crinzema

In a Cornell Study on this topic, this was the conclusion: "The overall picture that emerges from the analysis is one of deteriorating performance and of more volatile markets after the introduction of a P.O.H. The data show that POHs tend to harm the performance metrics of existing hotels that most closely compete with them. Not only does performance decline but, in most cases, the markets become more volatile. The effect is observed in all three commonly used measures of performance: RevPAR, ADR, and OCC. The effects are statistically significant and economically meaningful." Link to study: https://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1947&context=articles If you want a new shiny building at the expense of honest business owners like myself, fine. If you add up decisions like this, you end up with Detroit or Harrisburg.

Stop with the mental gymnastics. The notion this doesn’t hurt other private hotels is so absurd. It’s obvious that there will be a transfer of guests to this publically owned hotel, decreasing profits for private, tax paying hotels. This is literally how you deincentivice sustainable development in downtown.

Publically financed hotel? Hold up....Hold up....Hold up... While I might not be that crazy libertarian I use to be, I am not even slightly on aboard with this. What in the world is happening here! CAA mission creep. Of course this hurts real hotels that are forced to survive on profit, when a closer hotel to the convention center could be run at a lose. I will see to it that this does not get built. I’m as big a fan as any for more construction downtown, but If only we could learn from histories examples... https://youtu.be/shI5oOTMkMk

What I fear is that the exterior of Castle Apartments will always look unfinished because of the concrete exterior. Same kind of thing with 234 Market Apartments with the light brown masonry. To me, the masonry looks like wood and makes the building look permanently half complete.

Well, I did not take that video. But... I know exactly how its done because I own the equipment to do that exact thing. I am a Real Estate photographer and I own a camera called "Matterport Camera." The best way to describe the thing is that it's a box with 6 small cameras and 3 infrared cameras capturing photographic and distance information from the surrounding walls and furnishings. When you take multiple photos together, it stitches them together creating a 3D environment that you can walk around, like that shown in the video. Here's an example of a luxury home that is being marketed with this technology: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=uoLJvSu7P3i&brand=0 My website is www.ContextImaging.com and I provide all sorts of real estate and commercial photography services. I'm currently working on implementing a Virtual Tour Method that would open up an entire building, such as the size of the Castle Apartments, to a virtual walk through. Great for construction documentation/insurance/marketing/selling a building/facility management...

Now I'll admit that I might not be completely rational on this one. But Let me tell you, everyone like me or anyone more conservative than me gets really jaded driving down division street. I don't think dividing the lanes up between cars and buses was a smart move. But going forward, I would love to see the entire distance of division street given a facelift. If division street becomes vibrant, that would be big for Grand Rapids.

I'm beginning to think that the most important construction project is not the next skyscraper or anything like that, but road construction improvements. I was headed to the northwest side of town around rush hour, and Lake Michigan drive was just a long parking lot. Complete insanity. I'm thinking about taking my drone up into the skies and documenting this mess, just so that it can be easily seen how bad things are getting around town. I think there should be some sort of public forum that addresses traffic problems around the city. Here's what I would do: Make all Highways 6 lanes, and have 131 become an eight-lane highway Include Lane Dividers on On-ramps to encourage the full process of acceleration on on-ramps Make downtown onramps longer, (Cars traveling 75 mph must slow down to 40mph for merging traffic on some of these short onramps. Example: Burton onramp traveling south on 131) Get Rid of Divison Street Bus Lane (Impoverishes an already impoverished area of town with less traffic and fewer customers to fading storefronts. Division Street should be as alive as 28th street, Alpine, Plainfield, and 44th st, but it isn't because of transportation politics) Make Wilson Ave a 4 lane road (Most obvious "Duh" improvement on this list) Create a Highway From Hudsonville to Coopersville (Development of Western Suburbs) Make Lenard Street a 4 lane road and increase speed limit to 45mph throughout the length of the road (support Lake Michigan traffic to west suburbs) Get rid of all bike lanes on arterial roads (Ex: Lenard) Increase number of bike lanes on actual secondary roads Become the first city to redefine what a dignified public transportation can be with an autonomous busing system. (Tax me all day on this one) Make all street lights LEDs (Because it's cool) Tell everyone who doesn't have a job, not to drive between 7-10 am and 4-6pm. (Because I'm a dictator) Re-test drivers with a stricter driver's license test, similar to the requirements that are placed on German drivers (Great Grandma should not be driving on them dam roads) Increase tax on Gas (I'm very much not inclined to say this one, but I think that this is very important. Maybe those autonomous buses could be funded this way) These are my quick thoughts, nothing more.

Is this where they are going to widen the highway?

Dilly Dilly!

I heard, through the grapevine, that this place is sinking. Not by a little, but by a lot, like 1 ft+.

Updated pictures of North Monroe. (Self Promotion: If you know of any realtors who need professional photos taken of their listings, send them my way )

What are you saying? Do you need more context?

I don't think I need to bump this one to the next page this time... ;-)

Guilty as charged

Bump for page 10

Created by yours truly

Yes, but I prefer the black and white. It looks much more dynamic this way, in my opinion.

Maybe something like this, taken by yours truly, would help?

Found this in a magazine