There goes the neighborhood

[christopher575]

In her Bar Exam column last week, Bethany Jean Clement mentions a rumor that the entire block of Pine that includes the Bus Stop, Cha-Cha, Bimbo's, Manray, and Kincora may soon be razed for yet another condo complex. The idea makes my blood boil. I'm not against progress and development, but what's the point of getting people to move to a neighborhood if you've taken out all of the things that made the neighborhood what it was? It's like if a university spent tons of money on advertising to attract students, but told them there would be no classes once they got there because the budget to pay the professors was spent on the ads.

On a related note, every new apartment building I can think of that's been built since I moved here is now converted to condos or will soon. I'm glad I like the older buildings, so I'm less likely to be kicked out of my home so some asshole can "invest."

Comments

[christopher575.livejournal.com]

People who make 4-5 times as much as I make, but want to live in a place the size of mine, but made of papier mache and vinyl siding, and say things like, "Why pay your landlord's mortgage when you can pay your own?"

I actually went home with a guy who had a studio condo once. He insisted that we went to his place instead of mine, even though I lived 3 blocks away and he lived about a mile away. He just wanted to show it off and talk about it. The quote above is from him. It was weird.

[badrobot68.livejournal.com]

I know someone in Portland with a studio condo, but it's HUGE, with hard wood floors, and in a nice, old brick building. That's something I could definitely live with. It's seriously big enough for 2 people to live comfortably.