I have said before that hardly a week goes by where I don't read about some new big construction project in the Seattle zone, usually downtown, with most of that construction having to do with the HUGE demand for downtown living space, due to downtown Seattle, like downtown Los Angeles, like downtown San Francisco, like downtown Dallas, being seen as being extremely desirable as a place to live.
So, now, apparently, Seattle is going to have one of those ridiculously tall Super Towers, well over 1,000 feet tall. There are so many skyscrapers and residential towers being added to the Seattle skyline I don't think I will recognize the town as being Seattle til I see the Space Needle, when next I visit.
Meanwhile in Fort Worth, quaint, sleepy, charming Fort Worth.
A few days ago in the Star-Telegram an article appeared titled Oilman touts new downtown Fort Worth office tower.
A new 25 story office tower, being brought to downtown Fort Worth by something called Jetta Operating.
A gas drilling company.
Yes. Fort Worth has had good luck with the endeavors of gas drilling companies. Isn't the old Chesapeake Energy building available for occupation? You know, that location from whence Chesapeake Energy ran its corrupt Fort Worth shadow government during the reign of Mayor Mike Moncrief, a buffoon of a man also known as the Poster Boy for Gas Corruption.
A rather embarrassing factoid in this piece of Star-Telegram propaganda is contained in the following paragraph....
"... the building, touted as the first high-rise development downtown in seven years, was carefully designed to fit into the available urban landscape."
The city which deludes itself in thinking it is the envy of the nation has not had a single high rise development for seven years?
And trust me on this, most towns wearing their big city pants do not count a short, 25 story building, as being a high-rise. More like a low-rise. Maybe, at best, a mid-rise.
So, why make mock of this, you are sitting there wondering? Well, there is something serious afoot here.
Why is it that other big cities in America, during this time of economic recovery, have been booming to various degrees? Just drive a few miles east to Dallas and you will see a town in boom mode. Go west to pretty much any of the west coast towns and you will see the same thing.
So, what is stifling Fort Worth's downtown from growing and booming like other downtowns in America?
Besides the obvious.
Well.
I think Mr. Spiffy nailed it a couple months ago when he opined that America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision has killed development in the Fort Worth downtown core, due to the fact that developers do not know if The Boondoggle is ever going to deliver on that which its propaganda purports is going to be delivered at some indeterminate future date.
Developers see failed efforts of The Boondoggle, like Cowtown Wakepark, and they opt to move their money in another direction. Like to a tall Seattle skyscraper. Or multi-story residential complexes in Dallas.
Meanwhile Fort Worth flounders, looking ridiculous to outsiders, embarrassing itself, continuing to allow Kay Granger's totally unqualified son, J.D., to continue mis-managing that which has come to be known as America's Biggest Boondoggle.
It all really is very boggling.
And very perplexing.
Fort Worth, and the people who live here, deserve better......
The lack of more high rise development has nothing to do with the Trinity Uptown/ TRVA project. It has in large part to do with the very high cost of high rise construction and that our city is still a relatively low cost real estate environment. It simply is very hard and expensive to build high rise buildings and we have many alternatives locally. When those begin to dwindle in number, it will drive prices higher and, assuming the demand is there from renters and buyers, you will see more vertical development.
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