"Development?" I was filled with sadness and anger



I took this pic from the office I was visiting.  Goodbye: animals, birds, snakes, essential ground bugs, natural drainage and water purification  the aquifer.  The office staff have seen the critters trying to escape and find new homes via their parking lot.


I was in an office at the south east corner of Honore Ave and University Parkway on Thursday 13th Oct 2016

The office overlooked some land being cleared on the south west corner.  It was a precious spot of wetland.

Soon it will be "developed" as the site of a Whole Foods Market

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_Foods_Market


and a WAWA store

https://www.wawa.com


This is in a area partly in Sarasota County, partly in Manatee County which is already horribly over-developed and despoiled. It's adjacent to Interstate 75, and it was only AFTER the de-spoiling that the builders, the planners, the merchants realised that the increase in traffic was overwhelming the intersection between University Parkway (a busy urban road) and the Interstate.

So NOW and only now that intersection is being rebuilt at the expense of the Taxpayers  (shouldn't the developers been made to foot the bill?)

Our local Press is in an orgy of excited heavy breathing because the new intersection will be designed as a "Diverging Diamond"  -  THE FIRST IN FLORIDA!!!!  ( We should be so lucky).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diverging_diamond_interchange

NB from the article:  (Guess who counts around here)
  • " Pedestrian (and other sidewalk user) access requires at least four crosswalks (two to cross the two signalized lane crossover intersections, while two more cross the local road at each end of the interchange).[ This could be mitigated by signalizing all movements, without impacting the two-phase nature of the interchange’s signals".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Goodbye: animals, birds, snakes, essential ground bugs, natural drainage and water purification to the aquifer. 

Hallo more traffic congestion at the Honores/University intersection (about half a mile west of the new, vitral and exciting Diverging Diamond),

Hallo more air and ground water pollution,

Hallo more food wastage from the WAWA and the Whole Foods.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     They call it development.  I call it despoiling.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shoe insults

Last year I consulted with a local podiatrist: Dr. Robert F Herbold Jr. D.P.M. 4717 Swift Rd., Sarasota , FL – 34231  because I was being bothered with a couple of bunions  (yes I am at that age). I was very impressed with this Doctor.  He agreed that I had bunions, but he ventured that it was much too soon for surgery. (Now there’s a first). Instead he recommended some “arch supports” to relieve the tension for my feet, a tension which was exacerbating the bunions. What’s more -  he told me that he sells these arch supports at the miserly sum of $2.50 each (about 1/5 of the price in the local pharmacies). He is an honest man, and I recommend him to anyone with foot problems. So, a couple of weeks ago, having purchased some new walking shoes, I knew that I needed to buy a couple of new arch supports I took myself to his office. Once there, my mind went blank. I wanted to ask his front desk Clerk if I could buy some “shoe inserts” , as I could not remember the words “ar
Read more

The background, the couple, my friends, the wedding ceremony, the Shaykh, the Priest,

Image
The background   I have known the Keller/Bonsey family since 2000 when I became the Rector at St. James's, Cambridge, MA. They (Elisabeth Keller and the Revd. Steven Bonsey with their four children Noah, Sam, Josiah and Annie) had come back to Cambridge from Hawaii where Steve had been the Rector of an Episcopal parish. Steve had just been appointed as a Chaplain at Tufts University (no Sunday morning duties) so the entire family was able to enrich our common life at St. James's - which they did with great love and joy. I count them as friends and have stayed in touch with them since my retirement.  Noah, the oldest son is eloquent in Arabic (he spent a year in Damascus when Syria was a safe place).  He has developed a super career as an analyst of social media in the near East.    Noah worked in Tampa for a while a few years ago, so he and I were able to get together a few
Read more

It began in Bristol U.K. "A man dies" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Image
I well remember the swirling controversy in Bristol, U.K. when a (Presbyterian) Minister the Revd, Earnest Marviin created a ":Rock Opera", called "A Man Dies"  in and for his congregation in the Lockleaze area of Bristol, U.K. Earnest Mrvin I was a sixteen years old member of the Plymouth Brethren Church back in those days, so I most likely disapproved of "A Man Dies" .  We, (the Plymouth Brethren),  disapproved of everything! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had forgotten all about "A Man Dies" until earlier today when saw these pictures on the "Bristol, Then and Now"  Facebook page.   St. James Presbyterian Church, Lockleaze, Bristol  The Bristol Then and Now page includes the following commentary: Lockleaze, Bristol  -  'Jesus Christ Superstar' began at St.James (Presbyterian) Chur
Read more