Details on the bust of alleged sticky-fingered cop Michael Sylvester
"Police crackdown a hit in SW Baltimore" - the double metaphors, not so much
There's a thought: before we spend more $ on criminal justice programs, we should figure out what works.
Study finds youth violence, truancy linked
Poor Tony Fein, arrested and then cut from the team
More lawsuits for Ritz-Carlton developers
Evocative headline of the day: "Cops, Jews, Square Off On Field"
12 comments:
The Ritz Carlton so far has sold 21 out of 191 residences, Silo Point has sold 48 of its 228 units. I believe the RC number, I would respectively disagree with the SP number, but I could be wrong.
Wow, youth violence and truancy are linked! Who knew?
Who paid money for this absurdly stupid study?
Cham,
What are your sources for those home sales? I drive by those developments every day and that occupancy rate is even lower than I guessed from the tumbleweeds rolling around the lots.
Anon: The numbers are in the Daily Record article.
The numbers for Ritz Carlton sound believable. That place looks utterly deserted, and considering how expensive their units are I'm not surprised. There aren't that many people in Baltimore who will buy million dollar condos.
If you visit Latrobe park after sundown and look back at Silo Point you may see 1 or 2 units with lights on. During the day I can see curtains in 2 of the units that are not the model units. When I pass the Ritz Carlton I can see window dressings and curtains in 3 units, and, at night, the lights on in 2 units.
To me, this doesn't yield numbers of 48 and 21 sold respectively. Something is fishy with the numbers. I can't see people spending gobs of money on condos that aren't occupied, but I could be wrong.
The problem with both those developments is that they are counting on snob appeal. Snob appeal works in LA and New York, but not in Baltimore. Even with 300 murders per year we still don't like to live with 24 hour guards and surrounded by 10 foot walls. It's not our way, it will never be our way. There aren't enough transplants from NYC or Boca to buy up all this snob real estate.
I wish the city would implode the failed Ritz-Carlton experiment and give the Visionary Art Museum back its view of the bay.
"I wish the city would implode the failed Ritz-Carlton experiment and give the Visionary Art Museum back its view of the bay."
And stop ruining the wind for the Downtown Sailing Center!
"The problem with both those developments is that they are counting on snob appeal."
Another problem with condos is if too few of them sell then you don't have enough people paying fees. That in turn means they have to raise the fees for everyone else or cut back on maintenance and upkeep, which then makes the place even less attractive and less likely to sell more units. Not to mention the fact that condo associations tend to attract people who have a little Nazi in them just waiting to break out and make people's lives miserable. When I own a home I want to actually own it, and not be subject to the whims of condo or home owner's associations.
The one good thing about the Ritz Carlton is that they did a beautiful job with wide promenade, it works well for my bike route downtown.
The development put up a high wall so the residents don't have to look at the commoners, but I really don't wish to look at the snooty residents. So it works out. I ride my bike and enjoy the water view. The residents get to stare at the big wall from inside, it's probably the same view you get from inside the Hagerstown Correctional Facility.
Cham -- The promenade may be lovely but it is hidden behind a gated community. I used it once and thought I'd be chased away by a rent-a-cop. It's also not well connected to the bike trail around the Inner Harbor and is a detour from my path down Key Highway.
This is ultra-nit picky, but there's no prison called the "Hagerstown Correctional Facility."
I've got the skinny on the whole promenade usage over there. I actually called the city agency that oversees the promenade because I had a resident chase me on foot last year at Harbor View.
The promenade is public, anyone can use it in that area. Bicycles and non-motorized vehicles are allowed. You can access the promenade in 3 locations, the entrance way over at the Rusty Scupper, the roadway between the Ritz Carlton and Harborview (the 25 ft wide road there is actually public property that has been given to the city by both developments, use it freely) and at the Harbor View entrance on the other side. The Harbor View entranceway on Key Highway is private property but public access right-of-way has been allowed for people accessing the promenade.
I have the email from the city that proves this, if anyone gets harassed I will be happy to give it to you. Do not use the entrance of the Ritz Carlton, that is off limits.
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