Sprawled Out: The Search for Community in the American Suburb

UPDATED - Franklin's default setting: Bikes and pedestrians be damned - Go big, go wide, go fast

(UPDATE at bottom of post)

What I'm about to describe here sounds almost like a parody of suburb street-development-by-plumbers, but this is what's on the table tonight at the Board of Public Works Meeting:

*LETTER FOR GREENDALE RELATIVE TO A JOINT APPLICATION FOR S. 51ST STREET – RAWSON AVENUE TO COLLEGE AVENUE FOR STIMULUS PROGRAM

In its convoluted way, I'm told that this item refers to the desire of Franklin and Greendale to use stimulus funds to widen the section of 51st street between Rawson and College (straddling Franklin and Greendale) to FOUR LANES.

Yes, you read that right.

Once again, the "answer" for a poorly street-planned community is to take another of the plat-level streets to gargantuan, pedestrian-killing width; a residential area roadway designed to freeway standards. Another place-killing notch in the Franklin landscape that will make this community that much more vehicle-centric - a drive-thru non-place with no appeal.

But. gosh, you can sure whiz right through.

Just what local business needs, huh? Cars WHIZZING by rather than a walkable environment that encourages lingering - and spending, and returning.

51st street badly needs shoulders and a walking/bike lane - that will require widening as well, but nothing so extreme as the four-lane variety and a much better, forward-looking use for stimulus funds. 51st does not need more vehicle lanes, and it does not need a faster speed limit.

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51st Street has always been a mess. Every morning I see an older gentleman struggling to walk his small dog on the shoulder of the road, and another more elderly gentleman has to cross the road to get his mail and seems enormously grateful (and a bit surprised) when I stop and wave him across.

Many years ago, the operators of the quarry vowed to build a walking path around the quarry itself (creating a pedestrian/bike path that could get you from Drexel to Rawson), which would provide a logical connection between subdivisions south of Rawson and emerging businesses there (now including Sendik's, CVS, Andy's, and, someday, Fountains of Franklin). Instead, the city agreed to let them augment the already-funded Oak Leaf Trail, which is wonderful for persons who use it to bike or walk for the sake of biking and walking - - but the trail doesn't go anywhere! Pretty trail, no utility.

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If it seems like we just worked on the Rawson-51st street area, it's because we did; the picture above was taken not even two years ago. That smooth, just-poured pavement, one supposes, will be torn up.

Also in line to be torn up: St. Paul's Church, bringing nearly to completion the stage-by-stage character-stripping of Franklin, Wisconsin. The web-captured photo below doesn't do the structure justice, of course; it's especially beautiful when you walk by on a summer night when the front doors are open, showing a peek of the candle-lit grandeur inside.

Say goodbye.

More to come. Because, while this ridiculous freeway through town may be a fait accompli, I'm not nearly done.

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UPDATE: A bit of good news, perhaps: A conversation with Franklin's Mayor Thomas Taylor reveals that he personally in not in favor of a four-lane widening.

It appears that one of the city of Franklin's consultants, R.A. Smith National, Inc., initiated the conversation regarding application for stimulus funds via email (Download R.A. Smith RE- Stimulus 51st street). And, as luck would have it, GREENDALE is also a client of R.A. Smith; no sin in drumming up some work, and I think we'll see this pattern across the country.

A call to R.A. Smith reveals that, as far as they know, there is no plan currently drawn up - -  save for a four-lane plan submitted some time ago by Franklin, most likely as an "ultimate expression" of the road as monster urban street. This is the "default" measure that must be avoided.

Do I believe the 4-lane option would/will be the only plan forwarded if not for some timely intercession? ABSOLUTELY.

A memo from Wisconsin State Department of Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi (Download Wis DOT Stimulus Memo) regarding "Second Stage Solicitation for Local Transportation Recovery Projects" indicates that plans submitted by Dec. 1st of this year are now considered "shovel-ready"; the previous short time-envelope proved too daunting for most local projects.

From the memo:

In this first stage of the application process, the department received many local project applications. These were reviewed to determine whether they met the federal eligibility standards - but remember; we were working with eligibility standards established before the Recovery Act was final. Project eligibility was limited to the extent that the projects could be ready for bidding and construction in the very short timeframe initially set. Unfortunately, a very limited number of the project applications qualified. Local governments that submitted projects that did meet eligibility requirements will be notified shortly.

Fortunately, the final version of the Recovery Act set more reasonable timelines for local transportation projects and there is an additional opportunity for local governments to seek federal funding for local projects that meet all eligibility criteria. am writing today to lay out the process and the schedule local governments can use to submit transportation projects in the next application stage. We are committed to working closely with local governments to identify federally eligible projects and maximize the use of Recovery Act funds in Wisconsin.

In total, the Recovery Act will provide about $529 million to Wisconsin for state and local highway and bridge projects. We have determined that about 30% of this total, or about $158 million, could be made available for local roads and bridges, if sufficient eligible projects are identified and can be ready for construction. Of this total, the legislation specifies that about $38.7 million be used within the Milwaukee urbanized area and about $9.7 million be used within the Madison urbanized area. Virtually all of the remainder, or about million, is available for use throughout the rest of the state.

So now the challenge is clear: In order to pursue the forward-thinking and economically-rewarding plan of utilizing stimulus funds for creating pedestrian and bike utility and safety rather than "business as usual" rote street-widening, it's vital to get involved in the process early, as I plan to do.

On a purely economic level, we need streets that feed our businesses while making “park once, multiple stops” possible (a virtual unknown concept here). That’s what attracts investment and creates local character; that's why I will introduce an agenda item for the next Economic Development Commission meeting that seeks to make clear that "go big, go wide, go fast" is not the answer on 51st Street.

There's a better way, and we have time to explore alternatives that will serve both communities much more effectively than another four-lane monster street.

Twitter / Sendiks

This could be useful in a thousand ways. I wonder if they'll Twitter me when they get my favorite cookies back in stock?

UPDATE: Yes, they will and did. I will know when Kashi™ TLC® Chewy Cookies in Oatmeal Dark Chocolate and Happy Trail Mix finally return from their voluntary recall.

Greg Kowalski at Franklin Today flatters Sonic Drive-in by calling it a "dining" chain in announcing that Oak Creek will be the site of the first local Sonic Drive-In franchise. They are welcome to it.

Do we really want a drive-in/drive-thru fast food purveyor in town on the basis of - what, cool commercials? The ability to mix colored corn syrup concoctions? A dozen minimum wage jobs?

What happened to creating real local character and establishing a deep economy with a basis in locally-owned businesses? How about a place that you have to GET OUT OF YOUR CAR to utilize? I think we can do without a line of idling engines waiting for their sugared water fix.

No - I don't feel sad about having more drive-thru fast food plant itself outside the city limits.

(Where did I have lunch yesterday? In my car, after going through McD's drive-thru.)

From Paul Soglin's Waxing America:

New Middleton Sonic Drive-In "A Dinosaur" - Sustainable Times:

George Zens, proprietor of the terrific regional newspaper Sustainable Times, does not like the new Middleton Sonic Drive-In, which at times has had customers' cars backed up along University Avenue and into the adjoining neighborhood. Zens went into full rant mode:

Sonic, of course, is an anachronism, a dinosaur, in fact, a symbol of much that is wrong with the way we do things. Its business model is to sell junk food to people who are too lazy to get out of their cars: it’s either drive-thru or drive-in.

I have to admit, I was secretly amused to see the three first commandments of our modern society so blatantly united in one single location:

1) Eat junk food, lots of it; it’s cheap and has all the food groups the average American wants: salt, sugar, fat.

2) Let’s not move more than we have to; drive everywhere; don’t get out of the car unless we really, really have to go make room for more junk food.

3) Let the car engine idle while we fatten up; gas is cheap again anyway, and isn’t that why our soldiers die in the Middle East: to protect our oil supplies, so we can waste gasoline here? And let’s not worry about air pollution: with that way of life, we won’t live long enough to see its consequences. Our children might. Unless they sit in the car with us getting schooled in the same way of life.

You gotta admit, Zens has a point, especially when you consider all the great locally-owned alternatives to the Oklahoma-based Sonic. Zens just doesn't complain; he offers three alternate commandments:

1) Eat good food locally.
2) Get out of the car and move.
3) Shut off the engine.
It’s better for our health, our environment and our wallets.

No argument with that.

(No, I haven't tried their famous cherry limeade yet.  It's just Sprite, lime juice, cherries and cherry flavor; 340 cal for large and 458 cal for the "Route 44" size.)

(Yes, this franchise is owned by one of the guys that ran the late lamented Mad Dogs Chicago-Style Eatery whose dogs Paul graded with a B- and happily ate. Can't imagine Paul will approve of Sonic's dogs, which are billed as chili cheese Coneys.)

- Barry Orton

(Via Paul Soglin: Waxing America.)

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There's a great piece in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by Karen Cinpinski lamenting the demise of Harry W. Schwartz bookshops. In it, she reminds us that "for each dollar spent in a locally owned bookstore, 68 cents remains in the community; however, only 13 cents of each dollar spent at Borders stays here, according to Our Milwaukee, a business alliance that advocates for locally owned institutions."

delocator.net is a handy tool that'll help you find coffee, books and movies in your very own zip code. Some of the info is a bit outdated, but updates are regular and you can always call ahead.

The annual Franklin Area Junior Women’s Club Wine Tasting event will be held Friday, February 6th, 6:30pm to 9pm, at Hugo's Steakhouse (6951 S. Lover's Lane Road in Franklin; www.hugossteakhouse.com). Tix are $25 per person and available at Sendik's (51st and Rawson) and North Shore Bank in Franklin.

Also, the GFWC Franklin Area Junior Women’s Club is now called the GFWC-Root River Junior Woman's Club.

Shari Hanneman writes:

The proceeds from this event are funneled directly back into the communities of Franklin, Oak Creek, Hales Corners, and Greendale.  The greatest beneficiary of this successful event has been the paramedic units in Franklin and Oak Creek who received state-of-the-art pediatric emergency equipment.  Now, thanks the efforts of the Franklin Area Juniors who headed up this project, every paramedic unit in Milwaukee County is outfitted with this important equipment.
 
The club also awards a scholarship each year to a graduating senior from each community high school – Oak Creek, Franklin, Whitnall, and Greendale.
 
This will be the first event that the club will be hosting under its new name, the GFWC-Root River Junior Women’s Club!
 
If you are unable to attend, donations to the club are always appreciated as are donated items for our silent auction.  The club is a 501c3 tax exempt organization and donations are tax deductible.
 
We hope you will come out and join us for a fun-filled evening with friends and neighbors that also benefits the community!
 
Wishing you a very happy, healthy, and prosperous new year,

Shari Hanneman
 
p.s. Ladies, new members are always welcome!

ABOVE: Downtown Greendale

BizTimes.com reports that Shoppes at Wyndham Village has the following tenants signed up:

• Aveda salon
• Ferch's Malt Shoppe & Grille
• Sport Clips
• Cousins Subs (previously announced to great fanfare)

Also noted:

Mid-America, which is handling the leasing for Wyndham Village developer Mark Carstensen Construction & Development Companies Inc., is also negotiating with a "local restaurant," which would occupy a stand-alone 7,000-square-foot building that would be built at the shopping center, Rosenfeld said.

Long rumored, the Ferch's announcement is interesting. On the one hand, hats off to Shoppes for placing a locally-owned business. On the other hand, it may be very instructive to see how the horrendous site plan at Shoppes affects an eatery that is primarily known for the "traditional, strollable" mainstreet vibe that you get at its primary location in Greendale.

The Greendale location is on a residential-type street and adjacent to a wonderful park; the Shoppes location will be adjacent to sheets of asphalt and a very busy intersection.

The "local restaurant" announcement shows some promise. Now the question is: Will they get a break on their liquor fee ala Staybridge Suites?

As a member of the Franklin Economic Development Commission, I say "NO." Then I ask, "Why are we even considering this?"

If this strange measure passes, I will ask to put the issue on the agenda of one of the EDC's infrequent meetings and get a big white board out so we can list all of the "advantages" of handing Staybridge Suites 10k that they apparently didn't even ask for.

The white board will likely remain pretty darn white, if I indeed even get the cap off the dry-erase marker.

Then we can talk about how the Buckhorn Inn, the bar right across the street from Staybridge (though you'd be crazy to attempt to walk there), also didn't take its liquor license so seriously.

Want to give Staybridge $10,000 that we evidently have laying around in petty cash? Write 'em a check and print a picture of the presentation in the NOW community newspaper. Don't, however, thumb your nose at the serious responsibility that comes with serving alcohol on the premises by waving off the fee.

Why should any other business bother paying any fees to the city?

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Jan. 5, 2009 | Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor will ask the Common Council on Tuesday to reconsider giving the city's first hotel a $10,000 liquor license for free.

The proposal for Staybridge Suites first was considered by the council Dec. 16 and failed on a 4-3 vote. Taylor cast the tie-breaking vote, but said today that he would like the council to reconsider the matter.

Taylor said the extended-stay hotel, which is due to open at 9527 S. 27th St. next month, is different from taverns that pay for liquor licenses. He noted that the city collects room taxes from the hotel and that Staybridge offers the possibility of drawing first-time visitors to Franklin.

Taylor said he didn't know whether the city had ever waived the liquor license fee before.

 As giant chains close locations en masse (and almost arbitrarily), and mall developers declare bankruptcy, we're reminded once again why locally-owned, locally supported businesses are important.

Tumbleweeds Restaurants were "back on the growth track" a couple years ago. Now the Wisconsin locations - including the Franklin location, which seemed to be popular - have abruptly closed. Did it matter that business was good at the Franklin location? Not a whit to a franchise; the Excel spread sheet tells the corporate office what to close without regard to local conditions.

Woe be to the city that places too much trust on big chain restaurants and retailers without encouraging a "deep economy" of locally owned businesses. This will be something I'll attempt to emphasize for as long as they let me serve on the Economic Development Commission - - you'll see more on the topic here in coming weeks, as my first meeting with the Commission (which I will write about in the very near future) did not seem to address that issue.

Meanwhile, we await the tenant announcements for Shoppes at Wyndham Village (aka The Target Center); will there be incentives for local businesses, or is it a Starbucks-only zone?

New crisis, in commercial real estate, looms - Economy in Turmoil- msnbc.com

Certainly a problem facing Franklin; you need a car to do the most minor of daily errands, including lunch.

(Via Switchboard, from NRDC.)

One of the main differences between a walkable, amenity-rich environment such as the one being created for Station Park Green and automobile-dependent sprawl is that workers have to drive to lunch unless they bring it in from home.  This can be the case even when a place to eat is within what would be walking distance if the roadways, parking lots and entrances were not configured in a way that is dangerous or not welcoming to pedestrians. 

My friend Constance Beaumont used to have a couple of slides in her presentation that showed two suburban retail stores right next to each other, but separated by a chain-link fence that precluded walking from one to the other.

The result is not only inconvenience for customers and hungry office workers but also extra air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and traffic congestion.  Constance's photos were taken, naturally, in Tysons Corner, Virginia, subject of previous blog entries.  Part of me resists picking on Tysons so much because it is such an easy target, and because at least Fairfax County's planners are doing something about it.

But, meanwhile, an easy target it remains.  Writing in The Washington Post, Eric Weiss reports that "so many workers drive to lunch in Tysons Corner that it has created a third rush hour during the middle of the day that actually exceeds the morning rush.."  Weiss continues:

"Having so many of the approximately 115,000 Tysons workers on the road, often driving less than a mile to grab a sandwich, is complicating construction plans for a Metrorail extension and Capital Beltway toll lanes that will rip up the streets around the area. An analysis of traffic counts shows more than 23,000 vehicles on the major Tysons thoroughfares, routes 7 and 123, between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., surpassing the morning rush by 24 percent."

This, of course, is occurring despite the fact that Tysons is Virginia's most concentrated jobs and shopping hub, with literally hundreds of eating places within a short distance of its 110,000 workers.

The Post also has a graph of the amount of traffic through Tysons at various times of day, along with a nifty video of the traffic "flow" during a typical day.  They are encouraging bloggers to share the video, and I am happy to oblige:  

For the entire story, go here.

Less and less to do in Franklin. From Franklin Today: 'BREAKING: Ka Lounge CLOSING"

To our valued customers… Due to conditions beyond our control, we will be closing our doors Saturday night, October 11. Beginning at 3pm, we will have free food until the kitchen is empty and discounted drinks all night. This is our way of thanking you for your continued support here at the Ka Lounge. We’ve had a lot of good times behind these doors… Please help us close them with a bang! Thank you all. We hope to see you Saturday! -       

- The Ka Lounge Staff

Sendik's Twitters

Twitter / Sendiks

This could be useful in a thousand ways. I wonder if they'll Twitter me when they get my favorite cookies back in stock?

UPDATE: Yes, they will and did. I will know when Kashi™ TLC® Chewy Cookies in Oatmeal Dark Chocolate and Happy Trail Mix finally return from their voluntary recall.

Sonic Drive-In "A Dinosaur" - Sustainable Times

Greg Kowalski at Franklin Today flatters Sonic Drive-in by calling it a "dining" chain in announcing that Oak Creek will be the site of the first local Sonic Drive-In franchise. They are welcome to it.

Do we really want a drive-in/drive-thru fast food purveyor in town on the basis of - what, cool commercials? The ability to mix colored corn syrup concoctions? A dozen minimum wage jobs?

What happened to creating real local character and establishing a deep economy with a basis in locally-owned businesses? How about a place that you have to GET OUT OF YOUR CAR to utilize? I think we can do without a line of idling engines waiting for their sugared water fix.

No - I don't feel sad about having more drive-thru fast food plant itself outside the city limits.

(Where did I have lunch yesterday? In my car, after going through McD's drive-thru.)

From Paul Soglin's Waxing America:

New Middleton Sonic Drive-In "A Dinosaur" - Sustainable Times:

George Zens, proprietor of the terrific regional newspaper Sustainable Times, does not like the new Middleton Sonic Drive-In, which at times has had customers' cars backed up along University Avenue and into the adjoining neighborhood. Zens went into full rant mode:

Sonic, of course, is an anachronism, a dinosaur, in fact, a symbol of much that is wrong with the way we do things. Its business model is to sell junk food to people who are too lazy to get out of their cars: it’s either drive-thru or drive-in.

I have to admit, I was secretly amused to see the three first commandments of our modern society so blatantly united in one single location:

1) Eat junk food, lots of it; it’s cheap and has all the food groups the average American wants: salt, sugar, fat.

2) Let’s not move more than we have to; drive everywhere; don’t get out of the car unless we really, really have to go make room for more junk food.

3) Let the car engine idle while we fatten up; gas is cheap again anyway, and isn’t that why our soldiers die in the Middle East: to protect our oil supplies, so we can waste gasoline here? And let’s not worry about air pollution: with that way of life, we won’t live long enough to see its consequences. Our children might. Unless they sit in the car with us getting schooled in the same way of life.

You gotta admit, Zens has a point, especially when you consider all the great locally-owned alternatives to the Oklahoma-based Sonic. Zens just doesn't complain; he offers three alternate commandments:

1) Eat good food locally.
2) Get out of the car and move.
3) Shut off the engine.
It’s better for our health, our environment and our wallets.

No argument with that.

(No, I haven't tried their famous cherry limeade yet.  It's just Sprite, lime juice, cherries and cherry flavor; 340 cal for large and 458 cal for the "Route 44" size.)

(Yes, this franchise is owned by one of the guys that ran the late lamented Mad Dogs Chicago-Style Eatery whose dogs Paul graded with a B- and happily ate. Can't imagine Paul will approve of Sonic's dogs, which are billed as chili cheese Coneys.)

- Barry Orton

(Via Paul Soglin: Waxing America.)

Give local businesses a boost with delocator.net

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

There's a great piece in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by Karen Cinpinski lamenting the demise of Harry W. Schwartz bookshops. In it, she reminds us that "for each dollar spent in a locally owned bookstore, 68 cents remains in the community; however, only 13 cents of each dollar spent at Borders stays here, according to Our Milwaukee, a business alliance that advocates for locally owned institutions."

delocator.net is a handy tool that'll help you find coffee, books and movies in your very own zip code. Some of the info is a bit outdated, but updates are regular and you can always call ahead.

Sip some wine for a good cause

The annual Franklin Area Junior Women’s Club Wine Tasting event will be held Friday, February 6th, 6:30pm to 9pm, at Hugo's Steakhouse (6951 S. Lover's Lane Road in Franklin; www.hugossteakhouse.com). Tix are $25 per person and available at Sendik's (51st and Rawson) and North Shore Bank in Franklin.

Also, the GFWC Franklin Area Junior Women’s Club is now called the GFWC-Root River Junior Woman's Club.

Shari Hanneman writes:

The proceeds from this event are funneled directly back into the communities of Franklin, Oak Creek, Hales Corners, and Greendale.  The greatest beneficiary of this successful event has been the paramedic units in Franklin and Oak Creek who received state-of-the-art pediatric emergency equipment.  Now, thanks the efforts of the Franklin Area Juniors who headed up this project, every paramedic unit in Milwaukee County is outfitted with this important equipment.
 
The club also awards a scholarship each year to a graduating senior from each community high school – Oak Creek, Franklin, Whitnall, and Greendale.
 
This will be the first event that the club will be hosting under its new name, the GFWC-Root River Junior Women’s Club!
 
If you are unable to attend, donations to the club are always appreciated as are donated items for our silent auction.  The club is a 501c3 tax exempt organization and donations are tax deductible.
 
We hope you will come out and join us for a fun-filled evening with friends and neighbors that also benefits the community!
 
Wishing you a very happy, healthy, and prosperous new year,

Shari Hanneman
 
p.s. Ladies, new members are always welcome!

Shoppes at Wyndham Village announces tenants

ABOVE: Downtown Greendale

BizTimes.com reports that Shoppes at Wyndham Village has the following tenants signed up:

• Aveda salon
• Ferch's Malt Shoppe & Grille
• Sport Clips
• Cousins Subs (previously announced to great fanfare)

Also noted:

Mid-America, which is handling the leasing for Wyndham Village developer Mark Carstensen Construction & Development Companies Inc., is also negotiating with a "local restaurant," which would occupy a stand-alone 7,000-square-foot building that would be built at the shopping center, Rosenfeld said.

Long rumored, the Ferch's announcement is interesting. On the one hand, hats off to Shoppes for placing a locally-owned business. On the other hand, it may be very instructive to see how the horrendous site plan at Shoppes affects an eatery that is primarily known for the "traditional, strollable" mainstreet vibe that you get at its primary location in Greendale.

The Greendale location is on a residential-type street and adjacent to a wonderful park; the Shoppes location will be adjacent to sheets of asphalt and a very busy intersection.

The "local restaurant" announcement shows some promise. Now the question is: Will they get a break on their liquor fee ala Staybridge Suites?

Free liquor license for Franklin hotel? So much for taking enforcement seriously

As a member of the Franklin Economic Development Commission, I say "NO." Then I ask, "Why are we even considering this?"

If this strange measure passes, I will ask to put the issue on the agenda of one of the EDC's infrequent meetings and get a big white board out so we can list all of the "advantages" of handing Staybridge Suites 10k that they apparently didn't even ask for.

The white board will likely remain pretty darn white, if I indeed even get the cap off the dry-erase marker.

Then we can talk about how the Buckhorn Inn, the bar right across the street from Staybridge (though you'd be crazy to attempt to walk there), also didn't take its liquor license so seriously.

Want to give Staybridge $10,000 that we evidently have laying around in petty cash? Write 'em a check and print a picture of the presentation in the NOW community newspaper. Don't, however, thumb your nose at the serious responsibility that comes with serving alcohol on the premises by waving off the fee.

Why should any other business bother paying any fees to the city?

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Jan. 5, 2009 | Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor will ask the Common Council on Tuesday to reconsider giving the city's first hotel a $10,000 liquor license for free.

The proposal for Staybridge Suites first was considered by the council Dec. 16 and failed on a 4-3 vote. Taylor cast the tie-breaking vote, but said today that he would like the council to reconsider the matter.

Taylor said the extended-stay hotel, which is due to open at 9527 S. 27th St. next month, is different from taverns that pay for liquor licenses. He noted that the city collects room taxes from the hotel and that Staybridge offers the possibility of drawing first-time visitors to Franklin.

Taylor said he didn't know whether the city had ever waived the liquor license fee before.

New crisis means new rules for community development

 As giant chains close locations en masse (and almost arbitrarily), and mall developers declare bankruptcy, we're reminded once again why locally-owned, locally supported businesses are important.

Tumbleweeds Restaurants were "back on the growth track" a couple years ago. Now the Wisconsin locations - including the Franklin location, which seemed to be popular - have abruptly closed. Did it matter that business was good at the Franklin location? Not a whit to a franchise; the Excel spread sheet tells the corporate office what to close without regard to local conditions.

Woe be to the city that places too much trust on big chain restaurants and retailers without encouraging a "deep economy" of locally owned businesses. This will be something I'll attempt to emphasize for as long as they let me serve on the Economic Development Commission - - you'll see more on the topic here in coming weeks, as my first meeting with the Commission (which I will write about in the very near future) did not seem to address that issue.

Meanwhile, we await the tenant announcements for Shoppes at Wyndham Village (aka The Target Center); will there be incentives for local businesses, or is it a Starbucks-only zone?

New crisis, in commercial real estate, looms - Economy in Turmoil- msnbc.com

The drive-to-lunch syndrome

Certainly a problem facing Franklin; you need a car to do the most minor of daily errands, including lunch.

(Via Switchboard, from NRDC.)

One of the main differences between a walkable, amenity-rich environment such as the one being created for Station Park Green and automobile-dependent sprawl is that workers have to drive to lunch unless they bring it in from home.  This can be the case even when a place to eat is within what would be walking distance if the roadways, parking lots and entrances were not configured in a way that is dangerous or not welcoming to pedestrians. 

My friend Constance Beaumont used to have a couple of slides in her presentation that showed two suburban retail stores right next to each other, but separated by a chain-link fence that precluded walking from one to the other.

The result is not only inconvenience for customers and hungry office workers but also extra air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and traffic congestion.  Constance's photos were taken, naturally, in Tysons Corner, Virginia, subject of previous blog entries.  Part of me resists picking on Tysons so much because it is such an easy target, and because at least Fairfax County's planners are doing something about it.

But, meanwhile, an easy target it remains.  Writing in The Washington Post, Eric Weiss reports that "so many workers drive to lunch in Tysons Corner that it has created a third rush hour during the middle of the day that actually exceeds the morning rush.."  Weiss continues:

"Having so many of the approximately 115,000 Tysons workers on the road, often driving less than a mile to grab a sandwich, is complicating construction plans for a Metrorail extension and Capital Beltway toll lanes that will rip up the streets around the area. An analysis of traffic counts shows more than 23,000 vehicles on the major Tysons thoroughfares, routes 7 and 123, between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., surpassing the morning rush by 24 percent."

This, of course, is occurring despite the fact that Tysons is Virginia's most concentrated jobs and shopping hub, with literally hundreds of eating places within a short distance of its 110,000 workers.

The Post also has a graph of the amount of traffic through Tysons at various times of day, along with a nifty video of the traffic "flow" during a typical day.  They are encouraging bloggers to share the video, and I am happy to oblige:  

For the entire story, go here.

First 5-Star Coffee, now Ka Lounge CLOSING

Less and less to do in Franklin. From Franklin Today: 'BREAKING: Ka Lounge CLOSING"

To our valued customers… Due to conditions beyond our control, we will be closing our doors Saturday night, October 11. Beginning at 3pm, we will have free food until the kitchen is empty and discounted drinks all night. This is our way of thanking you for your continued support here at the Ka Lounge. We’ve had a lot of good times behind these doors… Please help us close them with a bang! Thank you all. We hope to see you Saturday! -       

- The Ka Lounge Staff