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    Post of the Day: Need Help Getting Rid of a "Happy Ending" Massage Parlor 

    Published on 26 May 2012 7:00 AM

    luluhead writes:

    We have this Asian massage place which offers "happy endings". A guy is an owner/manager and the lady does the job (husband and wife). We do not allow free standing massage parlors. We allow only offices of the licensed massage therapists. Licensed massage therapist has to come in, show active license from the state. About three years ago, person who worked before me did not check the license and let the husband, not the lady, be the applicant and let them open. ...
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    Post of the Day - Working With Or Finding Private Developers For Housing Redevelopment 

    Published on 16 May 2012 7:00 AM
    Categories:
    1. Economic Development
    2. Housing

    Hawkeye66 writes:

    There are several old blocks with 80% degraded structures in our city, we are looking at re-development on a block scale. We have envisioned some mixed use development in a few of these. Has anyone used an RFP or other method to find a developer for these types of projects? I had this in mind: The City would consider doing the teardowns and lot acquisitions and sell it for a reasonable price working with the developer on more dense housing. The water, sewer and roads are already there. Some of the blocks adjacent blocks are commercial already, so it would sort of be a mixed use. ...
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    Post of the Day: Potential Code Enforcement Issue And High Profile Celebrities. 

    Published on 14 May 2012 7:00 AM
    Categories:
    1. Land Use and Zoning
    Article Preview

    Tide writes:

    What if time.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. - "I got about 50 or 60 cars out there and I didn't buy any of them," Earnhardt said. "We get a forklift or a tractor with a forklift or front-end loader and just carry it into the woods and just set it out there somewhere." Why is it no surprise that Earnhardt's backyard is like some backwoods version of the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark?"

    What if you were the zoning administrator/inspector for this county? What if this was inconsistent with the property regulations and there weren't any complaints? What if there were complaints (potential multiple infractions, junked vehicles and race tracks)? How would you (if you would) handle the enforcement and the obvious high profile media this would bring - and don't give me the "treat him like any other guy" because you would not be able to from the top down and if you say that you're lying and I preemptively call your BS.     ...
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    Post of the Day: Reflecting On The 20th Congress For The New Urbanism 

    Published on 11 May 2012 7:00 AM
    Categories:
    1. Organizations
    Article Preview

    Hilldweller writes:

    The New Urbanism horse has been pummeled pretty hard in this forum over the years, but the 20th anniversary of the Congress of New Urbanism is a good point to take stock of what the movement has accomplished in the last two decades, a period which witnessed major demographic shifts and a painful economic restructuring. What do we make of CNU's influence on urban planning, and what has the movement meant in terms of a translation into actual built environment outcomes? Is the push for neotraditional urban design progressing, stagnant, or failing? Has it been comprised by an emphasis on automobile-dependent projects on the urban fringe? Is urbanism any more of a desirable living arrangement as a result of the CNU? It's time for an honest assessment of NU, the neverending esoteric debates over sprawl vs. walkable communities are getting tired at this point. ...
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    Post of the Day: Sometimes, Planners Of The 1950s Knew What They Were Doing 

    Published on 10 May 2012 7:00 AM
    Categories:
    1. Comprehensive Planning
    2. Planning Practice
    Article Preview

    Dan writes:

    There's a common belief among the current generation of planners that planning in the 1950s was focused on transforming the built environment of the country to a suburban form, and finding the most efficient way to move cars around from Point A to Point B. ...
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    Post of the Day: Why Are People So Angry Over Having To Put In Sidewalks? 

    Published on 09 May 2012 7:00 AM
    Categories:
    1. Transportation
    2. Urban Design
    Article Preview

    Stroskey writes:

    It seems no matter who or what is being constructed or renovated, contractors, owners, and everyone involved in a building project objects to sidewalks being built. It feels like despite all of our regulations regarding storm water runoff, fire codes, etc. sidewalks get the most backlash. I've had people build in a neighboring town because they didn't require sidewalks (the owners didn't realize fuel costs in the long run were a lot more), and I've had people threaten anything they could so they don't have to put in sidewalks. Why the aversion, and are your communities like this? We had one man at a public meeting even say, "We don't need sidewalks. People walk in the street." ...
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    Post of the Day: Thinking Outside The Big Box 

    Published on 08 May 2012 7:00 AM
    Categories:
    1. Architecture
    2. Urban Design
    Article Preview

    bsteckler writes:

    What, if any, steps are being taken by traditional "big box store" retailers (Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc) to transplant their traditional model of suburban stores to urban areas? What steps are being taken by communities to allow for this to happen? Do certain aspects of codes/comp plans need to be modified for it? ...
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