What the fuck is wrong with you, Austin?

[Judge Roybeanbag 11,811]

3 hours ago, Bevo said:

There was a shitload of homeland security with a drone but no dogs at Brushy Creek looking for a 14yr old asian/Indian boy wearing a light blue shirt. Don't know the story behind it but one of the officers asked us to call 911 if we saw him.

He broke into Armybrat’s house and turned his camera right side up.

[Deej 76,626]

Put the stadium where the Statesman building is located. Traffic would be sensational during evening rush hour during weeknight games. 

[smokebomb 357]

19 hours ago, chainsaw said:

Is there a thread already about this?

https://www.statesman.com/story/sports/mlb/2024/09/20/mlb-expansion-austin-baseball-commission/75311476007/

Whatever the plan is, I guarantee it's not good.

It will never happen. Arlington approved >$300m & >$400m in bonds to help build Cowboy & Globe Life stadium respectively  (each stadium cost ~$1.1b). I seriously doubt this city will ever vote to approve a nearly hall billion dollar bond for a professional sports team’s stadium, a requirement any expansion team ownership is going to have. It is why Austin FC was funded privately and probably why the Spurs haven’t already made a serous attempt to move here.
 

Statistically Austin is the perfect place for a professional sports team but the city’s lack of an appetite to bankroll a billionaire’s private company already has, and will continue to, prevent any team from moving here.

[Deej 76,626]

Just need to include a train and lots of bike lanes in the proposal. Then voters will fall for it. 

[Post Oak 20,191]

 

[Deej 76,626]

South Austin's mom?

[ztejas 43,380]

 

 

[MissingInAction 24,868]

On 9/22/2024 at 1:01 PM, chainsaw said:

Is there a thread already about this?

https://www.statesman.com/story/sports/mlb/2024/09/20/mlb-expansion-austin-baseball-commission/75311476007/

Whatever the plan is, I guarantee it's not good.

Q2 says hi.

[Samson's Wig 3,182]

5 hours ago, smokebomb said:

It will never happen. Arlington approved >$300m & >$400m in bonds to help build Cowboy & Globe Life stadium respectively  (each stadium cost ~$1.1b). I seriously doubt this city will ever vote to approve a nearly hall billion dollar bond for a professional sports team’s stadium, a requirement any expansion team ownership is going to have. It is why Austin FC was funded privately and probably why the Spurs haven’t already made a serous attempt to move here.
 

Statistically Austin is the perfect place for a professional sports team but the city’s lack of an appetite to bankroll a billionaire’s private company already has, and will continue to, prevent any team from moving here.

Every now and then the crazy voters here get it right.

[BrazilHorn 6,580]

5 hours ago, smokebomb said:

It will never happen. Arlington approved >$300m & >$400m in bonds to help build Cowboy & Globe Life stadium respectively  (each stadium cost ~$1.1b). I seriously doubt this city will ever vote to approve a nearly hall billion dollar bond for a professional sports team’s stadium, a requirement any expansion team ownership is going to have. It is why Austin FC was funded privately and probably why the Spurs haven’t already made a serous attempt to move here.
 

Statistically Austin is the perfect place for a professional sports team but the city’s lack of an appetite to bankroll a billionaire’s private company already has, and will continue to, prevent any team from moving here.

Make it a combo stadium/homeless shelter/light rail station and they can hoodwink every voter

[Samson's Wig 3,182]

59 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

 

I look forward to the higher rates, or most likely just the continued made up usage numbers, to cover what is almost certainly a negligence-related incident.   I know that some here believe that city employees are warm hearted geniuses and we should all just get out of their way so they can make Austin a modern marvel, but at the moment I'm just hoping they can keep pumping water to my house.

2 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:

Make it a combo stadium/homeless shelter/light rail station and they can hoodwink every voter

You should run for office.

[jimmyjazz 45,621]

16 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

I look forward to the higher rates, or most likely just the continued made up usage numbers, to cover what is almost certainly a negligence-related incident.   

There is a ton of road construction going on near there, I assume some dipshit just rammed a back hoe shovel straight into the water main.

[Mittens 8,196]

53 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

There is a ton of road construction going on near there, I assume some dipshit just rammed a back hoe shovel straight into the water main.

 

[jimmyjazz 45,621]

Yeah, that wasn't a tough call.

[Brisketexan 104,778]

1 minute ago, jimmyjazz said:

Yeah, that wasn't a tough call.

And it's why contractors like this one carry insurance.  Unless the city utterly failed to mark a giant-ass main (they didn't -- this project has been ongoing for sometime, and was visibly marked as you drive by), claim will be submitted and paid.

[chainsaw 9,840]

Did it blow away the Porsche dealership? No?

[jimmyjazz 45,621]

10 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

Did it blow away the Porsche dealership? No?

Cheesecake Factory survived, too.

[PvilleStang 2,856]

Saw pics on X yesterday of Bull Creek nearby.  Nice brownish water flowing pretty quickly down to Lake Austin.  Should be interesting to balance that out with Mansfield and Miller dams.

[Mittens 8,196]

 

[texasdago 7,553]

On 9/22/2024 at 1:44 PM, BrazilHorn said:

The challenge is there is nowhere in Austin to put a stadium. So unless you drop it out by COTA there isn’t a place to set it up. 
 

Also you have Rangers and Astros not that far away. Just don’t see any demand for this here and no place to put a stadium that is remotely cool anyway. 

I love the idea of baseball in central Texas... aka San Antonio.  No interest in it here and I don't want to pay for some a-hole's stadium.  Longhorn games and my Astros are just fine.  

[Eskimohorn 5,623]

I love the idea of baseball in central Texas... aka San Antonio.  No interest in it here and I don't want to pay for some a-hole's stadium.  Longhorn games and my Astros are just fine.  

Austin doesnt have enough roads, energy, water, or housing. We have too many tourists who drive the cost of living up. We have too many homeless who keep things weird. We already drink shit tons of alcohol.

We need to subsidize professional sports like we need a hole in the head.

[InkaUtexas 25,589]

If it happens will be south of Austin. Kyle/San Marcos. East of I35 probably along 21. It can be X Stadium, sponsored by Tesla. Call it the Austin Ego's after the main sponsor.

[texasdago 7,553]

If you build it in Kyle, Aqua Texas can pump out all the water in the dead of night to keep the field nice and green and, maybe, just maybe, Hays County will fine them $1,000.00 or something similar.

[CooterBrown 17,949]

People always talk about a stadium being put halfway between Austin & San Antonio.  That's a recipe for having 4 figure attendances.  I don't even want to drive to Slaughter Lane from central Austin. No fucking way I'm driving I-35 to a baseball game in San Marcos on a Tuesday night.

To be fair, I wouldn't go to a baseball game across the street from my house but I'm sure the sentiment holds for most people.  

Edited September 24 by CooterBrown

[gsoda3 3,238]

Two best locations would be the statesman complex and somewhere in Robinson ranch. Never gonna happen though.

[BottleRocket 644]

Cantilever it over Town Lake.... water taxis and gondolas.  

Edited September 24 by BottleRocket
Ziplines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cap33 381]

Didn't Steve Patterson float the idea of putting a new basketball arena in Pease Park? Or am I just making that up based on all the other dumb ideas he had?

[MAUFRAIS 6,588]

That’s a new one to me.

[Armybrat 40,759]

8 hours ago, Mittens said:

 

Maybe that will flush out a few tons of garbage from the local homeless camps?

[Deej 76,626]

1 hour ago, Armybrat said:

Maybe that will flush out a few tons of garbage from the local homeless camps?

Trash or actual homeless people?

[MissingInAction 24,868]

10 hours ago, Deej said:

Trash or actual homeless people?

[texasdago 7,553]

21 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

I don't even want to drive to Slaughter Lane from central Austin.

[Armybrat 40,759]

Jfc…….

(from today’s AAS)

Quote

Austin American-Statesman USA TODAY NETWORK

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a freshman House member from Austin, is running for chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and, although there is no announced opposition to his candidacy, he plans to meet oneon- one with the individual members ahead of the vote set to take place after the Nov. 5 election.

 

[Mittens 8,196]

Crash gonna be cashing in IRAs, life insurance, selling his shittiest kid...

 

[Deej 76,626]

Yeah, but now he gets wannabe K-Mart shoppers.

[Bevo 13,534]

On 9/26/2024 at 10:58 AM, Mittens said:

Crash gonna be cashing in IRAs, life insurance, selling his shittiest kid...

 

That doesn’t work. They broke my cameras and motion sensors. And it’s too expensive and a pain to keep replacing them. A gate did work, though.

[demos 2,993]

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-leaders-reimagine-congress-ave-as-pedestrian-plaza-in-proposed-project/



This is fucking idiotic.

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20,354]

14 minutes ago, demos said:

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-leaders-reimagine-congress-ave-as-pedestrian-plaza-in-proposed-project/



This is fucking idiotic.

Do you have a better proposal?

[demos 2,993]

Do you have a better proposal?

Yeah, don’t do it.

But if you want to do this, first make sure there’s more parking available (since they’re taking out street parking), turn Colorado back into a one way street, improve public transportation, make sure the other north and south streets downtown can handle the traffic that will move from Congress when you do.

Let me know when all that happens.

[PvilleStang 2,856]

I mean, it's one of the main veins downtown and continues across the river.  Don't take one of the most popular roads downtown and shut it down.  You have three bridges (Guadalupe>S. First, Lamar, and Congress Ave) that cross the river, and any of those roadways should be absolutely off limits for this urbanist fuckery.

[royiv 9,177]

3 minutes ago, demos said:

Yeah, don’t do it.

But if you want to do this, first make sure there’s more parking available (since they’re taking out street parking), turn Colorado back into a one way street, improve public transportation, make sure the other north and south streets downtown can handle the traffic that will move from Congress when you do.

Let me know when all that happens.

I haven’t thought enough about this proposal to form an opinion on whether it would be badass or a bad idea, but parking in downtown Austin is not a problem. There are more than enough spaces to handle a relative handful of spaces lost in this proposal. 

[Armybrat 40,759]

28 minutes ago, Horn Under a Bad Sign said:

Do you have a better proposal?

Yes, commit the “Austin Leaders” who proposed this nutcase idea to the Austin State Hospital….long term.

[Brisketexan 104,778]

Honestly, Congress north of 7th is actually a pretty low-traffic volume stretch.  It wouldn't be choking off that much traffic.  AND, that end of Congress and downtown need a boost.  Congress Avenue's pedestrian and visitor/user attraction takes a huge punch after 7th street heading north.  The Paramount gets some traffic, but that's about it.  Ideally, you have an active and vibrant street all the way to the Capitol area (so 10th, practically speaking), and something like this is one of the ways you get there.

Austin often has harebrained ideas (MORE BIKE LANES! ELIMINATE ALL VEHICLE LANES!), but this one isn't bad.

[royiv 9,177]

6 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Honestly, Congress north of 7th is actually a pretty low-traffic volume stretch.  It wouldn't be choking off that much traffic.  AND, that end of Congress and downtown need a boost.  Congress Avenue's pedestrian and visitor/user attraction takes a huge punch after 7th street heading north.  The Paramount gets some traffic, but that's about it.  Ideally, you have an active and vibrant street all the way to the Capitol area (so 10th, practically speaking), and something like this is one of the ways you get there.

Austin often has harebrained ideas (MORE BIKE LANES! ELIMINATE ALL VEHICLE LANES!), but this one isn't bad.

This was my initial thinking on the plan as well. Just trying to think through the unintended consequences. The funny thing to me is that I would bet money that I, as a resident of Houston, have visited downtown Austin more recently than many of the people who will bitch and immediately dismiss this plan without nary a hint of thought or discussion.

[Brisketexan 104,778]

4 minutes ago, royiv said:

This was my initial thinking on the plan as well. Just trying to think through the unintended consequences. The funny thing to me is that I would bet money that I, as a resident of Houston, have visited downtown Austin more recently than many of the people who will bitch and immediately dismiss this plan without nary a hint of thought or discussion.

The north end of downtown is much more my stomping ground, and it unquestionably dies/peters out once you cross 7th street.  Just fucking DEAD.  Even the traffic going up and down Congress mostly turns off by 7th street.  The volume from 8th to 11th is light as hell.

[MAUFRAIS 6,588]

That will destroy my commute from the elephant room to the cloak room.

[royiv 9,177]

1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

The north end of downtown is much more my stomping ground, and it unquestionably dies/peters out once you cross 7th street.  Just fucking DEAD.  Even the traffic going up and down Congress mostly turns off by 7th street.  The volume from 8th to 11th is light as hell.

It’s baffled me for a long time that the northern section of Congress isn’t more activated. Maybe doing something like what is proposed would give it the kick in the ass it needs to liven up. Some al fresco bars and cafes with sweet views of the capitol would be pretty cool in concept, but for the little problem of the oppressive heat half of the year.

3 minutes ago, MAUFRAIS said:

That will destroy my commute from the elephant room to the cloak room.

I though everyone in downtown rode a scooter.

[demos 2,993]

There’s a reason visitor attraction takes a hit: it’s practically all office buildings up here. Unless that’s changing, this isn’t going to help that much. It’s just going to be a pain in the ass for everyone that works at this end, unless you do things to make it workable, like turning Colorado back into a one-way street and fixing the fuckery that is the intersection at 10th and Colorado. Which they probably won’t do or are even considering (like not putting in a turn lane at 7th and Congress after installing the bike lanes).

[LCHorn 2,589]

33 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Honestly, Congress north of 7th is actually a pretty low-traffic volume stretch.  It wouldn't be choking off that much traffic.  AND, that end of Congress and downtown need a boost. 

That’s where I’m at and I like the idea.  That north part of Congress is getting really ignored by developers and it feels like it should be great place for commercial and restaurants.  I think the main losers are going to be that some parking garages are currently configured to push out cars to Congress but that’s fixable.  

[bolverk 29,476]

22 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Honestly, Congress north of 7th is actually a pretty low-traffic volume stretch.  It wouldn't be choking off that much traffic.  AND, that end of Congress and downtown need a boost.  Congress Avenue's pedestrian and visitor/user attraction takes a huge punch after 7th street heading north.  The Paramount gets some traffic, but that's about it.  Ideally, you have an active and vibrant street all the way to the Capitol area (so 10th, practically speaking), and something like this is one of the ways you get there.

Austin often has harebrained ideas (MORE BIKE LANES! ELIMINATE ALL VEHICLE LANES!), but this one isn't bad.

 

13 minutes ago, royiv said:

This was my initial thinking on the plan as well. Just trying to think through the unintended consequences. The funny thing to me is that I would bet money that I, as a resident of Houston, have visited downtown Austin more recently than many of the people who will bitch and immediately dismiss this plan without nary a hint of thought or discussion.

It wouldn't be painless, but you're both correct that it's not a highly traveled stretch. TXDOT actually keeps traffic counts, and you can see that about 3,000-3,500 vehicles pass through there.

https://www.txdot.gov/apps/statewide_mapping/StatewidePlanningMap.html

 

By comparison, when you get south of 5th/6th, the average daily count more than doubles.

 

To give context, one-way Lavaca heading north is about 13,000, and Guadalupe heading south averages about 6,000 daily cars. Based on traffic counts, this is akin to suggesting shutting down Trinity over by the convention center.

One thing about grids is that they give drivers multiple streets to choose from, which is where @demos's suggestions for improving (or at least doing something with) Brazos and Colorado on each side of Congress to lessen the pain for commuters who do the whole stretch of Congress from the Capitol down to the river.

I'm not saying I'm fer it or agin it, but it's not too insane. I will say, however, that it fits in with the broader vision of having a nice, broad, walkable pedestrian way from the Tower to downtown if you consider what's gone on with the North Mall in the Capitol Complex connecting to the UT campus.