As Richardson Goes, So Goes Plano

Wendy Hundley, of The Dallas Morning News, thinking about the news that Toyota would be building on a 100-acre site in the Legacy business park, notes that Plano's open land is almost gone.

Less than 8 percent of Plano's 72 square miles remains available for residential or commercial development. Of that 8 percent, 6.6 percent -- or 3,052 acres -- is earmarked for commercial development. A mere 1 percent -- or 428 acres -- is left for housing. Plano officials say that leaves plenty of room for business expansion, and future housing may take new forms to accommodate a population that will continue to grow. Buildout, to Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere, simply means "a new phase of the city’s life."

Source: The Dallas Morning News.

Sound familiar? After the jump, more echoes of Richardson's experience.

Repeat Tweets: We Want More Speech

Repeat tweets from May, 2014:

• May 1 2013: MT @SenTedCruz: "We don't need less speech, we want more." But Cruz doesn't want billionaires to have to put their names on their speech.
  
• May 2 2013: MT @SenTedCruz: "Religious liberty is under assault like never before." You do know who is denying wall between church and state, don't you?
  
• May 2 2013: MT @SenTedCruz: "We need policies that encourage job creation & growth." Then pass the Job Creation Act already. #wacko
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Not Lots Happening At LOTS

Speaking of LOTS, when I last checked in on the long-running saga surrounding the reconstruction of the trash transfer station on Lookout Drive in Richardson by the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), it was to note that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) had prepared a draft permit for the enlarged operation. That permit was being challenged by a neighborhood group and a hearing was scheduled in Plano on January 8 regarding that appeal.

After the jump, an update.

In Real Estate, Is Garbage a Selling Point?

When I said goodbye to Spring Creek Farm and speculated on what might go there in its place, I focused on the potential impact on the nearby Spring Creek Nature Area. But I overlooked another nearby feature that might be even more important to this site's future, the Lookout Trash Transfer Station (LOTS). Face palm.

After the jump, the challenge of selling real estate along a garbage expressway.

Thank You, Linda Koop

I could post one item a day on the distortions and lies coming from the Stefani Carter campaign. That's because a new mailer hits my mailbox about that often with another load of you know what. Carter has reached high desperation mode in trying to hang on to her seat from Texas House District 102, in a GOP runoff campaign against Linda Koop... Integrity is something we look for in our elected officials, and we see not an ounce of it in Stefani Carter.

Source: The Dallas Morning News.

That's what Rodger Jones of The Dallas Morning News had to say about Stefani Carter, who represents parts of Richardson in the Texas House.

Here's a quote from a different source altogether. See if you can guess who said it and when.

It is these kinds of campaign shenanigans, personal attacks and dirty politics of which people are sick and tired.

Source: The Wheel.

If you guessed Stefani Carter back in 2010, give yourself 100 ironic points. Carter was prescient, but it took voters three elections to realize that the dirty politics were emanating from Carter's own campaigns. When they did, it was she who was voted out of office. Linda Koop defeated Stefani Carter in the GOP primary on Tuesday, winning 60% of the vote.