough of you - despite its apparent busyness Tenleytown is relatively low density and has almost no commercial office space now to generate anytime daytime demand for restaurants. But TT has lots and lots of students.

And I don't understand why you are struggling to get this but those students are not going to Cathedral Commons - it isn't convenient to them and doesn't offer dining options that are appealing to them. And BTW one of the reasons Cathedral Commons can support more restaurants is it has more population density nearby.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, both areas are frequented and supported by the same community. And there are two restaurants doing well in 'low density" New Mexico Ave. practically on Au's doorstep (and the mall is owned by them). Not sure why Tenleytown is getting no love/appreciation from AU. Their AU bus rolls through constantly all day. Perhaps that should be looked at. Would be good for the students to walk more.

It is unclear what point you are trying to make (a recurring theme in this awful thread) but no Tenleytown and Cathedral Commons are not at all the same area even if they are on the same corridor.

If you drive everywhere they may seem like the same place to you.

But the many students in the neighborhood at Wilson, AU and to a lesser extend GDS and Sidwell do not in fact drive everywhere nor do they have unlimited time to get food. And the AU shuttle bus does not serve Cathedral Commons nor is Cathedral Commons near a Metro station.

So yes they are distinct areas for those populations that aren't driving everywhere - I get that you live in Ward 3 and don't understand that some people have different means of getting around but the fact is that not everyone gets in their car for every thing they do and that includes people in your demographic.

I do not own a car and I walk. Both are easily reachable by foot and I consider both in my backyard. You make assumptions it seems like only someone who drives everywhere would make on behalf of my pedestrian community... there are also bike shares and easy 30 buses to hop on. If you visit any of the exercise classes on the upper level in cathedral commons they are full to the brim with students/ AU and more.

Sigh.

A student (or office worker for that matter) on lunch break is not going to walk 15 minutes each way to get lunch.

So effectively Cathedral Commons is serving a very different market.

And I'm aware of the buses and Capital Bikeshare - I'm pretty confident I use both of them more often than you do.

You're right. I don't use bikeshare. I use DC buses plenty and prefer them to metro. Why are you so driven to profile me? Get a job with the tsa or fbi and get the training you clearly require to put that desire to use for the common good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ita. The community has been very supportive of all of AU expansion. It's a betrayal. I hope the tenley/Wesley crowd fight every new dorm proposal, go after them for maintaining /beautifying public space and their sidewalks, and fight their bus rumbling through and polluting Tenleytown every 15 min.

OMG this maybe the craziest post yet on here - the "community" has most certainly not been supportive of AU's expansion! If you pay attention to things you will notice that several of the folks who turned out to protest the Johnson's closing have been long time critics of AU.

And in one of the many inanities of the never ending process the people who fought AU building more on campus housing (on a surface parking lot no less) are the same people who complain about students living off campus! The activist crowd (which is actually made up of about 5 people with lots of time on their hands) in fact has been fighting the proposal to build more dorms even though it reduces the need for AU students to have cars or transit the neighborhood or live off campus - but don't look for any sort of rational thinking or philosophy from these geriatric nut jobs.

And you are an idiot if you are complaining about the AU shuttle bus which moves a massive number of people every day for free and helps to keep cars off the road - you seem like someone more scared about public transit than educated about it but if you have any awareness of what goes on in the neighborhood you'd be aware that anyone can ride the AU shuttle for free - its a reliable way to get from campus to the Metro.

Many college kids don't drive and would have to walk to get their burger, but aside from that - my point is that the community has been supportive or simply tolerant of Au's EVER expanding footprint, from buildings to buses. The streetscape of New Mexico /Nebraska is 100% changed from a mere 8 years ago. Perhaps the five who show up at those meetings simply see AU for what it has proven to be. A taker. People don't like user friends or institutions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, both areas are frequented and supported by the same community. And there are two restaurants doing well in 'low density" New Mexico Ave. practically on Au's doorstep (and the mall is owned by them). Not sure why Tenleytown is getting no love/appreciation from AU. Their AU bus rolls through constantly all day. Perhaps that should be looked at. Would be good for the students to walk more.

It is unclear what point you are trying to make (a recurring theme in this awful thread) but no Tenleytown and Cathedral Commons are not at all the same area even if they are on the same corridor.

If you drive everywhere they may seem like the same place to you.

But the many students in the neighborhood at Wilson, AU and to a lesser extend GDS and Sidwell do not in fact drive everywhere nor do they have unlimited time to get food. And the AU shuttle bus does not serve Cathedral Commons nor is Cathedral Commons near a Metro station.

So yes they are distinct areas for those populations that aren't driving everywhere - I get that you live in Ward 3 and don't understand that some people have different means of getting around but the fact is that not everyone gets in their car for every thing they do and that includes people in your demographic.

I do not own a car and I walk. Both are easily reachable by foot and I consider both in my backyard. You make assumptions it seems like only someone who drives everywhere would make on behalf of my pedestrian community... there are also bike shares and easy 30 buses to hop on. If you visit any of the exercise classes on the upper level in cathedral commons they are full to the brim with students/ AU and more.

Sigh.

A student (or office worker for that matter) on lunch break is not going to walk 15 minutes each way to get lunch.

So effectively Cathedral Commons is serving a very different market.

And I'm aware of the buses and Capital Bikeshare - I'm pretty confident I use both of them more often than you do.

There is a huge market overlap. Cathedral commons is not just a lunch place. Many of these students may have huge gaps in the afternoon as well. We're you ever in college? You're aware that you can set a schedule that's not necessarily 9-5? I'm not sure why it's so important to you to prove that Tenleytown and cc are on two entirely different planets. To those of us in the neighborhood it's simply which way do you want to walk? The thing limiting Tenleytown to fast express is the unheard of rents that landlords like any are charging. Remember armands was there for years until the uptick... Or maybe you aren't from the neighborhood for long and don't remember. - happy walker

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, both areas are frequented and supported by the same community. And there are two restaurants doing well in 'low density" New Mexico Ave. practically on Au's doorstep (and the mall is owned by them). Not sure why Tenleytown is getting no love/appreciation from AU. Their AU bus rolls through constantly all day. Perhaps that should be looked at. Would be good for the students to walk more.

It is unclear what point you are trying to make (a recurring theme in this awful thread) but no Tenleytown and Cathedral Commons are not at all the same area even if they are on the same corridor.

If you drive everywhere they may seem like the same place to you.

But the many students in the neighborhood at Wilson, AU and to a lesser extend GDS and Sidwell do not in fact drive everywhere nor do they have unlimited time to get food. And the AU shuttle bus does not serve Cathedral Commons nor is Cathedral Commons near a Metro station.

So yes they are distinct areas for those populations that aren't driving everywhere - I get that you live in Ward 3 and don't understand that some people have different means of getting around but the fact is that not everyone gets in their car for every thing they do and that includes people in your demographic.

I do not own a car and I walk. Both are easily reachable by foot and I consider both in my backyard. You make assumptions it seems like only someone who drives everywhere would make on behalf of my pedestrian community... there are also bike shares and easy 30 buses to hop on. If you visit any of the exercise classes on the upper level in cathedral commons they are full to the brim with students/ AU and more.

Sigh.

A student (or office worker for that matter) on lunch break is not going to walk 15 minutes each way to get lunch.

So effectively Cathedral Commons is serving a very different market.

And I'm aware of the buses and Capital Bikeshare - I'm pretty confident I use both of them more often than you do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It all sounds good, but here's the "money shot" quote:

While acknowledging that Johnson’s has been a
valued tenant and the neighboring community benefits from Johnson’s
services, our fiduciary responsibility to be good stewards of limited
University resources dictated that we could not agree to an arrangement
with terms substantially below market value for the location.

A plant nursery just isn't going to be able to pay as much in rent as another yet national bank branch or a chain restaurant, and certainly won't offer to same real estate 'market value' potetnial as dense redevelopment into more "Generica" mixed-use. But in the process, we lose essential neighborhood-serving businesses on which the community has depended for a long time. As a tax-exempt organization that benefits from paying virtually no local taxes, AU should also consider its stewardship responsibilities in the community, rather than imagining itself as a wannabe hedge fund portfolio manager.

I disagree. Having Johnson's was not the best use of the space and it certainly shouldn't be up to AU to subsidize Johnson's business model. I would be disappointed if they get a bank branch or some other crappy tenant, but it certainly doesn't sound like that is the intention.

If Johnson's were so vital to the neighborhood and so supported, there wouldn't be so many DC tags in the American Plant(s) on River Road. Clearly people who voting with their pocketbook. While I loved having Johnsons's there, it wasn't the same store over the past 10 years in quality of customer service.

More vibrant upscale Millenial mini-units on top of another Five Guys and a CVS. Just what the neighborhood needs, especially after Cathedral Commons, Wegmans Town Center, GDS Harvard Square, etc. But you'll have to drive miles to the Maryland suburbs to buy a flat of plants or to get your shoes re-heeled.

Is there really something illogical about having to drive a mile to the American Plant Center on River Rd for something that most people buy once or twice a year? We go to CVS 2-3 times a week. We also eat out a couple of times a week. Garden supplies we get infrequently. I'm really having a hard time getting my head around the central grievance here - that peoples lives are ruined because they have to travel a short distance for something they only very rarely need to buy. Or am I missing something? I'm certainly not going to miss Johnson's and we did actually shop there.

Well, the immediate neighborhood is filled with gardeners. It was a nice outing to do with your kids. They did flowers in a pinch - bouquets and also corsages etc. I bought a few last minute there. And in some ways it was one more "green space"--open and airy with plants on the sidewalk in an area that feels like it is getting too rapidly built up. Plus, it was an institution. There's a huge body of research on the importance of connections and relationships. Otherwise we are just in some sci fi consumer future where our material needs are taken cared of, but not our social and emotional ones. And that impacts both neighborhood and individual health. I think AU struck a blow against both, in that for all it's 'wisdom' it could not recognize a few simple values.

Are you nuts?

I love this line:

There's a huge body of research on the importance of connections and relationships.

You've exposed a great danger to our community - all of our relationships are going to be shot because the only retailer in the community anyone in the community went to is closing!

You certainly don't sound like a parent - I'm one and taking the kids to Johnson's has zero appeal to me and given how curmudgeonly you come across I have a feeling you would have glared at me if I had brought them.

Also it is absurd to argue that Johnson's was a greenspace - the physical form of the store was dominated by an asphalt parking lot which was usually a nightmare that also spilled out into the street blocking the sidewalk and adjacent bike lane. I guess there is something airy about hanging out in a parking lot but there are lots of other places in the neighborhood where you can still do that so if that is how your social and emotional needs are being met you'll be just fine - the CVS parking lot in TT is particularly stimulating and social.

BTW what is rapidly being built-up in the community?

The handful of projects we've had have retained existing buildings and simply converted them and in fact that is mostly what is happening with the projects at 4000 Wisconsin and Fannie Mae.

You need to spend a little more time in your garden and a little less time being paranoid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, both areas are frequented and supported by the same community. And there are two restaurants doing well in 'low density" New Mexico Ave. practically on Au's doorstep (and the mall is owned by them). Not sure why Tenleytown is getting no love/appreciation from AU. Their AU bus rolls through constantly all day. Perhaps that should be looked at. Would be good for the students to walk more.

It is unclear what point you are trying to make (a recurring theme in this awful thread) but no Tenleytown and Cathedral Commons are not at all the same area even if they are on the same corridor.

If you drive everywhere they may seem like the same place to you.

But the many students in the neighborhood at Wilson, AU and to a lesser extend GDS and Sidwell do not in fact drive everywhere nor do they have unlimited time to get food. And the AU shuttle bus does not serve Cathedral Commons nor is Cathedral Commons near a Metro station.

So yes they are distinct areas for those populations that aren't driving everywhere - I get that you live in Ward 3 and don't understand that some people have different means of getting around but the fact is that not everyone gets in their car for every thing they do and that includes people in your demographic.

I do not own a car and I walk. Both are easily reachable by foot and I consider both in my backyard. You make assumptions it seems like only someone who drives everywhere would make on behalf of my pedestrian community... there are also bike shares and easy 30 buses to hop on. If you visit any of the exercise classes on the upper level in cathedral commons they are full to the brim with students/ AU and more.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It all sounds good, but here's the "money shot" quote:

While acknowledging that Johnson’s has been a
valued tenant and the neighboring community benefits from Johnson’s
services, our fiduciary responsibility to be good stewards of limited
University resources dictated that we could not agree to an arrangement
with terms substantially below market value for the location.

A plant nursery just isn't going to be able to pay as much in rent as another yet national bank branch or a chain restaurant, and certainly won't offer to same real estate 'market value' potetnial as dense redevelopment into more "Generica" mixed-use. But in the process, we lose essential neighborhood-serving businesses on which the community has depended for a long time. As a tax-exempt organization that benefits from paying virtually no local taxes, AU should also consider its stewardship responsibilities in the community, rather than imagining itself as a wannabe hedge fund portfolio manager.

I disagree. Having Johnson's was not the best use of the space and it certainly shouldn't be up to AU to subsidize Johnson's business model. I would be disappointed if they get a bank branch or some other crappy tenant, but it certainly doesn't sound like that is the intention.

If Johnson's were so vital to the neighborhood and so supported, there wouldn't be so many DC tags in the American Plant(s) on River Road. Clearly people who voting with their pocketbook. While I loved having Johnsons's there, it wasn't the same store over the past 10 years in quality of customer service.

More vibrant upscale Millenial mini-units on top of another Five Guys and a CVS. Just what the neighborhood needs, especially after Cathedral Commons, Wegmans Town Center, GDS Harvard Square, etc. But you'll have to drive miles to the Maryland suburbs to buy a flat of plants or to get your shoes re-heeled.

Is there really something illogical about having to drive a mile to the American Plant Center on River Rd for something that most people buy once or twice a year? We go to CVS 2-3 times a week. We also eat out a couple of times a week. Garden supplies we get infrequently. I'm really having a hard time getting my head around the central grievance here - that peoples lives are ruined because they have to travel a short distance for something they only very rarely need to buy. Or am I missing something? I'm certainly not going to miss Johnson's and we did actually shop there.

Well, the immediate neighborhood is filled with gardeners. It was a nice outing to do with your kids. They did flowers in a pinch - bouquets and also corsages etc. I bought a few last minute there. And in some ways it was one more "green space"--open and airy with plants on the sidewalk in an area that feels like it is getting too rapidly built up. Plus, it was an institution. There's a huge body of research on the importance of connections and relationships. Otherwise we are just in some sci fi consumer future where our material needs are taken cared of, but not our social and emotional ones. And that impacts both neighborhood and individual health. I think AU struck a blow against both, in that for all it's 'wisdom' it could not recognize a few simple values.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To start building on and around Upper Wisconsin NOW is a little late to the game, what with many closer in places exploding. Does anyone besides me remember when all the large buildings went up on Connecticut Avenue in the late 79s, early 80s? It took 20 years before the early buyer could onload those things and recoup their costs.

What large buildings went up on Connecticut Ave in the late 70's and early 80's? There are almost no buildings from that era on CT Ave so please enlighten us.

The ugly heavy square ones around Van Ness and paying further north.

Those buildings are older than that but in any case are mostly rentals - your paranoia is coloring your attempt to make up facts.

Anonymous wrote:It all sounds good, but here's the "money shot" quote:

While acknowledging that Johnson’s has been a
valued tenant and the neighboring community benefits from Johnson’s
services, our fiduciary responsibility to be good stewards of limited
University resources dictated that we could not agree to an arrangement
with terms substantially below market value for the location.

A plant nursery just isn't going to be able to pay as much in rent as another yet national bank branch or a chain restaurant, and certainly won't offer to same real estate 'market value' potetnial as dense redevelopment into more "Generica" mixed-use. But in the process, we lose essential neighborhood-serving businesses on which the community has depended for a long time. As a tax-exempt organization that benefits from paying virtually no local taxes, AU should also consider its stewardship responsibilities in the community, rather than imagining itself as a wannabe hedge fund portfolio manager.

Not that there is anything logical in any of these posts but what you should say here is that they are aspiring to manage a REIT. What you are trying to allege has nothing to do with hedge funds.

And since you are struggling with logic here no a plant nursery probably can't swing the rents other tenants can in an urban area and certainly not on a per square foot basis - Johnson's used a lot of space to sell what I presume were relatively low margin goods and if you shop their regularly you also know they do most of their business over a couple of months in the spring. Since most people drive to get garden supplies there really wasn't much advantage to Johnson's being in an urban location - they were paying a premium for something of little advantage to them.