Kroger in Oak Cliff is Sold

The Kroger at Hampton and Ledbetter, which I previously wrote about, has been sold.

According to the Oak Cliff Tribune, the buyer is Houston-based Grocer Supply. It will become a Fiesta supermarket. No timeline for the store's opening is available.

Ed Oakley Sells out City for Tollroad

A compadre of mine (RobertB) on the DFW Urban Forum has alerted us to an interesting e-mail from a familiar tollroad cheerleader who happens to be running for mayor.

Ed Oakley just sent me an email saying -- and I can't believe this is a quote:

"But, like any good leader Ed Oakley is unwilling to be carried away simply by parks and recreational spaces. He knows there are other responsibilities involved here."

God forbid we should be "carried away simply by parks and recreational spaces"! Oddly enough, the page on his site that he links to has nothing but renderings of... parks and recreational spaces.

You can go to Oakley's website if you feel like it and see his "vision." You can also see the picture of the tollway right on the levee. To wit, we say, it ain't gonna happen.

Link to all things Trinity on Dallas Progress.

Super Bowl Bids and the City of Dallas

District 5 City Council Candidate Betty Culbreath has the best explanation of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium fiasco and the pending Super Bowl bid.

Check it out here.

RIP Officer Mark Nix

Dallas Progress will not be posting for the next two days in honor of Senior Cpl. Mark T. Nix, who died in a shootout with a murder suspect in West Dallas.

Sr. Cpl. Nix died after a chase involving a suspect who was thought to be involved in a robbery and murder near the Cedar Crest Golf Course. He gave his life trying to protect the Citizens of Dallas.

How to Make Enemies and Influence No One

TxDOT's high level of gall has reached new levels.

The Statesman blogs that the Houston Chronicle notes a high level of anger directed toward TxDot from Congress. Shouts to the Somervell County Salon for this one. Apparently, a letter this month from TxDOT's executive director tells members of Congress that they will no longer support their individual road projects unless they obtain state and regional approval before pursuing federal funding.

The article notes that both sides of the aisle aren't happy:

"Arrogant," fumed Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco. "A letter like this is not a way to build relationships," complained Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston.

Said Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble: "TxDOT needs to understand the elected representatives make the decisions on what projects we do — not the bureaucrats."

Keep it up, TxDot. You're doing a great job, Brownie.

Townhall Meetings on Utility Costs

State Rep. Barbara Mallory Caraway (House District 110) is holding a series of town hall meetings on high electricity bills, the proposed sale of TXU Energy, and utility deregulation.

True to her word, Barbara is bringing the information to the people of her District while fighting for change in Austin.

The news story can be found here, along with the video clip with an audio interview (link).

For more information, call her District office at 214-941-4619 (Dallas) or 512-463-0664 (Austin).

Tonight, the first meeting was held at the Fruitdale Rec Center in Oak Cliff.

The remaining meetings are as follows:

Friday, March 23rd
6:00 pm
Thornton Elementary School
6011 Old Ox Road; Dallas, TX (map) - Singing Hills

Saturday, March 24
10:00 am
Paul Laurence Dunbar - Lancaster-Kiest Branch Library
2008 E. Kiest Blvd; Dallas, TX (map) - across from Oliver Wendell Holmes MS

Thursday, March 29
6:00 pm
Frederick Douglass Elementary School
226 N. Jim Miller Rd; Dallas, TX (map) - just north of Loop 12

Saturday, March 31st
10:00am
FCI Seagoville Training Center
2113 N. Highway 175; Seagoville, TX (map)

Random Great News

The DMN reports that Shafer Property, operated by the architecturally loathed Steve Shafer has sold the old Syms site to an affiliate of the Staubach Company.

Quoting David Dillon, I'm just glad to know that there won't be a stucco "one-story, skin-deep Mediterranean hodgepodge" on Mockingbird near Love Field. Carry On.

My Response to the DMN Editorial

This morning, The Dallas Morning News printed a joint letter from Ron Kirk and Laura Miller which supported the Trinity River Project.

Let it be known that Ron Kirk is the treasurer and secretary of the Trinity Trust, the foundation that's pushing for the Trinity Tollway as planned.

Let it be known that Laura Miller wants to use pre-Katrina standards for this road.

I know the voters are smart enough to look at the facts, check out Trinityvote.com, and decide if they want a toll road with no access to the park.

I know the voters are smart enough to realize that Southern Dallas will flood if the toll road goes in. I know the voters are smart enough to realize that the downtown business interests want to use the project to fatten their pockets at the expense of the taxpayers. Does anybody else have a better reason why the landowners don't want the road going down Industrial Boulevard?

I know that the voters can count well enough to realize that the project was barely approved by voters in it's old form (2300 votes) and now know that the cost of the project has more than tripled to over $1 billion dollars.

Based on your phone calls and e-mails since TrinityVote was made public, I know you see the absurdity of saying that traffic is an issue but are totally against a toll road being built

I know the Mayoral candidates are smart enough to realize that they can't win the election by supporting the project in its current form.

The best way to keep up on my postings regarding the Trinity River project are by clicking the label below this post titled 'Trinity River.'

We can stop the nonsense and fleecing of Dallas taxpayers. Join TrinityVote.

Is Max Wells for the Trinity Tollway?

In the Dallas Morning News article on March 9th, Max Wells is the only major candidate that is not on record regarding a position on the Trinity Tollroad and project in its current state.

However, in looking at Max Wells' website, several of his major supporters have ties to the Trinity Trust, a private group that lobbies for the bridge project.

Here are Trinity Trust board members that are on Wells' major supporters page:

Dolores Barzune
Jeanne L. Phillips, Vice Chair of Trinity Trust

Alan Walne is also major supporter, as witnessed by the debate on KRLD.

Wells is the only major candidate that isn’t on record, unless I missed it. Now would be a good time for Max to clarify his position on the Trinity Tollroad.

Serving Two Masters, and Getting Your Money's Worth

Too many people that are running for office are trying to serve two masters.

Everybody wants to be Mayor, but nobody wants to make a sacrifice:

Sam Coats is on the Board of TXI, but wants to be against the TXU coal plants because of air pollution risk. He's also a director for Safety-Kleen. I think that's a contradiction. Sam should quit the both boards immediately.(Sam's response can be found here)

Maybe Sam and other candidates should decide which is more important: being on boards and being members of certain clubs, or being Mayor? Sam is an interesting guy, and qualified from a business standpoint to be Mayor, but despite the spin doctors this issue is a major problem for him.

One blog commenter who posted on DallasBlog put it best: Imagine if Laura Miller was on the board of TXU when the coal plant story broke? I like Sam, and he's definitely on the right side of the Trinity Tollroad issue, but he should decide whether he wants to be Mayor or be on TXI's board. He certainly doesn't need the money.

Onto the lack of work or lack of quality work being done by many political consultants:

The job of a political consultant is more than overlooking marketing materials and taking people to high-priced dinners. Part of their responsibility is to minimize heat by TELLING their candidate when they're WRONG, and when they're being stupid. If you don't do that, you are what is known as a flack, not a consultant.

Many campaigns have put their candidates in a bad position. They let their candidate go on television or radio and make comments or remarks that make them look worse than when the story broke. I've seen it so far with several campaigns.

A lot of these so-called consultants are living off of elections they were in 10 years ago. And it shows.

Maybe candidates should press their consultants to earn their keep. When you see the campaign finance reports come out in a couple of weeks, you'll be stunned to see how much when their client's candidacies are merely treading water.

It's the candidate's job to run; it's the consultant's job to make sure they don't run into a sinkhole. I think of it like a boxer. He can be a world champion, but if he is surrounded by yes men his career is doomed and he will get complacent and knocked out like Buster Douglas did Mike Tyson. Do you think that Avery Johnson has pushed the Mavs to the best record in the league by giving everybody a hug when they made stupid plays? Probably not.

Several candidates with high-paid consultants are watching their campaign go up in flames. Such truths will become evident after May 12th. Remember, only two candidates can make the runoff.

Trinity River Corridor Meeting

Monday March 19th, 2PM-4PM
City Hall
Room 6E/S (6E-South)

Here is the agenda - link

Be there if you can. Tell your friends!

Trinity Tollway Debate on KRLD

Angela Hunt debated Alan Walne on the Thursday's Ernie & Jay show regarding the merits (or lack thereof) of putting a tollway in the Trinity. Click here to listen to the podcast (mp3 format).

Side note: Alan Walne serves on the Parkland Board of Managers (link) with big-dollar Trinity backer Louis Beecherl...who employed Bill Ceverha as a lobbyist...who tried to make a public stand at the TrinityVote kickoff on Wednesday and was paid by Beecherl to defeat a light-rail referendum in 1998...so there's that.

In the meantime, check out these photos from Houston after Tropical Storm Allison.

Think about having a road build to pre-Katrina standards, as Laura Miller wants to do.

(I-45 & I-10, Downtown Houston)

Tollways and Trinity River Project

There so much to say about the boondoggle that is the Trinity River Project. This project is becoming more and more of a fiasco with each passing week.

You will hear a lot of hate thrown in our direction from naysayers and cheerleaders for this project. In fact it's already started. Some are lobbyists, and some are controlled by big-time business interests. When they blurt out passionate half-truths, ask them if they are financially involved with the project or were they a big supporter back in 1998. 99 times out of 100, the answer will be yes.

If you live in the southern sector, you need to be concerned about flooding. Read my old posts (under the "Trinity River" label) to catch up on some of the details.

Click the picture on the front page of this site or visit www.trinityvote.com. Read the FAQ; decide for yourself.

Among the gems in the FAQ:

Q. I don't remember voting for a toll road. Was that on the ballot in 1998?
A. Here's the language that appeared on the ballot in 1998:

PROPOSITION NO. 11
"THE ISSUANCE OF $246,000,000 GENERAL OBLIGATION TRINITY RIVER CORRIDOR PROJECT BONDS, THE PROJECT TO INCLUDE FLOODWAYS, LEVEES, WATERWAYS, OPEN SPACE, RECREATIONAL FACILITIES, THE TRINITY PARKWAY AND RELATED STREET IMPROVEMENTS, AND OTHER RELATED, NECESSARY, AND INCIDENTAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TRINITY RIVER CORRIDOR."

Notice the conspicuous omission of the word "toll road." "Trinity Parkway" was interpreted by many to be a low-speed access road for the park. Today the plan is to build a high-speed, six-lane, limited access toll road to help relieve traffic congestion on I-35 and the mixmaster. The toll road is planned to be constructed within the Downtown Trinity Park.

Q. Are you against building a reliever route for I-35 and the mixmaster?
A. No, we just don't want it in the park.

Q: I keep hearing that we'll ruin the whole project if the toll road is taken out of the park. Is that true?
A: No. This is a scare tactic used by those who want to see the toll road built in the park, to convince us that there's no park if there's no road. If you scrutinize their argument, it goes something like this: We've got to dig out a lot of dirt to create the lakes. Excavation and removal of all that dirt will cost more money than the city's got. The toll road needs a lot of dirt for the "bench" it's going to sit on. Therefore, federal money for the toll road can be used to excavate the lakes, and the lake dirt can be used for the toll road bench. If the toll road isn't built, though, there's no money to dig out the lakes. No road = no lakes.

Thing is, that isn't really true. The federal government is already committed to using the lake dirt to raise and extend the levees. The city will receive flood control money (and therefore, money to dig out the lakes) whether or not we build the toll road in the park. So perhaps it would be correct to say "No flood control improvements = No lakes." But "no toll road, no lakes" is just not true.

And remember: We're not trying to kill this toll road. We're just trying to move it out of the park.

According to the Dallas Observer in 1998, the anti-Trinity folks lost by only 2,357 votes. We CAN get this accomplished. But it will take an effort from all parts of the City and all groups around Dallas.

I am energized by the number of people in attendance today (despite real short notice) and the amount of calls and e-mails I received today. The diversity of the group was great to see. You saw all age brackets and many nationalities.

Haters will no doubt speak passionately about "moving full speed ahead", claiming this was "debated ad nauseum" etc. What are they afraid of? That voters will find out the truth about the Tollroad.

As said in my previous posts, the Army Corps of Engineers wants to use post-Katrina flood protection. Laura Miller wants to get a waiver so the project can be built at pre-Katrina flood requirements.

The Trinity Project is also now a Mayoral election issue. Deal with it.

I am inspired by my downstate peers like Sal Costello, who was able to help turn back toll roads in Central Texas. WE CAN GET THIS DONE!

For your reading, here are some of the recent articles I've uncovered:

DMN
Dallas Observer (Trinity River Project article search)
Unfair Park: March 15th, March 5th, February 21st, January 17th, October 12th
NBC5i
CBS 11

TrinityVote

Tollroads...are you sick of them? Do you not want residents to be flooded out of their homes in southern Dallas? Do you want the park and lakes you were promised?

This vote is really about you, as Citizens of Dallas, want in your City.

This ?














Or This?

(from a 1998 Trinity Bond Campaign Brochure)















I will have more to say shortly. In the meantime, check out the website at www.trinityvote.com or click here. Also, click the "Trinity River" label below this post to catch up.

Dallas Election Candidates

Here is a comprehensive list, from the City of Dallas.

As I mentioned in the last post, to be considered, you had to turn in 473 valid signatures by today. To get on the ballot for Council, you have to have between 25 and 63 signatures, depending on the Council seat. As a last resort, there's always the write-in option.

Mayor - 13 candidates: Sam Coats, Darrell Jordan, Don Hill, Tom Leppert, Ed Okpa, Zac Crain, Gary Griffith, Roger Herrera, Ed Oakley, Max Wells, John Cappello, Evelyn Daniel, and Jennifer Gale.

District 1 - Elba Garcia (last term)

District 2 - Pauline Medrano, Justin Rosales, Gwain Wooten

District 3 - Dave Neumann, Joe Tave, Joseph Hernandez, Irby Foster, Rena VanHorn, Vicki Walton, Linda Wise, Charletta Compton, Kawania Lynn, Angela Phillips

District 4 - Dwaine Caraway, Gloria Hogg, Kimberly Jackson, Eugene Thomas

District 5 - Betty Culbreath, Jesse Diaz, Jurline Hollins, Vonciel Hill, Larry Holton, Don Robinson, Yolanda Williams

District 6 - Steve Salazar

District 7- Rev. Donald Parish, Carolyn Davis, Kevin Felder, Helene McKinney, Sharon Middlebrooks, Billy Ratcliff, Lashonda Young

District 8 - Erik Wilson, Clara McDade, Charles Rose, Sandra Crenshaw, Tennell Atkins, Theressa Washington

District 9 - Jill Kotvis, Sheffie Kadane, Albert Turner

District 10 - Jerry Allen

District 11 - Linda Koop

District 12 - John McClelland, Ron Natinsky

District 13 - Mitch Rasansky (last term)

District 14 - Angela Hunt, Joseph Glogowski

Dallas Mayoral Candidate List

You know that Dallas Progress would be among the first to report who will be on the ballot. To be considered, you had to turn in 473 valid signatures by today.

So far, we have twelve candidates (in no particular order): Sam Coats, Darrell Jordan, Don Hill, Tom Leppert, Ed Okpa, Zac Crain, Gary Griffith, Roger Herrera, Ed Oakley, Max Wells, John Cappello, Jennifer Gale, and Evelyn Daniel. The signatures must be verified to ensure a place on the ballot. Said verification could take several days.

UPDATE: The complete correct list is posted.

Trinity Tollway and Dallas Mayoral Candidates

As an informed voter, you need to know where the candidates stand on the Trinity Tollway. As I've mentioned previously, this is the ridiculous plan to put a tollroad through in the downtown levees, which could cause life-threatening flooding to nearby residents. The following info comes from the DMN's coverage of the Mayor's race:

Move the road outside of the levees or reconsider the current plan: Sam Coats, Darrell Jordan, Don Hill, Roger Herrera, Gary Griffith

Move forward with the tollroad as planned, inside the levees: Ed Oakley, Tom Leppert, John Cappello.

I will have a real hard time supporting any candidate that supports moving forward which the tollroad as planned. Those candidates will have to answer the question of whether or not they are tools for the downtown real estate interests, or if they have the welfare of poor citizens in mind.

The Cotton Bowl and Public Trust

Since the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association voted to move the game to the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington (beginning in 2010), I keep seeing articles and hearing talk shows with people trying to assess who's to blame, polls asking whether or not we should fund the millions in improvements, etc.

What's also disappointing is that several Mayoral candidates want to hijack the process and not fund the improvements. Here's the vote breakdown of the major candidates in the Mayor's race, according to the DMN:

Yes: Don Hill, Darrell Jordan, Sam Coats, Ed Oakley

No: John Cappello, Zac Crain, Roger Herrera

Maybe: Tom Leppert, Max Wells, Gary Griffith

(Side note: How could you say maybe? Stop the fence-sitting and make the call!)

Let me give you a quick history lesson: In November, voters approved Proposition 3 in the 2006 bond election by an 81-19% margin. Proposition 3 included the Cotton Bowl Improvements.

So I guess we're hearing from the 19% that didn't vote for Prop 3. Way before November, it was known long ago the the Cotton Bowl would be moved to the home.

Where were all you haters in November?

If you didn't want the improvements funded, you shouldn't have voted for it. I saw NO opposition to Prop 3 in last Fall's election season. So deal with it. The City will give citizens an improved, more viable landmark that attract new games and make Fair Park more of a destination for visitors and residents alike.

Advertisements Available

Now that we are in full election season in the City of Dallas, I wanted to let everyone know that ad space is available for candidates. Dallas Progress has a very diverse set of readers from all over the City and beyond, and for a small price you can get in on the action.

If you are interested, feel free to e-mail me or post a comment and I will provide a quote. Ask about our election special, which will include now until the end of the election.

We also accept ads from most businesses.

Donovan Wheatfall out in Fort Worth

The Fort Worth Star Telegram reports that Donovan Wheatfall is not seeking re-election for Fort Worth City Council. He wants to devote more time to his business. Shouts to Pegasus for the link.

This is a downer. I looked at him as a rising young star in DFW politics. He has the guts that I admire to stand up to his own people as well as the powers that be. It will be interesting to see who steps up to take his place.

House of Blues Lives up to its Name

A few days ago, I got a ton of hits on my article, "Victory...How much rich can we do?"
I held out hope that the under-construction House of Blues might balance out the other outrageously priced options in Victory Park.

However, it seems like the de facto price of HOB events is going to be $65. So there goes that theory out the window.

How I'll miss the Gypsy Tea Room....

Profiting from Pain

Apparently, there's a lot of money to be made at shady hot-sheet motels. Here is a sampling of the latest quarterly reports, which show the receipts at Dallas' worst of the worst hot-sheet motels. These holes are organized by zip then motel name, so you can easily check out the offenders in your neighborhood.

These figures are for the 4th Quarter (Oct-Dec) of 2006. They were released on 03/01/07. As soon as new numbers are available, they will be published.

Hotel Name /Address /Zip /Rooms /Receipts /Taxable Receipts

75203
ALL SEASONS MOTEL 3511 E KIEST BLVD APT 1 75203 30 $41,539.13 $24,739.13
CITY INN & SUITES 223 S EWING AVE 75203 36 $62,266.00 $11,157.00
CLASSIC MOTEL 1126 E 8TH ST 75203 23 $24,208.70 $11,968.70
COURTESY INN 520 S EWING AVE 75203 20 $13,932.17 $13,932.17
DALLAS INN 508 S MARSALIS AVE 75203 14 $37,307.13 $3,499.13
LA SANTA MOTEL 921 E 8TH ST 75203 14 $26,110.00 $26,110.00
METRO APEX MOTEL 1010 S BECKLEY AVE 75203 17 $17,391.30 $8,391.30
MUSTANG INN 465 S R L THORNTON FWY 75203 38 $7,578.66 $7,578.66
SOUTHERN CROWN MOTEL 2303 MOUSER LN 75203 19 $24,648.70 $13,998.70

75208
ALAMO PLAZA 712 FORT WORTH AVE 75208 40 $53,782.00 $9,268.00
AVALON MOTEL 1015 FORT WORTH AVE 75208 34 $21,137.00 $11,487.00
FLORA MOTEL 2838 FORT WORTH AVE 75208 19 $12,820.00 $9,900.00
MIRAMAR MOTEL HOTEL 1950 FT WORTH AVE 75208 71 $57,026.00 $14,386.00
PALAMINO MOTEL 1318 FORT WORTH AVE 75208 15 $17,112.39 $4,617.39
PARADISE INN 1736 FORT WORTH AVE 75208 40 $23,757.83 $13,058.77
SHADY OAKS HOTEL 1512 FORT WORTH AVE 75208 22 $19,197.76 $1,447.76

75210
MI AMOR MOTEL NO 2 2404 S 2ND AVE 75210 22 $20,239.83 $20,239.83
RED DOOR MOTEL 5122 SECOND AVE 75210 25 $40,798.00 $26,989.00

75211
PALACE MOTEL 4054 W DAVIS 75211 16 $16,789.00 $2,741.00
SHANGRI-LA MOTEL 3712 W DAVIS ST 75211 24 $14,380.00 $4,270.00
TEXAS MOTEL 3816 W DAVIS ST 75211 49 $42,780.87 $19,520.87

75212
APEX MOTEL 4036 N WESTMORELAND RD 75212 16 $6,233.50 $5,420.43

75214
TAMPICO MOTEL 7201 E GRAND AVE 75214 65 $51,047.82 $7,347.82

75215
COLONIAL HOUSE MOTEL 3103 COLONIAL AVE 75215 29 $29,164.00 $14,650.00
UPTOWN # 2 1825 PARK AVE 75215 18 $15,976.96 $5,776.96
UPTOWN MOTEL NO 1 1909 BROWDER ST 75215 15 $58,143.50 $45,604.50
WINNWAY MOTEL 1717 MARTIN L KING BLVD 75215 14 $17,710.00 $11,710.00

75216
ALOHA MOTEL 2835 E ILLINOIS AVE 75216 18 $22,500.00 $2,800.00
GLOBE TRAVELER MOTEL 8504 S CENTRAL EXPY 75216 35 $20,500.00 $2,525.00
LAMAR MOTEL 7055 SOUTH CENTRAL EXPRESS WAY 75216 10 $16,278.25 $6,478.26
LINFIELD MOTEL 7701 S CENTRAL EXPWY 75216 29 $96,244.71 $96,244.71
MINI LINFIELD MOTEL 4505 CORREGIDOR ST 75216 18 $22,765.00 $10,185.00
MOONLIGHT MOTEL 3423 E ILLINOIS AVE 75216 23 $16,948.91 $7,465.91
SOUTHERN COMFORT MOTEL #1 4403 S LANCASTER 75216 23 $24,399.13 $17,439.13
STAR MOTEL 7635 S CENTRAL EXPY 75216 33 $29,245.00 $14,140.00
SUNSET MOTEL 4343 S LANCASTER RD 75216 30 $20,190.00 $6,558.00

75217
CLASSIC INN 7020 S LOOP 12 75217 26 $35,135.63 $19,815.04
DAL VISTA MOTEL 8241 C F HAWN FRWY 75217 14 $8,416.96 $1,786.96
LUXURY INN MOTEL #4 7130 C F HAWN FWY 75217 15 $25,076.21 $11,985.21
RED CROWN INN 9616 C F HAWN FWY 75217 44 $57,550.59 $29,986.33
STARDUST MOTEL 8020 C F HAWN FWY 75217 22 $20,646.52 $10,546.52
SUPER 7 INN 9626 C F HAWN FWY 75217 118 $114,822.48 $72,064.48

75219
LIVINGI INN 4354 HARRY HINES 75219 20 $31,958.00 $9,641.00

75223
PALACE SUITES 3422 SAMUELL BLVD 75223 1 $113,952.39 $20,352.39
REGENCY MOTEL 3076 SAMUELL BLVD 75223 20 $23,993.05 $6,693.05
WELCOME INN 3243 MERRIFIELD AVE 75223 61 $61,815.92 $53,151.42

75224
DALLAS INN 3333 MARVIN D LOVE FWY 75224 14 $38,288.00 $5,000.00
HOWARD JOHNSON EXPRESS INN 4610 SRL THORNTON 75224 85 $107,726.00 $84,137.54
INTERSTATE MOTEL 109 W OVERTON RD 75224 32 $19,710.00 $19,710.00
OAK TREE INN 401 W ILLINOIS AVE 75224 20 $30,159.99 $30,159.99
SUNBELT INN 150 W ANN ARBOR AVE 75224 33 $54,883.47 $33,203.47

75227
LUXURY INN MOTEL 3100 S BUCKNER BLVD 75227 19 $22,034.79 $6,434.79
SUNDIAL INN 2658 S BUCKNER BLVD 75227 22 $31,669.53 $20,869.53

75228
BUDGET INN 12425 E NORTHWEST HWY 75228 45 $57,355.72 $43,103.73
HOWARD JOHNSON INN 8510 E R L THORNTON FWY 75228 102 $236,267.88 $118,727.91
LAMPLIGHTER MOTEL 9033 E RL THORNTON FREWY 75228 105 $146,646.99 $48,844.06
LUXURY INN EXPRESS 9211 E RL THORTON FRWY 75228 20 $24,199.99 $11,999.99
SUPER 7 INN 8108 E RL THORNTN FWY 75228 105 $223,696.92 $215,506.35
SUPER 8 MOTEL 8901 E R L THORNTON FWY 75228 40 $86,348.61 $86,348.61

75232
EMBASSY MOTEL 6123 S RL THORNTON FWY 75232 20 $7,870.00 $5,670.00
LINFIELD INN 5715 S R L THORNTON FWY 75232 60 $51,062.03 $51,062.03
LUXURY INN 5606 S R L THORNTON FWY 75232 18 $48,567.00 $24,747.00
MASTERSUITES MOTEL 5860 S R L THORNTON FWY 75232 33 $38,920.00 $35,420.00
OAK CLIFF INN 7006 S R L THORNTON FWY 75232 31 $49,096.52 $39,496.52
SUNCREST INN 220 W CAMP WISDON RD 75232 42 $27,310.00 $9,100.00
SUPER 8 MOTEL 8541 S HAMPTON RD 75232 50 $105,177.83 $98,844.53

75233
REDBIRD SUIES 3810 W LEDBETTER DR 75233 34 $87,812.82 $66,887.82

75237
AMERICAS BEST VALUE INN 4154 PREFERRED PL 75237 80 $101,726.23 $45,757.23
DELUX INN 2935 W CAMP WISDOM RD 75237 14 $49,940.00 $13,570.00
MOTEL 6 #1339 4220 INDEPENDENCE DR 75237 129 $208,831.60 $202,788.65
ROYAL INN 4242 INDEPENDENCE 75237 50 $82,633.96 $79,987.12
ROYAL INN SUITES 6950 MARVIN D LOVE FWY 75237 83 $97,336.49 $46,406.49
TOWN HOUSE MOTOR LODGE 4150 INDEPENDENCE DR 75237 108 $117,763.32 $76,169.15

75241
ABC MOTEL 9165 S CENTRAL EXPY 75241 10 $12,101.00 $2,809.00
APOLLO MOTEL 6730 SO LANCASTER RD 75241 16 $20,100.00 $8,111.00
DAYS INN LANCASTER 8212 S LANCASTER RD 75241 50 $95,022.98 $95,022.98
RAMADA LIMITED 4420 CEDARDALE DR 75241 49 $125,575.75 $124,634.71

Victory - How much 'rich' can we do?

Gary Cohen, whose down with my buddies over at Pegasus, wrote an interesting piece titled, "Are Victory restaurants headed for trouble?"

Gary talks about the various restaurants at Victory and opines about their long-term viability. I like this paragraph:

But how many of these people are there? And aren't their tastes too fickle to be counted on for steady traffic? The older generation is not going to stop going to Bob's or Al Biernat's for a steak, and quite frankly, I'd rather go to those places too and not have to deal with the oppressive trendiness and parking difficulties at Victory.

I was at a luncheon not too long ago, and all these Victory Park (OK, like the main two) guys were bragging how high-end and exclusive the place is. Literally, the guy drew a vision of how people could jet in by helicopter from DFW and land on the roof of the future Mandarin Oriental and get this 5-star service without having to interact with the regular folks. Everyone ooohed and aaahed, but why?

Such visions may garner a newspaper headline or two, but that's not going to draw consistent visitors to that area. I would argue that the house of blues may...but most of the places seem to be places you visit once for curiosity's sake, and that's the end of it. From what I've heard about the W/Ghostbar parking fiascos, it might be service that does them in.

Note to Victory owners: People have been saying that the parking and valet service is awful since July.

Victory would be smarter to put some reasonably priced choices in that area. Then what you would have (along with occasional high-roller) is a consistent client base that would bring a family down to Victory, and then the husband and wife could splurge with a night on the town sans kiddos from time to time. That's a client base.

I could be wrong, and I bet this area continues to flourish in some capacity (read: for someone other than the developers). But it may ensure a quality earnings stream by showing a kind nod to the not-so-rich.