DMN city council reporter Dave Levinthal apparently spent some time at the city council’s retreat this week, and he highlights a few ideas that council members are considering pushing later this year … here’s a sneak peak at what might come up during the next council term:
• "A daytime curfew for school-aged children in an effort to curb truancy," this idea courtesy of mayor pro tem Elba Garcia.
• Additional crime-monitoring cameras in troubled neighborhoods.
• Devising a "plan to redevelop aging retail centers," courtesy of Ron Natinsky.
• "Hire an outside promoter to attract new events, particularly soccer games, to the newly renovated Cotton Bowl."
• A trans-fat ban in restaurants, similar to that instituted in some other cities.
The plan to redevelop aging retail centers would be interesting to
see fleshed out, particularly given that short of pumping city money
into these centers, the city can do very little to stimulate leasing
interest in properties that are either poorly located, run-down or
simply outclassed by all of the new retail that has been built the past
couple of years.
Of course, if you took, say, $550 million or so and split it into
several-million-dollar chunks and started investing that money in
"aging retail centers", that type of city activism — a potential equity
investment directly in some of the city’s most needy neighborhoods —
would have a major impact on the city’s livability.
But where, oh where, would we get $550 million?
The Wine Curmudgeon 
The retail revitalization idea is a suburban solution to an urban problem. While better retail is needed in many areas, it is generally not a big reason why people live in the City. Lake Highlands would seem to illustrate that. If the City wants to improve neighborhoods and quality of life, I suggest they refocus on infrastructure, like decent streets, and programs like crime prevention and code enforcement.
“Small ball” projects don’t matter to guys like Leppert, and the only infrastructure he cares about is the one that supports his narcissistic self-regard: multi-zillion dollar tollroads and hotels. And lackeys like Levinthal and Natinsky exist only to serve him. What hacks these guys are.
They didn’t have $65 million to complete Haskell Blvd from West Village/City Place to Fair Park and they so far haven’t found money to daylight and beautify Mill Creek (which crosses Haskell at Ross and runs down to Deep Ellum). Under the 100-year old Kessler Plan, Mill Creek was to be developed as Turtle Creek was..
Those two projects would bring a huge return.