Actually from what I understand the arcade was still making money, but the landlord wanted to use the space for more retail and the owner got tired of fighting with the landlord so decided to just call it quits.
But yeah arcades are dying off now the only arcades left in town are like Dave & Busters, which to me is like Showbiz Pizza for rich drunk a-holes.
What ails this city? / What could it be?
If you must!
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Actually did a story on this a while back.
It's "Capitalism will eat itself" at it's finest. The mom & pop shops bring consumers to the drag as "the place to be." But mom & pop shops have a habit of opening and closing because they're risky investments.
The landlords hate this because they're not making money if no one is renting the space.
The chain stores say: "Hey, we're a big corporation. We'll sign a 99 year lease at a fixed price and if we use it, great, if not, we can sublease it." The landlords love this because it's like free money at that point, that they don't have to worry about. So in order to make more room for the corps, they double or triple the rent of the mom & pop shops. They fold, or move off the drag, and the chain stores pay the rates formerly paid by the mom & pop shops.
But at this point, the drag becomes little more than a strip mall, and foot traffic declines, lowering the value of owning a bit of land on the Drag.
Capitalism will eat itself.
It's "Capitalism will eat itself" at it's finest. The mom & pop shops bring consumers to the drag as "the place to be." But mom & pop shops have a habit of opening and closing because they're risky investments.
The landlords hate this because they're not making money if no one is renting the space.
The chain stores say: "Hey, we're a big corporation. We'll sign a 99 year lease at a fixed price and if we use it, great, if not, we can sublease it." The landlords love this because it's like free money at that point, that they don't have to worry about. So in order to make more room for the corps, they double or triple the rent of the mom & pop shops. They fold, or move off the drag, and the chain stores pay the rates formerly paid by the mom & pop shops.
But at this point, the drag becomes little more than a strip mall, and foot traffic declines, lowering the value of owning a bit of land on the Drag.
Capitalism will eat itself.
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- slappywhite Offline
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The sign on the door has an email address to write and buy the games. But I'd imagine they are not cheap, they took amazing care of the machines there.
If you want cheap arcade games try Super Auctions, they have a big auction in Dallas every few months.
http://www.superauctions.com/launch/cal/index.html
You can get some games for $40-$50, as long as you got a truck to drive it home...
If you want cheap arcade games try Super Auctions, they have a big auction in Dallas every few months.
http://www.superauctions.com/launch/cal/index.html
You can get some games for $40-$50, as long as you got a truck to drive it home...
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- LuBu McJohnson Offline
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I think the problem is too many people complaining about shit. 
-Bryan Roberts a.k.a. LuBu McJohnson a.k.a. Ghetto Sketch Warlock
"This is for those that don't know the half"
-http://www.ghettosketchwarlock.com
"Any mistakes can be rectified without loss of life, unless they involve Lubu."
-Ratliff
"This is for those that don't know the half"
-http://www.ghettosketchwarlock.com
"Any mistakes can be rectified without loss of life, unless they involve Lubu."
-Ratliff
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- slappywhite Offline
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LuBu McJohnson wrote:I think the problem is too many people complaining about shit.
Or too many people not giving a shit!
Last edited by slappywhite on January 3rd, 2008, 2:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- LuBu McJohnson Offline
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That sounds like another complaint
-Bryan Roberts a.k.a. LuBu McJohnson a.k.a. Ghetto Sketch Warlock
"This is for those that don't know the half"
-http://www.ghettosketchwarlock.com
"Any mistakes can be rectified without loss of life, unless they involve Lubu."
-Ratliff
"This is for those that don't know the half"
-http://www.ghettosketchwarlock.com
"Any mistakes can be rectified without loss of life, unless they involve Lubu."
-Ratliff
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- HerrHerr Offline
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If you hold your monitor out in front of yourself and stare deep into it, then you'll see pacman.slappywhite wrote:LuBu McJohnson wrote:I think the problem is too many people complaining about shit.
Or too many people not giving a shit!
Sometimes it's a form of love just to talk to somebody that you have nothing in common with and still be fascinated by their presence.
--David Byrne
--David Byrne
I wanted to post the draft presentation of phase I (the vision) of the Downtown Austin Plan (DAP) as well as give you the site to post your own community responses to it. The presentation was given to six stakeholder groups last week, of which our organization (the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association) was one of only two that had a dedicated 2hr session. There was then an open town hall meeting on Saturday at the convention center that had maybe ~150 citizens at it. The ROMA group and City council are continuing to accept comment and input on this before it comes up for review on Feb. 15th. At that time, they give feedback and prioritization to ROMA which then goes off and in phase II puts together a plan for how to implement the phase I vision.
DAP: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/downtown/dow ... _1-9-8.pdf
Comments: http://www.downtownaustinplan.org/feedback.html
(Or email your council members directly)
Overall, I have to say that I am pleased with their suggestions and that they didn’t pull too many punches…including some surprising recommendations like the return of the NE square park called for in the 1839 Waller Plan, which since the 60’s has been occupied by the First Baptist Church under a state lease agreement. They also called out both UT and the State as being major stakeholders for downtown but accurately pointing out that they have been just as much obstacles to progress in Austin as much as anything.
One caveat on the presentation that we took them to task about was the incredibly small and skewed sample they used for pricing analysis in the affordable housing section to compare ‘market rate’ housing. Their overall intent was good, but their numbers are off and just feed into the mill of exaggeration that is already quite rampant.
I would also say that their transportation suggestions seem deliberately vague at this point due to the sensitivity of the topic, but they’ll likely get more specific and ambitious in phase II. There also seems to be inadequate attention to historic preservation or establishing design guidelines for new construction in historic districts (Warehouse District, Northwest or Old Austin Neighborhood, Judges Hill).
It probably doesn’t capture the popular imagination quite as much as other things, but some of the most positive realistically potential outcomes of this master planning effort are the somewhat arcane rules regarding zoning bonuses and utility infrastructure pricing. If it can also manage to pull the state and UT to the table in a collaborative way that unites them around a common vision…that would be an incredible feat in itself.
If you are still interested after reading all of this and the presentation itself, but don’t know what else to add….I have some suggested points that were not covered . Please do give feedback to them, though, even if it’s just to say you agree with this or that in their proposal.
- The DAP gives proper attention to the city’s live music industry, but does not give sufficient attention to the other arts communities in Austin which are essential to fostering a robust creative class city.
- The DAP presentation provides a well-researched argument for mid-rise affordable housing over high-rise affordable housing and then poses the question of whether or not to pursue it at greater cost within the borders of downtown or in close-in neighborhoods served by transit. No alternative land uses for the proposed areas currently limited to mid-rise construction by the capitol view corridors is provided. The DAP should consider such alternative low-density uses as theaters, markets or gallery space in these culturally central areas and stretch the city’s limited affordable housing dollars further by pursuing projects outside of downtown where efficacy is greater. Already home to the extremes of rich and poor, zoning bonuses for downtown should focus on encouraging attainable (middle class) housing.
- The DAP should propose that the UT owned land in the NE/Waller Creek area should be prioritized to some combination of three purposes: Student housing, performing arts venues or as a site of a future medical school/research hospital complex. Student housing to alleviate the traffic congestion, parking requirements and evening inactivity of campus caused by the decentralized student population. UT Performing arts venues to pull them out to the borders of campus to interact with the larger city in the same way as the LBJ Library, Blanton Museum of Art, Ransom Center and the stadiums are currently at interaction points. Medical facilities because UT Austin is almost alone amongst major universities without one and the Brackenridge area has a lot of synergies for that use which the University is already pursuing.
- An intelligent review of City and State capitol view corridors should be conducted with the intent of retiring those that require negative height up to 1 story construction.
- One of the best ways of retaining Austin uniqueness is to keep barriers to entry low (for people, for businesses, for the arts). The businesses or organizations or people may change over time, but this will be the essential quality that allows for renewal and should drive policy accordingly.
- The Arts In Public Places (AIPP) fees should be assessed on developments more broadly and be able to be used more flexibly. Specifically, the proceeds from these fees should be available for contribution to capital funds for performing or visual arts or available to the developer of a property if it is used to hire a premium architect (using the model of Columbus, Indiana) since Architecture is our most public and permanent art.
- The great streets program needs to identify additional public funding sources to be more rapidly implemented. The design guidelines also need to allow for the option of porticos where appropriate (example: Stephen F. Austin hotel bar on Congress). The latter allows for the street life of sidewalk cafes and easy compliance with TABC restrictions while providing shade and uninhibited pedestrian thoroughfares.
- Skywalks and drive-thrus should be specifically not permitted in downtown.
- The federal courthouse planned to abut Republic Square should be moved to a more appropriate location that is not in violation of General Services Administration (GSA) policy regarding economic empowerment zones that is the result of a standing executive order that has been renewed by every president since the Carter administration. It is also a poor land use for the site as it will not be designed with a pedestrian orientation, it’s low-density in a high density location and it takes a valuable Central Business District (CBD) block permanently off of the tax rolls. Likewise, San Antonio Street between the site and the park should remain a part of the public street grid and not be permanently closed as is currently the plan.
- The Parkland Dedication Ordinance should be calculated by floor to area ratio (FAR) rather than by door count which is a disincentive to smaller (more affordable) multi-family housing.
- The DAP should propose a new and more appropriate location for the Brush Square fire station and return the parking lot to green space. Any restoration of Republic, Brush or Waterloo park should consider the possibility of public, underground parking.
- The waterfront district (Rainey St.) needs to be incorporated into the transit, retail and arts master plans similar to the CBD with which it shares zoning.
- An additional supermarket downtown is unlikely, however, as the residential population rises, downtown becomes an ideal central location for a multi-vendor market such as San Francisco’s Ferry Market, Seattle’s Pike Place or London’s Borough Hall.
- The DAP should call for the North section of Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike trail between I-35 and Congress to take on the additional role as a metropolitan park through better lighting, orientation and enhanced public amenities at the Waller Creek outlet / Rowing Center / the Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC), waterfront playscape and the Congress Bridge underpass. The additional pedestrian capacity of the Cesar Chavez two way street project West of Congress should be coordinated/connected to this effort to allow for a minimal interference with runners and bikers primarily using the western loops of the trail.
- Shoal Creek, Austin’s oldest greenbelt, should be completed and a conditional overlay that requires new development to be oriented towards the creek with public access points needs to be implemented.
- Adjacency issues will continue to arise with the increased downtown residential presence. Stronger codes for sound-proofing should be required in all of downtown (not just the current entertainment districts). This does not alleviate the continuing need to re-write the noise ordinance to allow for intelligent enforcement mechanisms and to include construction and vehicular noise. The Austin Climate Protection Plan (ACPP) should also be amended to include existing building and individual multi-family owned property (Condos) which are today left out of the plan.
- Accessibility and interaction to other neighborhoods is key. The MLK border with UT needs to be more active and pedestrian oriented while transit connections to the Long Center for the Performing Arts and Town Lake Park need to be enhanced. Additionally, while the long-term plans for TXDOT is to bury I-35, the project is so far into the future that as much as two generations could pass before the dividing line between downtown and East Austin comes down. An interim pedestrian and transit, if not a cultural link is needed in the meantime.
Well….if you made it this far…thanks for reading. I really appreciate everyone's input. It's been an interesting experience.
Mike
DAP: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/downtown/dow ... _1-9-8.pdf
Comments: http://www.downtownaustinplan.org/feedback.html
(Or email your council members directly)
Overall, I have to say that I am pleased with their suggestions and that they didn’t pull too many punches…including some surprising recommendations like the return of the NE square park called for in the 1839 Waller Plan, which since the 60’s has been occupied by the First Baptist Church under a state lease agreement. They also called out both UT and the State as being major stakeholders for downtown but accurately pointing out that they have been just as much obstacles to progress in Austin as much as anything.
One caveat on the presentation that we took them to task about was the incredibly small and skewed sample they used for pricing analysis in the affordable housing section to compare ‘market rate’ housing. Their overall intent was good, but their numbers are off and just feed into the mill of exaggeration that is already quite rampant.
I would also say that their transportation suggestions seem deliberately vague at this point due to the sensitivity of the topic, but they’ll likely get more specific and ambitious in phase II. There also seems to be inadequate attention to historic preservation or establishing design guidelines for new construction in historic districts (Warehouse District, Northwest or Old Austin Neighborhood, Judges Hill).
It probably doesn’t capture the popular imagination quite as much as other things, but some of the most positive realistically potential outcomes of this master planning effort are the somewhat arcane rules regarding zoning bonuses and utility infrastructure pricing. If it can also manage to pull the state and UT to the table in a collaborative way that unites them around a common vision…that would be an incredible feat in itself.
If you are still interested after reading all of this and the presentation itself, but don’t know what else to add….I have some suggested points that were not covered
. Please do give feedback to them, though, even if it’s just to say you agree with this or that in their proposal. - The DAP gives proper attention to the city’s live music industry, but does not give sufficient attention to the other arts communities in Austin which are essential to fostering a robust creative class city.
- The DAP presentation provides a well-researched argument for mid-rise affordable housing over high-rise affordable housing and then poses the question of whether or not to pursue it at greater cost within the borders of downtown or in close-in neighborhoods served by transit. No alternative land uses for the proposed areas currently limited to mid-rise construction by the capitol view corridors is provided. The DAP should consider such alternative low-density uses as theaters, markets or gallery space in these culturally central areas and stretch the city’s limited affordable housing dollars further by pursuing projects outside of downtown where efficacy is greater. Already home to the extremes of rich and poor, zoning bonuses for downtown should focus on encouraging attainable (middle class) housing.
- The DAP should propose that the UT owned land in the NE/Waller Creek area should be prioritized to some combination of three purposes: Student housing, performing arts venues or as a site of a future medical school/research hospital complex. Student housing to alleviate the traffic congestion, parking requirements and evening inactivity of campus caused by the decentralized student population. UT Performing arts venues to pull them out to the borders of campus to interact with the larger city in the same way as the LBJ Library, Blanton Museum of Art, Ransom Center and the stadiums are currently at interaction points. Medical facilities because UT Austin is almost alone amongst major universities without one and the Brackenridge area has a lot of synergies for that use which the University is already pursuing.
- An intelligent review of City and State capitol view corridors should be conducted with the intent of retiring those that require negative height up to 1 story construction.
- One of the best ways of retaining Austin uniqueness is to keep barriers to entry low (for people, for businesses, for the arts). The businesses or organizations or people may change over time, but this will be the essential quality that allows for renewal and should drive policy accordingly.
- The Arts In Public Places (AIPP) fees should be assessed on developments more broadly and be able to be used more flexibly. Specifically, the proceeds from these fees should be available for contribution to capital funds for performing or visual arts or available to the developer of a property if it is used to hire a premium architect (using the model of Columbus, Indiana) since Architecture is our most public and permanent art.
- The great streets program needs to identify additional public funding sources to be more rapidly implemented. The design guidelines also need to allow for the option of porticos where appropriate (example: Stephen F. Austin hotel bar on Congress). The latter allows for the street life of sidewalk cafes and easy compliance with TABC restrictions while providing shade and uninhibited pedestrian thoroughfares.
- Skywalks and drive-thrus should be specifically not permitted in downtown.
- The federal courthouse planned to abut Republic Square should be moved to a more appropriate location that is not in violation of General Services Administration (GSA) policy regarding economic empowerment zones that is the result of a standing executive order that has been renewed by every president since the Carter administration. It is also a poor land use for the site as it will not be designed with a pedestrian orientation, it’s low-density in a high density location and it takes a valuable Central Business District (CBD) block permanently off of the tax rolls. Likewise, San Antonio Street between the site and the park should remain a part of the public street grid and not be permanently closed as is currently the plan.
- The Parkland Dedication Ordinance should be calculated by floor to area ratio (FAR) rather than by door count which is a disincentive to smaller (more affordable) multi-family housing.
- The DAP should propose a new and more appropriate location for the Brush Square fire station and return the parking lot to green space. Any restoration of Republic, Brush or Waterloo park should consider the possibility of public, underground parking.
- The waterfront district (Rainey St.) needs to be incorporated into the transit, retail and arts master plans similar to the CBD with which it shares zoning.
- An additional supermarket downtown is unlikely, however, as the residential population rises, downtown becomes an ideal central location for a multi-vendor market such as San Francisco’s Ferry Market, Seattle’s Pike Place or London’s Borough Hall.
- The DAP should call for the North section of Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike trail between I-35 and Congress to take on the additional role as a metropolitan park through better lighting, orientation and enhanced public amenities at the Waller Creek outlet / Rowing Center / the Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC), waterfront playscape and the Congress Bridge underpass. The additional pedestrian capacity of the Cesar Chavez two way street project West of Congress should be coordinated/connected to this effort to allow for a minimal interference with runners and bikers primarily using the western loops of the trail.
- Shoal Creek, Austin’s oldest greenbelt, should be completed and a conditional overlay that requires new development to be oriented towards the creek with public access points needs to be implemented.
- Adjacency issues will continue to arise with the increased downtown residential presence. Stronger codes for sound-proofing should be required in all of downtown (not just the current entertainment districts). This does not alleviate the continuing need to re-write the noise ordinance to allow for intelligent enforcement mechanisms and to include construction and vehicular noise. The Austin Climate Protection Plan (ACPP) should also be amended to include existing building and individual multi-family owned property (Condos) which are today left out of the plan.
- Accessibility and interaction to other neighborhoods is key. The MLK border with UT needs to be more active and pedestrian oriented while transit connections to the Long Center for the Performing Arts and Town Lake Park need to be enhanced. Additionally, while the long-term plans for TXDOT is to bury I-35, the project is so far into the future that as much as two generations could pass before the dividing line between downtown and East Austin comes down. An interim pedestrian and transit, if not a cultural link is needed in the meantime.
Well….if you made it this far…thanks for reading. I really appreciate everyone's input. It's been an interesting experience.
Mike
Last edited by Miggy on January 15th, 2008, 8:57 pm, edited 10 times in total.
It also bears repeating (perhaps to city council):
This was definitely my favourite post from this thread.LisaJackson wrote:I would like a crepe vendor on each corner making fresh crepes with nutella, cinnamon and banana in them. I would like them to sell fresh cupcakes as well, yellow bottoms and chocolate tops.
I want a 14K foot mountain moved by helicopter from the Cascades and placed on top of the capitol building. Refrigeration will be needed to maintain the snow cap so we can toboggan together.
I would like a pool of single men who are emotionally mature, funny, intelligent, courageous, good looking, romantic and think I'm the Bee's Knees. And they should have yellow bottoms and chocolate tops.