Friday, May 02, 2008

Design flaws

Clark Brink Jr. is in a unique situation to become a pioneer at the southern gateway of Saratoga Springs. With plans in the works to replace his McDonald’s franchise on South Broadway, the franchisee could demonstrate the ability of a major corporation to understand and adhere to city ordinances, rather than sending lawyers to wrangle and beg until they get their way.

Brink is planning to demolish the 1960s-era McDonald’s and replace it with ones similar to his franchises in Greenwich and Mechanicville. The plans are somewhat welcome, considering his existing building in the Spa City is a rotting piece of urban blight. And that’s putting it nicely.

But Brink –or rather his planners at Bohler Engineering –neglected to read the city’s 32-page diagram-filled zoning ordinance. Or at least that’s what one might surmise given the project they’ve pitched as a replacement for this unsightly structure. Most notably, the three designs pitched to the city lacked the requisite two stories and didn’t occupy 70 percent of the lot’s street frontage.

His consolation for these omissions amounted to one less curb-cut than the three that exist today and replacing a vile building with a structure that will probably look equally vile in 20 years. So it’s not too surprising his plans have been met with a bit of consternation. Were they not a bit anxious about the plan, the city might as well treat the goddamn comprehensive plan for a ride through the paper shredder.

For decades, Brink’s restaurant has served as a lingering reminder of the wanton disregard city planners once had for South Broadway. It was a time when the city’s grand hotels and rolling piazzas crumbled to the ground, only to be replaced by the unsightly shopping malls, acres of pavement and dingy fast-food eateries.

Much of the emphasis of urban planning has changed since then, at least from a municipal prospective. Many planners have realized storefronts located on the beaten path draw more pedestrian traffic than those located in front of a sprawling 100-space parking lot. Many aspire to connect streetscape skylines, creating a more contiguous feel for downtown regions.

The problem is the McDonald’s corporation doesn’t necessarily buy into these concepts. Why the fast food chain is ambitiously working with franchise owners to replace its Capital Region restaurants, they’re all conspicuously looking like buildings pried from the same mold. Perhaps this is the standard for bustling roadways in Mechanicville or even Clifton Park, where a similar structure was built.

In Saratoga Springs, however, there’s been a nearly decade-long push to polish the tarnished street front of South Broadway. The city has embarked on an ambitious project to reconstruct the curbs and sidewalks, allowing them to match those built near the park during the 1990s. Yet the buildings along this area seem woeful when compared to their northern neighbors.

Brink is in the position to build a structure both adequate for his restaurant and fitting with the other structures in the city, rather than his block. And if one land owner builds an attractive building conforming to the city’s zoning, then perhaps others will follow suit.

Time will only tell the direction of this project; whether Brick will come back with something fitting the city’s character or try to slip the standard corporate McDonald’s through the filter of the Zoning Board. Some have already indicated frustration with how long the project has remained under contemplation with the city, so it won’t be surprising if the lawyers get involved, CVS-style.

Instead, Brink and his engineers should take a good look at the buildings on South Broadway that have endured more than a century and then craft their design in accordance. If they do, chances are pretty good they’ll develop something that will last, rather than becoming the latest McDonald’s architectural fad to face wrecking crews several years down the road.

38 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think this is great! A new McDonald's! Now maybe even ignorant
assholes like John Tighe can get a job. It would do him good to get the hell off the blogs he spends all day and night on. John, can you say "supersize that value meal?"

12:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Clark Brinks cares about one thing making money. He does this by selling burgers keeping his overhead low and paying his help the lowest wage the Government and the local employment market will allow. Nothing wrong with this it’s the McDonalds business model.

For them to invest one dime in anything other then the marketing of their product is simply unrealistic. They just won’t do it unless they are dragged kicking and screaming and are forced to act in a creative manner that is alien to there whole way of thinking. Brinks whole corporate mentality is to follow the company guidelines and who could blame him. The burger flipping business has made him a wealthy man. I do wonder though when I see all the McDonalds ads how often Brinks takes his own family to eat there.

1:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Doesn't that picture resemble that democrat that is new to the committee coming in on McTygue's coat tails? This is fun! I will do this more often. Oh! back to what I was talking about. His name is Tige. I will be disposing of him directly.

1:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Burger Brinks is one cheap man. You ever try to hit him up for any Charity. One sentence “FORGET ABOUT IT”

Good luck to any body who thinks they can get him to spend one more dime then he has to.

2:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So Brinks Lawyers will talk.

"The time has come,"
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

Lewis Carroll

So Brinks and his Lawyers will ague for many hours about the importance and the appearance of a burger joint on Broadway.
If all that time and energy could only be put towards a good purpose

3:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah it needs little horsey's and little black lawn jockeys to be authentic Saratoga.

7:56 PM  
Blogger Horatio Alger said...

1:46 and 2:07,

I've got no problem with him making millions or being stingy. I do have a problem with the garbage shoveled out of that place and what it does to people, but that's a personal issue, and one almost wholly unrelated to Brink as a businessman.

But if he continues to push a cookie-cutter McDonald's like the one pictured in this post and thinks he can subvert city zoning as long as he keeps submitting the same design at infinitum and boasting how green it is, then we're going to have issues. Sure the plans look better than what's there now. But so would a pile of horse shit.

Frankly, I hope makes the right decision on his own. But if he doesn't, I would certainly support the city stymieing the project until that pile of horse shit turns to compost. That McDonald's has to be among the top grossing in the county. The least this guy can do is give us a two-story conforming building. It's not going to cost him much more than the cookie cutter he's trying to push through now.

And if he does leave the existing building there, hopefully someone has the sense enough to leave a filled gas can and a book of matches near it on a hot summer evening.

9:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Food for thought Horatio - "The least this guy can do is give us a two-story conforming building."

A real two-story building? Or one like the CVS that suggests its height but will add no more to the density than a Disneyland Mainstreet frontier town pompadour.

The tax structure of the commercial district fails to induce property owners to go up – even to the “conforming” heights of the not-so-well-planned T-zones. An imaginary second or third floor (and that has been done) will visually fool most people into believing that there is a South Broadway but it will, still only be a one-story McDo Hambu.

But what does that say for the public that often demands its new construction to “look old-fashioned”? Is this really an “1899” City? The trivial attention given to fake Victorian decoration takes away from the real Magilla. If this were western Kansas, would we require our new buildings to be made out of “fake sod”?

A fear of “real design”, encourages imitation, in our case, taking parts out of a Victorian Lego box and calling it “classical”. Maybe the acceptable theme will be a “crafty” bungalow with a drive-thru or a "two-storied" Parthenon styled fast food establishment?

4:35 AM  
Blogger BlueDog said...

Here's where the city council can show some guts and come together for once to work for the community. If you've seen the McEDees in Freeport Maine you know that fast food joints can contribute to aesthetic appeal. South Broadway needs more buildings like the old Victorian small hotels/boarding houses which start with the Washington Inn and end with the Kimberly House. C'mon lets use some creativity and make it happen. Over time the whole strip could come together to create a grand entrance to a grand city.

5:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

“until that pile of horse shit turns to compost.”

If this happens its time for the heath and safety inspectors to shut him down.

I already don’t let my kids play there. The children’s area is run down dirty and has enough exposed steel bolts and rivets to cut a child. The floor is dirty, tiles are coming up and I swear I saw rodent dropping last winter.

6:41 AM  
Blogger Horatio Alger said...

4:35,

You make good points. I was thinking more in terms of a functional second floor, and definitely not the franken-structure like CVS. But I think you're slightly misinterpreting what I'm asking for. There are examples of innovative architecture that has both conform to zoning standards, are in fitting with the building style and bring a unique look to the city.

I'm not asking that he recreate a mini-Grand Hotel, just that his architects look at the block in context of what is there now and what is likely to be there 50 years from now. True, there's never any way of knowing what will survive the test of time. But if I were a betting man, I'd be more willing to put my money on a building like the Carriage House Inn(technically on the cusp of South Broadway) than the shopping plaza housing Drive-Thru Video.

Bluedog,

I agree. There ARE examples of McDonald's that have gone above and beyond the standard designs. Unfortunately, most of the ones I've seen were either in another country or built in an existing building already conforming to design standards or both. Nevertheless, the city is within their rights to hold this guy accountable, just as he's in his right to push cheap, unhealthy food from his restaurant. I just don't want to see anything like the Clifton Park McDonalds built on that plot. On a side note, the McDonald's pictured on the post was built in Pennsylvania; it was designed by the same company pushing Brink's design.

Like I said, I hope there's a comfortable medium. The fellow seems willing to work with the city, but so do all developers from the outset.

6:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Horatio, let's not ruin a good thing.

Not that I ever eat that garbage, but where will the masses get all of those 99cent happy meals after they have to raise their prices because you want them to build a tashmahal?

Bye the time you get done with them, McDonalds will just be another typical high end Saratoga fine dining establishment.

8:53 AM  
Blogger Horatio Alger said...

Shot,

Fine dining and McDonald's. That's hilarious. Kind of reminds me of the time I was in New Hampshire and saw goddamn lobster rolls on the menu. Get a lobster roll value meal! Super-grease it for an extra dollar!

I'll preface this rant by assuming your comment is a bit tongue in cheek...but I can tell you from a food industry prospective: they are making beaucoup bucks at that grease pit, my friend. Fast food is almost all profit. If it wasn't, you sure as hell wouldn't get a dollar value meal and you wouldn't see them spreading across the globe like the bubonic plague.

The thing is, everything can be prepared by a monkey, so you really don't have to pay anyone. It's all pre-portioned, so there's hardly any waste. The expensive items on your menu(beef and chicken) are all things taken from a frozen state and basically microwaved to temp. And the quality of these items is basically on the level that they just barely pass for hog slop. The menu seldom changes, so it's easy to conduct inventory. All you need to turn a sizable profit is enough rubes to come in and buy the shit(which the South Broadway McDonald's certainly has).

So if Brink is a man of his word, I would encourage him to take a few shillings out of his money bag and at least aesthetically sugar coat the vileness of what is sold inside. It's the very least he can do for turning a profit from making people fat and unhealthy.

11:31 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Check out the slide show accompanying this article for the "modern" McDonalds design. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_20/b3984065.htm

I prefer the nostalgia of 1970s kitsch McDonalds to crap contemporary. Basically, they are making them look Starbucks or a budget Panera. This is a corporate plan. Getting anything else will be hard but it is worth fighting for.

12:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To Anon 6:41 AM

Bravo for not taking your kids to that shithole.

But I would suggest even if they built a mini free Disneyworld you don’t take your kids there. I doubt Brinks brings his family there for anything other then to collect the money on there way to Hawaii.

2:38 PM  
Blogger Ben Arnold said...

Can you say 2-story victorian playground?

8:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ben Arnold said...

"Can you say 2-story victorian playground?"

Yes, you are right. That McDonalds on the south side of Ballston Spa before Rte 67 is a 2-story playground. I also hear it is their busiest location. I know many of the Ballston School teachers eat there. Yummy

Horatio, that should satisfy your architectural appetite.

9:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Clark Brink has the city council right where he wants it: A Republican majority of three out of five members, fortified by a Republican wannabe (John Franck), who all believe that business owners are always right and government regulation is always wrong.

There's no doubt whatsoever that Brink will get exactly what he wants because the Republicans won't lift a finger to stop him.

7:18 AM  
Blogger Horatio Alger said...

7:18,

Actually, you're a bit mislead here. The City Council has nothing to do with this decision, unless it's through overt coercion of Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals members. As it stands now, this is a decision that rests solely with Brink. And his choices are as follows:

1. Revise the design so that it conforms to city zoning ordinances and try to get it passed at the planning level, where he'll need approvals for both his design and the demolition of the existing structure.

2. Stick with his original designs and seek a variance through the zoning board of appeals, and then seek site plan approval from the planning board.

3. Tell the city to go fuck itself, hire an attorney and start arguing his property should be exempt from recent amendments to the zoning ordinance; maybe have an incoherent babble about grandfather clauses and whatnot.

4. Keep the building the way it is and tell the city to go fuck itself.

My guess is that he'll probably do number two(not to be confused with 'a' number two), and bank on convincing the ZBA of the new building's environmental benefits and so forth in seeking the variance. He also has the Dunkin Donuts down the street as proof of the city allowing such nonconforming designs.

The bottom line is Brink recognizes how much of a wreck his building is right now and that it's probably turning off some customers at this point. At the very least, it's costing him to maintain(hence his slipping in the comment about building a so-called 'green' restaurant; hint: it's not 'cause he wants to save the whales). His cheapest option is to demo the whole building and hire a McDonald's approved contractor to design and build the same restaurant that is popping up all over the Capital Region and the Northeast. That's why he floated a test balloon to see if the planners would simply be awed by replacing what has clearly become an eyesore in an area of the city in dire need of some sprucing. This balloon has since been shot down, for all intents and purposes.

In response to the partisan side of your statement, I'll offer you this list of ZBA members:

Kaplan - appointed by Lenz
Macica - appointed by Johnson
Kennedy - appointed by Klotz
Stuchin - appointed by Lenz
Schreck - appointed by Klotz
Maguire - appointed by Keehn
Goldberg(chairwoman) - appointed by Klotz

So basically, the Republican appointees are a minority on the board, which is actually fairly well balanced. Nevertheless, all of their email addresses and phone numbers are posted publicly on the city's Web site, so I'd urge you to bring the matter up with them, in the even Brink decides to seek a variance. If nothing else, urge them to push partisan politics aside for the good of the city.

9:38 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Forget McDonald's... how about a Sonic??!!

2:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

" ... starting new will offer the opportunity to start new, and integrate “green” technologies.

“We will pull in latest and greatest from a green standpoint, it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

OK, so WTF is with this statement?

“The interior will be very contemporary. There won’t be a fluorescent light in the place . . Brink said.

The old dingy trademark yellow flourescents of McD's aren't pretty but new flourescents are certainly green.

Perhaps McD's is going to use all LED lighting. Now that would be impressive and 'it would be the right thing to do'!

Also, ”There will be ..., and different seating elevations,” Brink said.

How about different seating elevations as in two stories like in NYC - Duh.

Just take a look at some of the McD's throughout the older European cities to see something halfway decent and responsible.

But then again this is just Saratoga Springs. The only thing that counts here is ramming through one CF after another and saving as much money as possible.

7:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

“4. Keep the building the way it is and tell the city to go fuck itself.”

If Burger Brinks wants to be a dick and go this route the city has some options.

1. Play hardball sent in the safety inspectors. I know of one inspector in the Fire Dept who can be quite tough. I have no doubt a serious inspection would turn up some code violations.
2. Send in the Health inspectors the place looks filthy to the customers eye one can only imagine what an eager Heath inspector could find.


The question is does the City have the will to play there hand or would this be only a bluff.



I understand Brinks is quite cheap and has contributed very little to either Political Party. This might come back to haunt him as he finds his calls to city officials fall on deaf hears and its hard for a Burger Baron to find any kind of Public Support either.

11:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Design Review Commission (DRC)will have the ultimate duty of voting on the final design of this building. There is alot that can be done to satisfy everyone. The building should make a big statement and that will drive the rest of South Broadway with it. The new sidewalks and greenspace already looks great by Spa City Diner.
lets keep the focus on the design.

7:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just remember people all of these extra nice buildings and regulations that you folks want these "devious businessmen" to build and adhere to also have be replicated by the average Joe.
Your elitist demands are responsible for driving everyone out of this town that does have deep pockets.
These same people that you are driving out of town are also taking the flavor and ingenuity with them that made Saratoga what it is.

I agree with most on this thread that the product Clark Brink produces is only fractional healthier than what is produced in backyard meth labs.
I stop at these types of businesses to use the men’s room and generally only buy a cup of coffee as payment.
But in admiration of Mr. Bink, I wonder how many of us have been responsible for meeting the payroll and employing all of the people he has for as long as he has.

8:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Isn't it possible to give constructive criticism on a project without attacking the person behind the project? But what can you expect from people who can't spell or write, who don't even know the difference between "there" and "their"? Come on people, why stoop to calling Clark Brink "cheap" and "devious" when you don't even know him? (By the way, I do know him...and he's a fine human being.) To maintain a business, an owner has to make a profit, bottom line. How else can they cover their costs and pay their employees? Does this make him or her greedy? Maybe you don't frequent fast food establishments, but obviously many do or there wouldn't be a market for them. So stick to commenting on the project. Whatever Clark puts up in place of the existing eyesore will be an improvement. One story or two, I personally don't care. But let's work with him rather than against him.

And Horatio, the past tense of mislead is misled. And why do you make the assumption that Clark doesn't take his children for fast food? I believe he does, but what difference does that make? I heard about your blog only a week ago. I like your photos and I respect your right to your opinions. But I find it interesting that you bill yourself as an alternative to the failings of local journalism and then you only use these local newspapers for your information. Why use only secondary sources rather than interviewing people directly? Why not be a good journalist and come out of the closet? There is no need to remain anonymous.

6:31 AM  
Blogger Horatio Alger said...

6:31,

It certainly is. I've tried to keep my comments regarding this proposal as constructive as possible. And you're right. I don't know Brink personally and would refrain from passing any judgment on his character.

What I have said and will continue to say is that this project will give people a good idea of his character, especially if he argues until the city buckles to a building similar to the one picture in the post. I maintain Brink could be a leader on South Broadway and build a structure that both conforms to city ordinance and draws praise from those spearheading South Broadway beautification.

As per point about grammar, these are issues my loyal readership have contended with for years now. I think it's blisteringly evident that this isn't some sort of massive production, with a staff of hundreds. Mistakes are made, certainly. But I sure as shit don't need the fucking grammar police to explain the laws of the English language to me. A simple "dude, there's an error here," will do, thank you. And you can make that in the comment section with all my assurances that the mistake will be corrected.

Last of all, I use my sources when they're available. But often times, I rely on the media to bring news to me. Mind you, this is an unpaid endeavor and not one that I can spend eight hours a day pursuing. If you're interested, I urge you to unwrite the blog, fund my relatively paltry annual salary and we'll change all of that. This is an alternate take on the news being pushed out there, often adding a reflective look that is omitted from newspapers and television.

As for anonymity, there are reasons for mine, just like I'm sure there are reasons for yours. Feel free to forward me your e-mail address and if ever I feel compelled to explain my anonymity further, you'll be the first one to know.

9:51 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You guys have strayed too far from what is important in life.
The guy is building a hamburger joint not a library.
Drive through Vermont and you will see Town Halls that are 200 year old wooden structures dignified by history and purpose. Their baseball fields and recreational areas are no more than roughly graded farmland with none of the bells and whistles that are mandatory in our area.
You people have lost sight of what is important and what is not.
Stop being so anxious to spend other peoples money on foolish ideas that do nothing to improve the quality of life for Saratogains.

5:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"What I have said and will continue to say is that this project will give people a good idea of his character"

So now you are the character cop.

If he decides to build something that meets your approval, he has good character.
If he basically replicates what is already there he lacks character.

Let's extend this out.
People who live in or build trailer parks lack character.
People who live in or build mansions on North Broadway have character.

12:19 PM  
Blogger Horatio Alger said...

Shot,

You're twisting my words into an entirely different meaning.

If he decides to build something THAT CONFORMS TO OUR ZONING, he's already one step in the right direction when it comes to character, seeing as though this is the adopted vision of the community. If he lawyers up, hunkers down and fights to put something there that doesn't conform to the aforementioned guidelines for South Broadway(mind you, not MY vision, not YOUR vision, but OUR vision; i.e. the comprehensive plan), then I'd say he's taking a step in the wrong direction when it comes to character. But that's my subjective opinion and, as I've already said, I'm not in the business of judging Brink's character at this point.

I never suggested he would basically replicate "what is already there." That would make him a moron and the laughing stock of the city. What I tried to convey through words and graphics was the "new" cookie-cutter approach to the McDonald's design will ultimately look much like the "old" cookie-cutter approach that stands as a lasting eyesore; it looked just as ridiculous in the 1980s as it does today.

What would make Brink an innovator would be to build a structure that adequately serves his needs but also leaves a lasting and endearing legacy to him on that street, that would stand the test of time and remain within the style outlined in...drum roll please...The comprehensive plan. I'd offer innovation as a sign of good character, were I making judgments as such(which I'm not).

So don't give me this bullshit about North Broadway and trailer parks. That's not the argument and you should be able to recognize that.

PS. You may have driven through Vermont, but you obviously haven't brushed up against their regulatory process. The one major difference between Vermont and New York is that the whole bloody Green Mountain state isn't much larger than the Capital Region and can thus operate more efficiently. But you're kidding yourself if you think they're rubber-stamping McDonald's over there. Contemporary urban planning, the same verbiage that is basically written into the Saratoga Springs zoning ordinance, was pretty much born in Vermont.

10:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well I do know Clark Brink and he is one cheap son-of-a-bitch. Go ahead and ask anyone who ever worked for him.

3:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Forgive me if I don’t shed a tear for Brinks.

See, I pay Taxes and my taxes directly subsidies his dismal wages.

Every time when one of his full time workers shows up at the ER with no insurance and qualifies for Medicaid I pay for it.


Every time when one of his full time workers applies for and is given public housing or subsidizes housing because of the ridiculously low wages I pay for it.


Every time when one of his full time workers applies for and is given food stamps I pay for it.


To Rev Ekland who feeds Brink’s full time workers in Saratoga’s federal subsidized soup kitchen I pay for it.


So asking him to built a zoning conforming building doesn’t seem a lot to ask.


I know what you going to say so I’ll save you the time.


Brinks workers are free to quit.

Brinks pay’s the federal and stare required minimum wage and hell probably even a dime more.

Brinks pays taxes.

Brinks never shorted an employee one nickel.


BUT I”LL TELL YOU

Just cause its legal don’t make it right.

PS I’m sure I spelled something wrong but I didn’t get to go to private school like I’m sure you and Brinks did so your just have to but up with the illiterate masses.

5:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Horatio Alger said...

"Shot,

You're twisting my words into an entirely different meaning."


Horatio, Let me ask you a question.
Drive by the McDonalds on Rt 50 just south of Ballston Spa. They have a 2-story McDonalds. If Mr Bink could replicate that building and meet the current zoning requirements would that satisfy you?

6:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous 3:07 PM said...

"Well I do know Clark Brink and he is one cheap son-of-a-bitch."

It's funny how things change.
Frugality was once considered a virtue.

8:09 AM  
Blogger Horatio Alger said...

Shot,

DRC would never let that develop on South Broadway. Let's be reasonable.

Look, I understand your point with regards to allowing property owners' rights. But I refuse to take the libertarian approach to development, especially after seeing first-hand the towns, villages and cities laid to waste by poor planning.

My main point is that if we went through the trouble of developing design standards and zoning, then we might as well use it, provided its not in a way that's utterly arbitrary. Hence why I'm asking Brink AND the city to mete something out here for the better interest of both parties. I don't want Brink to go broke. I don't want his business to suffer.

I just want him and the city to work something out that would set a GOOD precedent for the South Broadway corridor. Sure it's not hurting anything the way it is. But it's not helping anything either. Now, I frankly believe it would be nice to extend the Broadway business district southward. I think Saratoga's main street is a real gem; at the very least, it's an economic driver that few cities can boast. Creating that same atmosphere, only on a smaller scale(two stories, not four) would add to that gem, in my humble opinion. And the way you do that is to slowly start replacing the blight with conforming structures.

1:47 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Shot wrote


“Frugality was once considered a virtue.”


Original said by

Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol

3:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Horatio said,
"But I refuse to take the libertarian approach to development, especially after seeing first-hand the towns, villages and cities laid to waste by poor planning."

Shit, Horatio, you have to relax.
It's all good out there.
Saratoga weathered the rise and fall of the "Red Barn".
I am sure that we can survive, with limits, whatever Mr. Bink can throw at us.

4:53 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Now, I frankly believe it would be nice to extend the Broadway business district southward."

I think it will be many generations to come, if ever, before you see any discernable amount of pedestrians beyond Spring St on the east and Washington Street on the west.
Oh sure, you see a few scattered people walking past these areas, but for the most part not very many.

For this to change three things would have to occur.
Gas going to $8 bucks a gallon.
The population of Saratoga tripling.
A trolley going up and down Broadway.

Who knows, Horatio, there is a fair chance of all of these things may coming to pass.
And years down the road, Saratogains will be grateful to people like you who had the foresight for such good planning.

5:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Horatio Alger said...

"Shot,
Let's be reasonable."


Your control freak buddy, President Bush, calls being reasonable appeasement.

Let's not let Mr.Bink get away with replacing his hamburger joint so easily.
Never give in.

7:22 AM  

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