As more customers begin to order food through online channels, a new KFC pilot project in Newcastle, Australia looks to create a more efficient operating model to keep up with this change in consumer behavior.

Designed by FRCH NELSON with KFC SOPAC, the drive-thru only KFC features five lanes, two set up for traditional on-the-spot drive-thru orders, and three that allow customers to order and pay for a meal through the brands app or website. For online orders, customers drive up to one of the designated lanes and enter a four-digit code generated by the app on a touchscreen. Once the code is entered, the online order is sent to the kitchen where it is freshly prepared.

The goal of the design was to create a holistic drive-thru experience that leverages architecture, communication, service, and landscape. Without having the benefit of a public-facing interior, FRCH NELSON had to find other opportunities to display and celebrate the KFC brand on the buildings exterior, which leverages natural materials in conjunction with steel and glazing.

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A large halo-lit Colonel Sanders layered atop the buildings wood-clad walls greets guests and the drive thru portal uses bold architecture to create a beacon for the experience. With traditional restaurants, the building is the experience, but with this new concept it became a fixture one element supporting the overall experience, said Marty McCauley, Design Director at FRCH NELSON, in a release. We had to utilize every exterior touchpoint from the landscaping, to the signage, to the architecture of the drive-thru portal, to create a holistic experience for guests.

Read the original:
World's first drive-thru only restaurant in Australia - Building Design + Construction

To see the latest on this case, click here.

When Dennis Cantwell and Monica Wong decided to open a restaurant in San Francisco, their neighborhood of the Outer Sunset was their first and only choice. We didnt want to open anywhere else, Cantwell says. The Sunset is one of the only real communities left in the city.

The pair thought theyd found the perfect spot in a shuttered store at the corner of Irving Street and 42nd Avenue, and as Cantwell put it did everything right, confirming with San Franciscos Planning Commission, the district supervisor, and other local small business agencies that there were no barriers to their project before they signed a lease. The city issued building permits for the project, and construction began.

We were ahead of schedule, Cantwell says, when the unexpected occurred: a dispute over the meaning of a newish piece of legislation ironically, intended to help small businesses caused the city to revoke the businesss building permits after issuing them. Construction, legally, had to stop, and now its up to the citys Board of Appeals to decide if Cantwell and Wong can move forward, or if they need to start the entire process over again something that Cantwell says they might not be able to afford.

The building at 4055 Irving has been a market or a corner store since the 1940s (heres a photo), with many names over the years. In 2017, the stores current owners put it up for sale. Eventually, it shuttered completely. According to an email from the broker representing the store, at least four known quantities in San Franciscos nightlife world inquired about the space, with one confirming to Eater SF that expected costs for renovation dissuaded them from making an offer.

But to Cantwell and Wong, it was perfect. Between the two of them, the married couple have worked in spots including Zuni Cafe, A16, and Nopa (where Cantwell was wine director for seven years), and had long fantasized about opening their own place. Speaking with Eater SF, Cantwell said that the plan was to operate from noon to 9 p.m. on weeknights, maybe staying open until 10 p.m. on weekends. (Area laws would prohibit the business from operating later than that.)

Deciding on the name of Palm City Wines (Palm City was, for a brief time in the late 1800s, the nickname for the area, according to the Western Neighborhoods Project), Cantwell and Wong began to plot a menu he calls grandma food. Really simple, old-school braises, stews, and home-y dishes, Cantwell says. They hoped to transform the space into a neighborhood corner spot. But that was before they realized that some folks in the neighborhood might not want them.

When Cantwell and Wong started investigating the work it would take to transform a shuttered corner store into a restaurant, city officials told them about some legislation that the Board of Supervisors had recently passed. Introduced in 2018 by then-District 4 Supervisor Katy Tang and District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, the two-year pilot program sought to shorten the permitting process for small businesses by eliminating the requirement to notify neighborhood residents if certain types of use changes were planned as Hoodline reported at the time, such as those for businesses seeking to convert a space...from a retail establishment to a restaurant.

Tangs office told Cantwell and Wong that the legislation applied to a business like theirs, and other than the neighborhood notification required by the states Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for a license to serve and sell beer and wine (a notification that Cantwell and Wong indeed sent), they were good to move forward. (Tang, who is no longer in office, confirmed that discussion with Eater SF.)

This is an important thing to note: The Planning Department agreed, approving a change of use for the space in June. Cantwell and Wong successfully applied for a Small Business Administration loan, spent over $7,000 on building permits for the space, and pooled our life savings to put down a deposit with a contractor well known for the renovation of restaurant spaces like Dear Inga. Wong cut back her hours at her teaching job, and Cantwell quit his job completely.

Cantwell and Wong began work as soon as the permits were issued on June 18. Then, an area resident sent a letter to city officials questioning the permits validity, and on October 15, the city suspended their permits, and construction ceased.

The original permits were issued in error, Planning said in a postcard sent to area residents. According to Planning, the new legislation which is known as the Small Business Attraction Ordinance Program doesnt apply to 4055 Irving Street after all. They are now saying that Cantwell and Wong need to go through the process of neighborhood notification, which could take an additional four to six months. After that, assuming the neighborhood approves, they have to start from the beginning, including paying for all-new building permits. The citys policy is not to refund revoked permits, so they wont regain their initial investment of around $7,000.

The issue is apparently the zoning on that stretch of Irving Street, which is considered by the city to be a residential district. Nearby residents argue that the legislation applies only to districts that are specifically designated as commercial, and the Planning Department agrees, admitting that the original approval was done in error. Tang, for her part, has said repeatedly that the law was intended for all businesses in her then-district, including the one at 4055 Irving Street. However, the citys lobbying laws prohibit Tang from intervening on Palm Citys behalf. In an email sent to Planning on November 4, Supervisor Safai said that Palm City is clearly a case that is meant to be impacted by our legislation. (Neither Safai nor Supervisor Gordon Mar, who currently represents D4, responded to Eater SFs request for comment.)

Thats why Cantwell and Wong are appealing Plannings decision, which they must do through the citys Board of Appeals, the agency that hears and decides appeals involving the granting, denial, suspension, or revocation of permits, licenses, and other use entitlements by various City commissions and department.

We never objected to doing a neighborhood notification, Cantwell says. We would have totally done that! We werent trying to hide anything, he says. But since the couple was told they didnt need to take that step by multiple city agencies, they didnt. The revocation of the building permits means that their SBA loan has been suspended, and weve spent all our working capital, Cantwell says. So convincing the Board of Appeals that the legislation does indeed apply to Palm City seems like their only way out.

Its worth reading this cases packet (Eater SF has placed it online here), which contains the statement from Planning, Cantwell and Wongs brief explanation of the situation, and comments of support for and opposition to Plannings revised decision that a neighborhood notification process is necessary, with many saying kind things about the pair and what the business could add to the area. We are so thrilled to hear about Dennis and Monicas vision for a family-friendly community gathering space, reads one comment from a six-year resident of the area. I strongly encourage the city to support their efforts.

There are also a number from area residents who express concerns over an alcohol business in the neighborhood, fears over drunk drivers leaving the spot, and worries that the quiet, family-oriented street will be disrupted. (Eater SF contacted a number of the opponents of Palm City Wines appeal with publicly available contact information, but none of those who responded agreed to speak on the record.)

While none of the complaints shared by the board mention things like gentrification, its hard not to imagine thats also on the minds of some folks. If you squint, the Sunset especially Irving Street can appear untouched by the wave of change thats hit the rest of the city (though the areas million-dollar teardowns suggest that the Sunset is growing more and more attractive to the citys newer residents). Both in person and on online platforms like NextDoor, locals frequently express frustration about new restaurants in which they feel unwelcome, or that they cant afford. Others complain about increased noise and activity as alcohol-focused businesses opening on neighboring streets. Theres something unmooring about living in an area for decades, then feeling it move beneath your feet, and its hard not to feel angry and powerless when it happens. Ask anyone whose lived in the Mission for more than a couple years. Theyll tell you.

According to Cantwell, however, thats exactly what Wong and he are trying to avoid. I want Palm City to be an extension of every Sunset residents living room, he tells Eater SF, noting that Wongs family is from the Sunset and that theyve lived in the area for the past five years. Its our goal to make sure that everyone who comes in here feels welcome and at home. There lies the rub, it seems, as now Cantwell and Wong have to in a certain sense go up against the very people they were hoping to serve. But its that, Cantwell says, or we lose everything.

San Franciscos Board of Appeals will meet to hear both sides at 5 p.m. on November 13, in San Francisco City Halls Room 416. The meeting is open to the public, and both sides arguments can be read here.

More:
These SF Restaurateurs Could Lose Everything Due to the Citys Mistake - Eater SF

Transportation

From imposing a tax on paid parking facilities to putting an end to distracted drivingBostonians dish on how to fix the city's relentless traffic.

Additional reporting by Spencer Buell, Jacqueline Cain, Brittany Jasnoff, and Alyssa Vaughn.

Photo by Michael Prince

John FishChairman and CEO, Suffolk Construction

When you think about ways to address the problem, to me congestion pricing is the lesser of multiple evils that are out there. Its least impactful to the public. The people who will be taxed for transporting during the high-peak hours are the ones who are actually using the roads and causing a lot of the challenges.

In London, people say that congestion is down by 15 percent with congestion pricing, and greenhouse gas emissions are down by 16 percent. In Stockholm, traffic congestion has decreased by 22 percent, and childhood asthma attacks have dropped 50 percent. New York just approved congestion pricing, and I believe the result will be equal to, if not better than, Stockholm or London.

In Boston, the impact will be substantially higher. I think data modeling will prove that this solution will have the biggest impact on congestion per dollar spent, or should I say per dollar invested. And I feel strongly that it will not have an impact on commerce. At the end of the day, its about being smart.

Ari OfsevitProgram and communication coordinator, Charles River Transportation Management Association

If you want to park your body at a hotel in Boston, you pay a state occupancy tax; if you park your car in a parking space, you dont. All the money goes to the garage, and none of it goes to the city. We can change that.

Boston is pretty much the only major city in the U.S. that doesnt tax paid parking facilities. New York, San Francisco, Chicago, DC, Miami, Pittsburgh, and other cities all tax parking at a rate of 15 to 25 percent, and, in the case of Chicago, up to 40 percent. That is money that can then be put toward additional transit, or biking and walking facilitiesthings that make it easier for people not to drive.

All thats required is a state home rule law that Boston has filed; if that were passed, cities and towns could pass commercial parking fees. I estimate that a 20 percent tax would generate more than $100 million a year. And in the long run, its a way of prompting larger developers who own surface parking lots and garages in the city to replace those empty holes with offices or housing.

Kenny YoungPersonal driver, Kennys Car

As a driver, you want to keep your speed down, naturally, for the safety of your clients, and you cant get into road rage.

I drive historian David McCullough all the time. He told me one time, Pal, you never get rattled. I see people pulling out in front of you, jaywalkers, this, that. You never do. But if youre out in traffic all the time like I am, you have to go out with that mindset. Dont get aggravated. Dont get frustrated. Turn that music on and start singing at the top of your lungs and just give it a good one. Make the best out of it! Call someone. Do books on tape. If Im really gridlocked, I pull out a little slideshow on my phone of my favorite place, Boothbay Harbor, and just kind of daydream.

Back when Michael Dukakis was governor, they used to have these bumper stickers: A little courtesy wont kill you. I want to tell Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, bring those back, and you know what, have a little smiley face and a little thumbs-up. Just as a reminder.

Photo courtesy of NECN

Sue OConnellPolitical commentator, NECN

We need to make it incredibly punitive to drive a gas car, both for our mobility and for our climate. We need to close parts of the city to regular car trafficparts of Boston, Cambridge, and elsewhere. We need to have higher fees for having cars, and a limit on how many cars a household or person can have. And we need to look at ways to automatically toll people for driving: If you drive a certain number of miles, you need to pay for that. That revenue can go into the cities, region, or state to make the roads more accessible to pedestrians, bicyclists, buses, and other public transport.

Obviously, the wealthier, more affluent, privileged folks have to shoulder more of the responsibility for this. So there would be tax breaks, or income-based qualifications, so that the people at the lowest rungs are not negatively affected in their ability to get to their jobs and take care of their kids. But we have to make pedestrians number one again. Then, any vehicle that is moving multiple people. If we put pedestrians first, make it harder to drive your car, and make mass transit free, well save the world.

Garrett HarkerRestaurateur

Eastern Standard is a late-night restaurant. So in the past, I paid for certain peoples cab rides to have a reliable workforce after public transportation stopped running. In June, we partnered with Lyft to launch the Lyft Service Worker Access Program, and my people have used the service more than 1,100 times. Its been hugely successful at three of my restaurants, and has since been expanded to five other venues in the city. For rides from the restaurant to their home between midnight and 5 a.m., Lyft pays a third, the employee pays a third, and I pay a third. Its pretty easy, and my people are getting home safely. Thats another problem you dont hear about in the restaurant business: Weve had multiple cooks over the past couple of years whove been jumped, mugged, or stabbed. Theyre traveling at that time of night when theres bad stuff happening.

At one point, Mayor Marty Walsh was going to activate certain MBTA routes for 24 hours. I havent heard whether or not that was considered a success. I guess not. It got shelved. If the city were more vibrant late at night, thered obviously be more economic pressure to figure out how to move people around or get them to work. But city regulations arent generally late-night-friendly. At the Hawthorne, I cant even have candles on the tables after 11 oclock.

Photo by Photobykim

Lee PeltonPresident, Emerson College

We know that there are a number of incentives that we can use to reduce congestion. One is through demand and congestion pricing; another is an increased tax on gasoline. We also know that the future of transportation is electrification and decarbonization. All cities should be moving toward an electric fleet and increasing charging stations within their jurisdiction.

We are moving in the direction of autonomous vehicles, and when we reach a critical mass, there wont be a need for us to own cars. We will subscribe to an autonomous driving service that will pick us up and take us where we need to go, and that will reduce congestion and redundancy in transportation. When theres a subscription service to autonomous driving, you wont even need parking garages, because those cars will be in service 24 hours a dayand those cars will be electric, so they will decarbonize our environment. Its three decades away, but were moving in that direction.

Chris DempseyDirector, Transportation for Massachusetts

Massachusetts should pilot smart tolling to reduce congestion on our existing toll roads, beginning by charging more to cross the Tobin Bridge during peak traffic hours and less at other times. Of the 10 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States, Greater Boston is the only one that does not have some version of variable pricing on at least some of its toll roads. Its long past time that we caught up with those other regions that are using this technique to better manage traffic congestion.

When Seattle put smarter tolling on the SR 520 bridge, which is very similar to the Tobin Bridge, traffic volume reduced by 34 percentand bus ridership on that bridge increased by 38 percent. They are moving people in fewer vehicles. Meanwhile, the Tobin Bridge gets jammed up for hours every day. Smarter tolling can get traffic moving more quickly, which benefits everyone who is using that road. Its different from the cordon pricing used by London and that New York is about to implement, where you draw a ring around an area of the city and charge to drive into that ring. That has long-term benefits, but would take a long time to implement; in Boston, we could pilot smart tolling in a matter of weeks, not years. All of the infrastructure and technology is in place. The ability to charge different amounts at different times was designed into the MassDOT tolling system. Weve just never turned it on. All we need to do is put up a couple of electronic signs along the highway telling people what theyre paying.

Ernie Boch Jr.CEO and president, Boch Enterprises

I would put a big effort into the physical roads; they could use a little help. I think we have too many potholes. Anybody with a really nice car, a car that drives low, has to really pick their lane or pick their route when they drive around, because you could crash those cars very easily. And its not just really nice carsyou could trash a Prius going from Boston to the suburbs if the roads are bad. Now, fixing potholes would not fix the crisis. It would just make for a more pleasant experience. But if youve got to be on the expressway, and its bumper to bumper, at least give me a smooth ride.

Courtesy Photo

Kristen EckTraffic reporter, WBZ NewsRadio

From 900 feet in the air, I marvel at how people are able to put up with the traffic day after day, especially going into Boston. Its amazing that more people dont lose their minds sitting in that.

One thing thats become very obvious in this day and age, with the skyrocketing cost and scarcity of real estate inside of Route 128, is were never going to see another major highway built in the city. Most cities have given up on that idea. So building our way out of the problem in terms of more roads is not really a viable solution. If you cant add roads, then you have to subtract cars somehow. Employers should be coming up with ways to either help their employees work from home or help them defray the cost of a monthly MBTA pass. Is there a way to create more incentives for businesses to say, You know, it would be really nice if we had our workers ready to work on time, and theyre not on the edge of a meltdown because they just sat in traffic for over two hours? I would think that has some kind of value to an employer, to have happy workers who are ready to do what theyre supposed to be doing on time.

Mary ConnaughtonDirector of government transparency, Pioneer Institute

The I-90 viaduct replacement project is a great opportunity to improve the movement of tens of thousands of people coming to Boston from the westbut it must be done in a way that minimizes disruption and makes good to those affected.

The current plan would sink the turnpike 6 feet or so, elevate Soldiers Field Road, create a new station for the Worcester commuter-rail line, and improve pedestrian and bicycle access. They say its an eight- to 10-year project, and it could take longer. During the construction, the turnpike will go from four lanes to three or even two. The commuter rail will go from two tracks to one at some points. That will slow down people coming into Boston every dayand have a negative impact on the surrounding neighborhoods in Allston and Brighton, as people get off the Pike to avoid this. Instead, the state should reconsider lowering the turnpike, because building at grade would be a faster production cycle than doing another elevated structure. And doing this project as quickly as possible will reduce this massive disruption.

The inconvenience of turnpike construction will be a huge opportunity for the MBTA and MassDOT to get people off the road and onto that Worcester line. But if it isnt providing better service, it will be an opportunity missed. They should expand commuter-rail service during construction, and never go down to a single track. Also, use public-private partnerships to increase parking near the rail stations. As part of mitigation, they should redesign spots such as Newton Corner, where cars trying to exit back up into travel lanes. People coming from the west should not endure 10 years of construction and then face the same bottlenecks.

Scott FersonPublic relations strategist, Liberty Square Group

In traffic management, there is a great focus on pavement: car lanes, bike lanes, merging lines. But there is seemingly almost no attention to signage. What signs there are tend to be governed by random geography, not useful directions or likely destinations. Hop onto 128, and signs direct you to Burlington. Why Burlington? Wheres Burlington in relation to where Im going? If you dont know, good luck.

The signage process clearly doesnt involve anybody who knows how to communicate with customers. Signs seem to be written by engineers, and thats not a good idea.

My pet peeve comes when getting onto a secondary road from the highway, trying to anticipate whether I have a right-hand or left-hand exit. I fight my way to the right, only to find that I need to move several lanes to the left instead. Im causing more delays for everybody, not to mention incurring their wrath. Give us a hint, please, before the last moment.

Ana Cristina FragosoGeotechnical civil engineer, WSP USA

We need to remove a lot of the commercial vehicles from the main roads. Not just the big freight trucks, but also the single-home-heating-unit trucks, the medical-waste trucks, and smaller delivery vehicles. Its really hard for them to get around: Restrictions on commercial traffic keep them out of tunnels and off bridges, and the geography of Bostons roads forces them onto even smaller streets. It becomes a big backup. We need alternative commercial corridors of some kind.

There are some dedicated lanes now, but they are few and far between, and they are not thoroughfares. We need more utility corridors; maybe ferry service specifically for commercial vehicles. You can also look at rail, which handled a lot of freight traffic in the old days. But thats more for economies of scaleits not likely today to work for a small-business owner who runs a heating business.

Moving commercial trucks onto alternative routes would ease traffic congestion and also be beneficial for business owners. Theyre paying that driver to sit in traffic, losing money on salary, fuel, and maintenance for the vehicle.

Reverend Laura EverettAuthor, Holy Spokes: The Search for Urban Spirituality on Two Wheels

As somebody who regularly travels around the city by bike, I have a front-row seat to the distracted driving of many Bostonians. Ive seen people texting, watching video, Snapchatting, and playing Pokemon Go! Its this wild competitiveness and productivity we feel here; if there is a down moment, you feel like you should respond to a text or check on a score. That distraction means you are not paying attention to the people around you, and that negligence can be deadly.

If were going to cut down on collisions that both endanger people and add to our massive backups, we need to look at the people who can do the most damage, and far and away that is when we are behind the wheel of a car.

Interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity. Additional reporting by Spencer Buell, Jacqueline Cain, Brittany Jasnoff, and Alyssa Vaughn.

Read the original post:
How to Save Transportation in Boston: Cars - Boston magazine

At 65 comments and growing, the community reacted to the project update. The City Council approved the project in 2017.

"This is a terrible idea from the start, and it's just gotten worse" Billy Bouchillon of Covington wrote.

"Great, more apartments to bring more crime," Melissa Roberts of Covington commented.

August 2016

Mayor Ronnie Johnston took the unanimous vote needed for the city to enter into an agreement with the Foxfield Co., of South Carolina, for the sale of 99.74 acres of land, located along Alcovy and City Pond roads. Foxfield sought to buy an additional 86-acre parcel for future development as demand expanded.

The vote came after the project was on and off for two years.

The resurrected mix-use development project called Project Phoenix because it grew out of the ashes of the earlier Project Kitchen Sink included a proposed 900-seat movie theater, 264,000 square feet in office space, 760,000 square feet in retail space, over 18,000 square feet in restaurants, an 840-room hotel plus green space and preserves.

January 2017

The city approved a zoning change and special zoning overlay district for the proposed Covington Town Center, previously called Project Phoenix.

The council unanimously approved the rezoning of the property from heavy industrial to corridor mixed-use and the proposed zoning overlay district. The property is broken into three separate parcels, totaling 179.53 acres of land.

The zoning overlay district makes isolated requirements for the property that are not typically required in a corridor mixed-use zone. The requirements can include signage height or style, landscaping or architectural design.

May 2017

The city unanimously approved a construction performance agreement for the Covington Town Center project, moving it forward another step.

October 2017

The city unanimously approved the rezoning of property on the corner of Alcovy Road and Highway 142 for a new retail center. The property, which had 5.486 acres of land, had sat development, and the developer had planned to bring commercial, retail and returns to the area. The project was to be a "sister site" to the Covington Town Center project, which was located across the street, according to Eric Johansen, of Universal Planning and Development and representative of Southpoint Land Co. in the rezoning.

February 2018

A stop-work order had been issued on the Covington Town Center project, after trees were removed beyond the approved areas, which allowed sediment into a state waterway.

Link:
Covington Town Center to begin construction by March - Covington News

Since opening its doors in 2011, Binghamton Hots has been catering to the food needs of Binghamton University students in Downtown Binghamton. Now, the restaurant is seeking to expand and establish a new location on campus.

BU has a history of bringing local restaurants onto campus, including two of the Marketplaces long-standing inhabitants: Tullys University and CopperTop Pizzeria. A meeting on Nov. 8 between Sodexo representatives and Binghamton Hots discussed the possibility of the restaurant coming to Vestal.

Binghamton Hots owner David Whalen, 05, said he believes a campus location is the next logical step in the business progression.

Binghamton Hots has been open Downtown going on nine years, Whalen said. Our business model was created to serve our students living Downtown. So when we kind of looked at how to expand the business, it makes a lot of sense for me, in terms of the evolution of the brand and business, to have a campus location up at BU.

In 2017, Binghamton Hots was ranked the second-most iconic college town restaurant across North America by Spoon University, only two years after being named one of the 10 best college town burger restaurants by College Magazine. The restaurant is known for its famous Hot Plate, a rendition of Rochesters famous Garbage Plate. It is comprised of a combination of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, home fries and macaroni salad, topped with a homemade hot sauce.

According to Whalen, Binghamton Hots has made previous attempts to open a location in the Marketplace but was unsuccessful because of a lack of available space. However, with the construction of the Hinman Dining Hall, a new opportunity opened for the restaurant to come to campus.

The conversation has kind of switched [from the Marketplace] to the new Hinman Dining Hall complex, which was supposed to be under construction already but has been delayed pretty significantly, unfortunately, Whalen said. But that being said, they are looking for a stand-alone concept to put into that space.

The process for deciding what restaurants come to campus starts with applications submitted through the Sodexo website. The application process for the new Hinman Dining Hall is currently underway, according to Jim Ruoff, resident district manager for BU Dining Services (BUDS).

[BUDS], along with the Student Culinary Council and other groups, are doing surveys and capturing other data to see what type of service would best fit in the facility, Ruoff wrote in an email. This is ongoing and will continue through next semester. Once a decision is made about restaurant type we will then have a collaborative discussion with stakeholder groups as to what brand is the best fit in our community.

Teresa Liu, a junior double-majoring in business administration and economics, said she believes that Binghamton Hots would be a great fit in the new Hinman Dining Hall.

I am excited to see how this venture plays out, Liu said. I think that it is a good idea to incorporate more local vendors on campus, especially one that is so popular [among] students. I hope that Bing[hamton] Hots is able to find a home on our campus, as it not only offers unique menu items but also provides a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan options.

Although no decision has been made yet, Whalen said his meeting with Sodexo was positive.

They were very receptive, Whalen said. We talked for probably an hour afterward answering their questions. It was a really good meeting. [What] I got from it was, we like this idea. Wed like to find a way to move forward, its just logistically difficult at the moment until things become more clear with the Hinman [Dining Hall] situation.

Read the original post:
Binghamton Hots seeks to expand with BU location - Binghamton University Pipe Dream

LINCOLN, Neb. In less than two weeks Buffalo Wings and Rings will close in the Railyard.

November 29th is the restaurants last day open downtown, after the Nebraska vs Iowa game theyll say goodbye to the space for a new one in south Lincoln.

Weve got a lot of regular customers before football games and so thats a little sad to see that go but we are incredibly excited from all the reception weve gotten from the south side of town, said Michael Barton one of the owners of the restaurant.

Their new location near 40th and Old Cheney is smaller than the Railyard one but the open concept and layout means they will be able to hire 50 more people.

Itll feel bigger, its a bigger open space which we like, said Barton. Itll be very comparable to our location thats on 68th and O Street.

They hit a snag in construction with a rainy April and Many, pushing the new locations opening back about a month.

Were really pushing to get open the first few weeks of December, said Barton. More than likely it will hit the first week of January.

Barton says hes had many regular share memories from the Railyard location in the past few months and hopes the new location will be a staple in the south side of town as well.

Wed like to see a lot of regular faces and any new faces that want to come see us until we close, said Barton.

Buffalo Wings and Rings was the first restaurant in the Railyard, its unclear what will be taking over the space in the future.

Original post:
Buffalo Wings and Rings set to close Railyard location Nov 29th - 1011now

Driving along the Carlisle Pike, you can see new buildings cropping up, along with bulldozers and for lease signs.

And theres more development slated for the Carlisle Pike, one of the most heavily traveled roads in the region.

From one end of the pike to the other, several shopping centers are sprouting up. At the Park Inn by Radisson Harrisburg West in Hampden Township, a 15-acre Beltway Towne Center is proposed with 11 stores.

On the western end of the road, Aldi is constructing a store due to open soon at site the former Fire Mountain Restaurant in Silver Spring Township. Nearby, a small shopping complex is planned for the area in front of Kohls with room for three retailers including Sleep Number and Supercuts.

Closer to Camp Hill, one developer is eyeing luxury apartments and one-bedroom studio houses with retail and restaurants around the Hampden Terminal.

Yet the Carlisle Pike is merely a snapshot of whats happening in Cumberland County. The countys population growth is fueling an injection of new retail and redevelopment. And its driving concerns over traffic and whether the area is growing too rapidly.

Its definitely a time of exciting prospects and opportunities for growth, said Cumberland County Commissioner Gary Eichelberger.

But he warned, "When you have growth at this clip, what you have is a danger of impacting the attractiveness that was the original magnet for the people. It has the prospect of detracting from the community.

The former Bon Ton in Lower Allen Township is being torn down to make way for a hotel. Nov. 15, 2019. Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com

Among the projects underway is the redevelopment of the vacant Bon-Ton and Borders stores in Lower Allen Township which will bring in a Springhill Suites by Marriott hotel and possibly shops and more restaurants to the area. In East Pennsboro Township, new restaurants, including First Watch, Starbucks and Olive Oil Grille, have opened at the Camp Hill Commons off of Erford Road.

A new Penn State Health acute care hospital is under construction off of Wertzville Road in Hampden Township, and new restaurants are slated to open in Camp Hill and the Capital City Mall in Lower Allen Township.

The area near Wertzville Road and Technology Parkway has been booming with development in the last several years, including the UPMC Pinnacle West Shore hospital, as well as new Weis Markets and Giant Food stores. With those bigger projects, an assortment of smaller tenants from Burger King to Supercuts have arrived as well.

Not all of the projects have been met with overwhelming support.

In Camp Hill, residents have voiced concerns over the Chick-fil-A proposing to put a store at the last, major undeveloped commercial crossroads in the borough. The Lemoyne Borough Council rejected a change in zoning to allow convenience stores in a certain section of the borough, which ultimately blocked a new 7-Eleven from opening.

With so much redevelopment underway, many Cumberland County residents are asking: Has the area reached critical mass?

I think its a good problem to have and probably something which we should be thankful for, but we are pushing ourselves to the limit," said Jennifer Hoover, a Camp Hill resident and an opponent of the Chick-fil-A project. We cant necessarily sustain what we have and continue to build new upon new."

An Aldi is being constructed on the Carlisle Pike in Mechanicsburg. Nov. 16, 2019. Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com

Growth fuels interest

Kirk Stoner, director of planning for Cumberland County, said the spurt of development isnt surprising.

I think we are seeing an uptick recently in economic development and I would say its related to our population growth, Stoner said.

Last year, Lebanon County had the biggest population spike in the state but overall in the past decade Cumberland has been the fastest growing county in Pennsylvania. Its population jumped 6.8 percent from 2010 to 251,423 residents, according to U.S Census data.

By comparison, neighboring Dauphin County, which is growing faster than many Pennsylvania counties, has seen a 3.3 percent bump since 2010. Dauphin still has more residents (277,090) than Cumberland.

What attracts residents? Stoner cited amenities like good schools, low taxes and crime, as well as proximity to such urban areas as Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York.

We are holding our own, and when you have more people in a county, the private sector starts to take advantage, Stoner said.

Naturally, population-dense areas, such as the West Shore and Carlisle, witnessed the most economic development. In fact, Carlisle has been one of the leaders in recent years, Stoner said.

Twenty-eight out of 59 commercial building permits issued in the county in 2018 were dedicated to Carlisle, according to county data. The county seat, home to Dickinson College and the Army War College, has witnessed several new restaurant, hotel and retail openings, including several breweries.

Meanwhile, Hampden Township has also undergone extreme growth and been a hub of development, with a mix of single-family homes, apartments and townhomes, Stoner said. Just when it appears Hampden is done growing, another section is developed, he said.

One of the most drastic and eye-opening redevelopment projects on the Carlisle Pike happened after a former Kmart closed. The owner of the building turned the space into a Hobby Lobby, Steinmart, Marshalls and Homegoods, and a Metro Diner opened nearby as well. The stores opened in 2017 and 2018.

Eichelberger said they are witnessing phenomenal growth, all of it different. Some is happening in towns such as Mechanicsburg, where new retail stores are opening while traditional shopping centers are thriving. In addition, he said planned communities such as Arcona in Lower Allen Townshp and Legacy Park in Mechanicsburg are attracting more residents.

Jim Koury, CEO of RSR Realtors in Lemoyne, said that when retailers want to come to the Harrisburg area, many times one place stands out.

If you have a national retailer thats coming and they do all their demographics clearly theyre going to identify the Carlisle Pike as where they want to be, he said.

He added major retailers study demographics and traffic patterns when considering areas. Other factors such as income level also comes into play.

According to Census data, Cumberland County has one of the highest median income levels in the region. From 2013 to 2017, the average median income was $65,544, compared to $61,142 in Lancaster County and $57,071 in Dauphin County.

A solid economy and low unemployment rate are also driving economic development, said Thomas J. Mallios, president of Commercial Realty Group in Lemoyne.

Right now, things are moving along. The market is good right now and I hope it stays that way, he said.

He recently signed tenants to a new four-unit retail complex on the Carlisle Pike in Hampden Township. The center, constructed at the former Evergreen Chinese Restaurant near TGI Fridays, has signed on Dental, Dentures, and Implants; La Bella Sicilia; and The Lash Lounge.

The 1,700 square-foot La Bella is targeted to open in December and will showcase authentic Italian pastries, gelato, pizza and coffee. Everything about the bakery, from the cannoli to the lava rock tables, will be imported from Italy.

Co-owner Giampiero Faraone said the areas demographics, including a diverse population and higher income level of residents, appealed to them. Originally, they had eyed Florida but were not impressed. In the end, they settled on Cumberland County.

This area has many ethnic and multi cultures. They have been transplanted from many parts of the world. We want to share our experiences and products from far away that doesnt exist here, he said.

A rendering of what luxury apartment units proposed to be built behind the Hampden Terminal would look like.

Room for more?

You hear it all the time: Just what we need, another strip mall.

One concern is whether the volume of new retail can be sustained by the region.

Camp Hill residents have adamantly complained a proposed Chick-fil-A will create more traffic and safety issues in an already heavily-congested part of the county. The boroughs planning commission is scheduled to vote on Consolidated Properties final plan at its November meeting.

Developer Jonathan Bowser, a managing partner with Integrated Development Partners, LLC, in Wormleysburg, said the county is under-served by restaurants and demand exists for affordable housing.

His company proposed the Hampden Terminal project, which will transform a corner of the Carlisle Pike at St. Johns Church Road in Hampden Township.

Plans for the first phase - 120 luxury apartments behind the existing Hampden Terminal in the 400 block of Carlisle Pike - were submitted to the township several months ago. Meanwhile across the street, the second phase will include a mixed-use building with one-bedroom studio apartments and a mix of retail.

Its a prime corner. I may be biased but I think its one of the more attractive corners in the county. Theres just a lot happening, theres a lot of rooftops nearby, said Bowser, a former chief executive officer of the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation.

He emphasized the site isnt attracting the same retailers as other projects in the county.

Ours is more of a neighborhood site, Bowser said, adding some of the other sites are courting national retailers.

While no leases have been signed for his project, he said there has been interest among restaurants and specialty stores to bring new concepts. Many see the demographics and growth and are attracted by the fact independent businesses like Cork & Fork Osteria and Ever Grain Brewing Co. are doing well, Bowser said.

Mason McClellan, director of real estate development at the Cumberland County Area Economic Development Corporation, doesnt feel like Cumberland County is missing anything when it comes to retail.

"I would say we're really well served along the spectrum of goods and services," he said.

But he notes that it does vary in different parts of the county, especially in the western part where there are fewer retail choices.

Gary Nalbandian, a principal and real estate agent at Lee & Associates -- and a developer -- said even while the Carlisle Pike may seem overcrowded with retail, its not like bigger cities where roads are overwhelmed with businesses.

"I think there is still room for specialized uses on the Carlisle Pike," Nalbandian said.

While the Harrisburg region is home to plenty of Giant, Weis, Karns stores, one segment missing on both sides of the river is a premium grocery store such as a Whole Foods or Trader Joes, he said. A Whole Foods opened last year in Lancaster County.

He said that complexes like the new Camp Hill Commons in East Pennsboro Township, which has a number of restaurants, are more common in other suburban areas. And he thinks that we will start to see more complexes like it.

PENNLIVE.COM

Staples, at right next to PetSmart, closed on March, 2018 at 5850 Carlisle Pike. The changing face of Carlisle PikeApril 3, 2019. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Why so many vacancies?

Spaces that once housed Staples, Ollies Bargain Outlet, Just Cabinets, Dicks Sporting Goods, Dress Barn and Toys R Us all sit vacant on the West Shore.

It can be puzzling why so many new stores are opening when there are a number of vacancies.

Some closings have more to do with how the business is operated, along with timing and location, experts say. A Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant that closed last year didnt fare well because it was set back off the Carlisle Pike, while the nearby Dukes Bar & Grill West, directly off the pike, is doing well, Bowser said.

A lot of the time you dont always understand the backdrop to why those storefronts are vacant. A lot of times there is a story behind it and the story isnt necessarily that the economy or community couldnt support it, Bowser said.

Directly across the Carlisle Pike from the proposed Beltway Towne Center is the Gateway Square shopping complex. Of its more than 25 storefronts, several are vacant, including a former GNC, Avenue store, Touch of Color Flooring and Grocery Outlet. Next year the number will climb to nine when Outback Steakhouse relocates to the Capital City Mall. And the number doesnt count the nearby Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant.

Gateway Square has always had a problem with vacancies because of how far back it sits off the Carlisle Pike, Nalbandian said. In addition, he said, it has never had a strong anchor store.

But with all the vacancies there is always a chance to bring in new tenants. He points to the Colonial Commons shopping center in Lower Paxton Township where they filled several vacant spots with new tenants including Hobby Lobby, HomeGoods and Tuesday Morning.

You always have a revolving door of restaurants and retailers reinventing themselves, Bowser said.

In some cases, retailers such as Ollies relocated to a more visible spot at the former Hhgregg along the Carlisle Pike.

Ashley Homestore, a 13,190-square-foot furniture store at 6484 Carlisle Pike in Silver Spring Township, is under contract, according to a real estate listing. The furniture store is planning to open in the old Dicks Sporting Goods.

Newer is better if they can get into a superior location, Koury said.

The future

Retailers will continue to eye Cumberland County. But the demographics dont suit all types of retail.

Some much-desired brands such as the Cheesecake Factory are looking for stronger demographics, close to 200,000 residents within a five-mile radius, Mallios said.

When it comes to growth, Nalbandian said Cumberland County might be on par with Dauphin County but the place where retailers show up first is Lancaster County. All of the retail starts in the big city, and Lancaster Countys close proximity to Philadelphia helps make it a popular place for retailers in central Pennsylvania, he said.

No matter what, planners like Stoner said municipalities have done a good job of maintaining a quality of life and not growing too rapidly.

He added Cumberland County is a tale of two counties, with the bulk of the growth happening on the eastern end while farmland preservation is a focus on the western side.

We recognize the impacts could last forever, so the onus is on us and our municipalities to mitigate those impacts the best we can, Eichelberger said.

He added the county has undergone significant growth for decades and it cant last forever. But he said the county and municipalities are looking to the future and managing the growth, including traffic.

We shouldnt be scared of growth, Bowser added.

In some parts of the state, he said school districts, municipalities and police are failing while drug issues plague towns. The reverse of development is stagnation, something Bowser said he views as undesirable.

I think when our communities grow it keeps us more solvent. Theres a lot of communities in Pennsylvania that would die for growth, Bowser said.

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As Cumberland County grows, a wave of restaurants, hotels and retail arrives - PennLive.com

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As the only restaurant overlooking Niagara Falls, Top of the Falls Restaurant offers visitors to Niagara Falls State Park a one-of-a-kind dining experience. Hours of Operation

May 27 - June 20

June 21 - September 1

Monday, September 2

September 6 - 23

Tempt your palate with a Top of the Falls dining experience with menu items such as Niagara Fish & Chips, Beef on Weck, park-inspired burgers, and more. And if you still have room for dessert, you can indulge in a rich piece of chocolate cake or cheesecake. Gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and dairy-free menu items are available.

The Top of the Falls Restaurant is proud to partner with Taste NY, which proudly supports locally made foods and beverages. The Taste NY program promotes New York-made food and beverages through retail stores, events, and concessions. With the incredible agricultural richness in this state and some of the best craft beverages and cuisine in the world, there is no better time to taste New York's local flavor.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the Taste NY icon throughout your visit to Niagara Falls and be sure to stop in to any of the other participating stores and restaurants to help support local business!

For more information about Top of the Falls dining, call(716) 278-0340.

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Interested in hosting a group event or banquet at Niagara Falls State Park? View our catering menus.

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Top of the Falls Restaurant | Niagara Falls State Park

Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type. Temperate grassland regions include the Pampas of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, and the steppe of Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan. Lands typically referred to as "prairie" tend to be in North America. The term encompasses the area referred to as the Interior Lowlands of Canada, the United States, and Mexico, which includes all of the Great Plains as well as the wetter, hillier land to the east.

In the U.S., the area is constituted by most or all of the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and sizable parts of the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and western and southern Minnesota. The Palouse of Washington and the Central Valley of California are also prairies. The Canadian Prairies occupy vast areas of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

According to Theodore Roosevelt:

Prairie is the French word for meadow, but the ultimate root is the Latin pratum (same meaning).

The formation of the North American Prairies started with the uplift of the Rocky Mountains near Alberta. The mountains created a rain shadow that resulted in lower precipitation rates downwind.[2]

The parent material of most prairie soil was distributed during the last glacial advance that began about 110,000 years ago. The glaciers expanding southward scraped the landscape, picking up geologic material and leveling the terrain. As the glaciers retreated about 10,000 years ago, it deposited this material in the form of till. Wind based loess deposits also form an important parent material for prairie soils.[3]

Tallgrass prairie evolved over tens of thousands of years with the disturbances of grazing and fire. Native ungulates such as bison, elk, and white-tailed deer, roamed the expansive, diverse grasslands before European colonization of the Americas.[4] For 10,000-20,000 years, native people used fire annually as a tool to assist in hunting, transportation, and safety.[5] Evidence of ignition sources of fire in the tallgrass prairie are overwhelmingly human as opposed to lightning.[6] Humans, and grazing animals, were active participants in the process of prairie formation and the establishment of the diversity of graminoid and forbs species. Fire has the effect on prairies of removing trees, clearing dead plant matter, and changing the availability of certain nutrients in the soil from the ash produced. Fire kills the vascular tissue of trees, but not prairie species, as up to 75% (depending on the species) of the total plant biomass is below the soil surface and will re-grow from its deep (upwards of 20 feet[7]) roots. Without disturbance, trees will encroach on a grassland and cast shade, which suppresses the understory. Prairie and widely spaced oak trees evolved to coexist in the oak savanna ecosystem.[8]

In spite of long recurrent droughts and occasional torrential rains, the grasslands of the Great Plains were not subject to great soil erosion. The root systems of native prairie grasses firmly held the soil in place to prevent run-off of soil. When the plant died, the fungi, bacteria returned its nutrients to the soil. These deep roots also help native prairie plants reach water in even the driest conditions. Native grasses suffer much less damage from dry conditions than many farm crops currently grown.[9][10]

Prairie in North America is usually split into three groups: wet, mesic, and dry.[11] They are generally characterized by tallgrass prairie, mixed, or shortgrass prairie, depending on the quality of soil and rainfall.

In wet prairies, the soil is usually very moist, including during most of the growing season, because of poor water drainage. The resulting stagnant water is conducive to the formation of bogs and fens. Wet prairies have excellent farming soil. The average precipitation is 1030 inches (250760mm) a year.

Mesic prairie has good drainage, but good soil during the growing season. This type of prairie is the most often converted for agricultural usage; consequently, it is one of the most endangered types of prairie.

Dry prairie has somewhat wet to very dry soil during the growing season because of good drainage in the soil. Often, this prairie can be found on uplands or slopes. Dry soil usually doesn't get much vegetation due to lack of rain.[12] This is the dominant biome in the Southern Canadian agricultural and climatic region known as Palliser's Triangle. Once thought to be completely unarable, the Triangle is now one of the most important agricultural regions in Canada thanks to advances in irrigation technology. In addition to its very high local importance to Canada, Palliser's Triangle is now also one of the most important sources of wheat in the world as a result of these improved methods of watering wheat fields (along with the rest of the Southern prairie provinces which also grow wheat, canola and many other grains). Despite these advances in farming technology, the area is still very prone to extended periods of drought, which can be disastrous for the industry if it is significantly prolonged.[13] An infamous example of this is the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, which also hit much of the United States great plains ecoregion - contributing greatly to the Great Depression.[13]

Nomadic hunting has been the main human activity on the prairies for the majority of the archaeological record. This once included many now-extinct species of megafauna.

After the other extinction, the main hunted animal on the prairies was the plains bison. Using loud noises and waving large signals, Native peoples would drive bison in fenced pens called (buffalo pounds) to be killed with bows and arrows or spears, or drive them off a cliff (called a buffalo jump), to kill or injure the bison en masse. The introduction of the horse and the gun greatly expanded the killing power of the plains Natives. This was followed by the policy of indiscriminate killing by European Americans and Canadians, and caused a dramatic drop in bison numbers from millions to a few hundred in a century's time, and almost caused their extinction.

The very dense soil plagued the first European settlers who were using wooden plows, which were more suitable for loose forest soil. On the prairie, the plows bounced around, and the soil stuck to them. This problem was solved in 1837 by an Illinois blacksmith named John Deere who developed a steel moldboard plow that was stronger and cut the roots, making the fertile soils ready for farming.

The tallgrass prairie has been converted into one of the most intensive crop producing areas in North America. Less than one tenth of one percent (<0.09%) of the original landcover of the tallgrass prairie biome remains.[14] States formerly with landcover in native tallgrass prairie such as Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Missouri have become valued for their highly productive soils and are included in the Corn Belt. As an example of this land use intensity, Illinois and Iowa rank 49th and 50th, out of 50 US states, in total uncultivated land remaining.[citation needed]

Drier shortgrass prairies were once used mostly for open-range ranching. But the development of the barbed wire in the 1870s, and improved irrigation techniques, means that this region has mostly been converted to cropland and small fenced pasture as well.

Research, by David Tilman, ecologist at the University of Minnesota, suggests that, "Biofuels made from high-diversity mixtures of prairie plants can reduce global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Even when grown on infertile soils, they can provide a substantial portion of global energy needs, and leave fertile land for food production."[15] Unlike corn and soybeans, which are both directly and indirectly major food crops, including livestock feed, prairie grasses are not used for human consumption. Prairie grasses can be grown in infertile soil, eliminating the cost of adding nutrients to the soil. Tilman and his colleagues estimate that prairie grass biofuels would yield 51 percent more energy per acre than ethanol from corn grown on fertile land.[15] Some plants commonly used are lupine, big bluestem (turkey foot), blazing star, switchgrass, and prairie clover.

Because rich and thick topsoil made the land well suited for agricultural use, only 1% of tallgrass prairie remains in the U.S. today.[16] Short grass prairie is more abundant.

Significant preserved areas of prairie include:

Virgin prairie refers to prairie land that has never been plowed. Small virgin prairies exist in the American Midwestern states and in Canada. Restored prairie refers to a prairie that has been reseeded after plowing or other disturbance.

A prairie garden is a garden primarily consisting of plants from a prairie.

The originally treeless prairies of the upper Mississippi basin began in Indiana, and extended westward and north-westward, until they merged with the drier region known as the Great Plains. An eastward extension of the same region, originally tree-covered, extended to central Ohio. Thus, the prairies generally lie between the Ohio and Missouri rivers on the south and the Great Lakes on the north. The prairies are a contribution of the glacial period. They consist for the most part of glacial drift, deposited unconformably on an underlying rock surface of moderate or small relief. Here, the rocks are an extension of the same stratified Palaeozoic formations already described as occurring in the Appalachian region and around the Great Lakes. They are usually fine-textured limestones and shales, lying horizontal. The moderate or small relief that they were given by mature preglacial erosion is now buried under the drift.

The greatest area of the prairies, from Indiana to North Dakota, consists of till plains, that is, sheets of unstratified drift. These plains are 30, 50 or even 100ft (up to 30m) thick covering the underlying rock surface for thousands of square miles except where postglacial stream erosion has locally laid it bare. The plains have an extraordinarily even surface. The till is presumably made in part of preglacial soils, but it is more largely composed of rock waste mechanically transported by the creeping ice sheets. Although the crystalline rocks from Canada and some of the more resistant stratified rocks south of the Great Lakes occur as boulders and stones, a great part of the till has been crushed and ground to a clayey texture. The till plains, although sweeping in broad swells of slowly changing altitude, often appear level to the eye with a view stretching to the horizon. Here and there, faint depressions occur, occupied by marshy sloughs, or floored with a rich black soil of postglacial origin. It is thus by sub-glacial aggradation that the prairies have been levelled up to a smooth surface, in contrast to the higher and non-glaciated hilly country just to the south.

The great ice sheets formed terminal moraines around their border at various end stages. However, the morainic belts are of small relief in comparison to the great area of the ice. They rise gently from the till plains to a height of 50, 100 or more feet. They may be one, two or three miles (5km) wide and their hilly surface, dotted over with boulders, contains many small lakes in basins or hollows, instead of streams in valleys. The morainic belts are arranged in groups of concentric loops, convex southward, because the ice sheets advanced in lobes along the lowlands of the Great Lakes. Neighboring morainic loops join each other in re-entrants (north-pointing cusps), where two adjacent glacial lobes came together and formed their moraines in largest volume. The moraines are of too small relief to be shown on any maps except of the largest scale. Small as they are, they are the chief relief of the prairie states, and, in association with the nearly imperceptible slopes of the till plains, they determine the course of many streams and rivers, which as a whole are consequent upon the surface form of the glacial deposits.

The complexity of the glacial period and its subdivision into several glacial epochs, separated by interglacial epochs of considerable length (certainly longer than the postglacial epoch) has a structural consequence in the superposition of successive till sheets, alternating with non-glacial deposits. It also has a physiographic consequence in the very different amount of normal postglacial erosion suffered by the different parts of the glacial deposits. The southernmost drift sheets, as in southern Iowa and northern Missouri, have lost their initially plain surface and are now maturely dissected into gracefully rolling forms. Here, the valleys of even the small streams are well opened and graded, and marshes and lakes are rare. These sheets are of early Pleistocene origin. Nearer the Great Lakes, the till sheets are trenched only by the narrow valleys of the large streams. Marshy sloughs still occupy the faint depressions in the till plains and the associated moraines have abundant small lakes in their undrained hollows. These drift sheets are of late Pleistocene origin.

When the ice sheets extended to the land sloping southward to the Ohio River, Mississippi River and Missouri River, the drift-laden streams flowed freely away from the ice border. As the streams escaped from their subglacial channels, they spread into broader channels and deposited some of their load, and thus aggraded their courses. Local sheets or aprons of gravel and sand are spread more or less abundantly along the outer side of the morainic belts. Long trains of gravel and sands clog the valleys that lead southward from the glaciated to the non-glaciated area. Later, when the ice retreated farther and the unloaded streams returned to their earlier degrading habit, they more or less completely scoured out the valley deposits, the remains of which are now seen in terraces on either side of the present flood plains.

When the ice of the last glacial epoch had retreated so far that its front border lay on a northward slope, belonging to the drainage area of the Great Lakes, bodies of water accumulated in front of the ice margin, forming glacio-marginal lakes. The lakes were small at first, and each had its own outlet at the lowest depression of land to the south. As the ice melted further back, neighboring lakes became confluent at the level of the lowest outlet of the group. The outflowing streams grew in the same proportion and eroded a broad channel across the height of land and far down stream, while the lake waters built sand reefs or carved shore cliffs along their margin, and laid down sheets of clay on their floors. All of these features are easily recognized in the prairie region. The present site of Chicago was determined by an Indian portage or carry across the low divide between Lake Michigan and the headwaters of the Illinois River. This divide lies on the floor of the former outlet channel of the glacial Lake Michigan. Corresponding outlets are known for Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior. A very large sheet of water, named Lake Agassiz, once overspread a broad till plain in northern Minnesota and North Dakota. The outlet of this glacial lake, called river Warren, eroded a large channel in which the Minnesota River evident today. The Red River of the North flows northward through a plain formerly covered by Lake Agassiz.

Certain extraordinary features were produced when the retreat of the ice sheet had progressed so far as to open an eastward outlet for the marginal lakes. This outlet occurred along the depression between the northward slope of the Appalachian plateau in west-central New York and the southward slope of the melting ice sheet. When this eastward outlet came to be lower than the south-westward outlet across the height of land to the Ohio or Mississippi river, the discharge of the marginal lakes was changed from the Mississippi system to the Hudson system. Many well-defined channels, cutting across the north-sloping spurs of the plateau in the neighborhood of Syracuse, New York, mark the temporary paths of the ice-bordered outlet river. Successive channels are found at lower and lower levels on the plateau slope, indicating the successive courses taken by the lake outlet as the ice melted farther and farther back. On some of these channels, deep gorges were eroded heading in temporary cataracts which exceeded Niagara in height but not in breadth. The pools excavated by the plunging waters at the head of the gorges are now occupied by little lakes. The most significant stage in this series of changes occurred when the glacio-marginal lake waters were lowered so that the long escarpment of Niagara limestone was laid bare in western New York. The previously confluent waters were then divided into two lakes. The higher one, Lake Erie, supplied the outflowing Niagara River, which poured its waters down the escarpment to the lower, Lake Ontario. This gave rise to Niagara Falls. Lake Ontario's outlet for a time ran down the Mohawk Valley to the Hudson River. At this higher elevation, it was known as Lake Iroquois. When the ice melted from the northeastern end of the lake, it dropped to a lower level, and drained through the St. Lawrence area. This created a lower base level for the Niagara River, increasing its erosive capacity.

In certain districts, the subglacial till was not spread out in a smooth plain, but accumulated in elliptical mounds, 100200 feet. high and 0.5 to 1 mile (0.80 to 1.61 kilometres) long with axes parallel to the direction of the ice motion as indicated by striae on the underlying rock floor. These hills are known by the Irish name, drumlins, used for similar hills in north-western Ireland. The most remarkable groups of drumlins occur in western New York, where their number is estimated at over 6,000, and in southern Wisconsin, where it is placed at 5,000. They completely dominate the topography of their districts.

A curious deposit of an impalpably fine and unstratified silt, known by the German name bess (or loess), lies on the older drift sheets near the larger river courses of the upper Mississippi basin. It attains a thickness of 20ft (6.1m) or more near the rivers and gradually fades away at a distance of ten or more miles (16 or more km) on either side. It contains land shells, and hence cannot be attributed to marine or lacustrine submergence. The best explanation is that, during certain phases of the glacial period, it was carried as dust by the winds from the flood plains of aggrading rivers, and slowly deposited on the neighboring grass-covered plains. The glacial and eolian origin of this sediment is evidenced by the angularity of its grains (a bank of it will stand without slumping for years), whereas, if it had been transported significantly by water, the grains would have been rounded and polished. Loess is parent material for an extremely fertile, but droughty soil.

Southwestern Wisconsin and parts of the adjacent states of Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota are known as the driftless zone, because, although bordered by drift sheets and moraines, it is free from glacial deposits. It must therefore have been a sort of oasis, when the ice sheets from the north advanced past it on the east and west, and joined around its southern border. The reason for this exemption from glaciation is the converse of that for the southward convexity of the morainic loops. For while they mark the paths of greatest glacial advance along lowland troughs (lake basins), the driftless zone is a district protected from ice invasion by reason of the obstruction which the highlands of northern Wisconsin and Michigan (part of the Superior upland) offered to glacial advance.

The course of the upper Mississippi River is largely consequent upon glacial deposits. Its sources are in the morainic lakes in northern Minnesota. The drift deposits thereabouts are so heavy that the present divides between the drainage basins of Hudson Bay, Lake Superior, and the Gulf of Mexico evidently stand in no very definite relation to the preglacial divides. The course of the Mississippi through Minnesota is largely guided by the form of the drift cover. Several rapids and the Saint Anthony Falls (determining the site of Minneapolis) are signs of immaturity, resulting from superposition through the drift on the under rock. Farther south, as far as the entrance of the Ohio River, the Mississippi follows a rock-walled valley 300 to 400ft (91 to 122m) deep, with a flood-plain 2 to 4mi (3.2 to 6.4km) wide. This valley seems to represent the path of an enlarged early-glacial Mississippi, when much precipitation that is today discharged to Hudson Bay and the Gulf of St Lawrence was delivered to the Gulf of Mexico, for the curves of the present river are of distinctly smaller radii than the curves of the valley. Lake Pepin (30mi[48km] below St. Paul), a picturesque expansion of the river across its flood-plain, is due to the aggradation of the valley floor where the Chippewa River, coming from the northeast, brought an overload of fluvio-glacial drift. Hence, even the father of waters, like so many other rivers in the Northern states, owes many of its features more or less directly to glacial action.

The fertility of the prairies is a natural consequence of their origin. During the mechanical transportation of the till, no vegetation was present to remove the minerals essential to plant growth, as is the case in the soils of normally weathered and dissected peneplains. The soil is similar to the Appalachian piedmont which though not exhausted by the primeval forest cover, are by no means so rich as the till sheets of the prairies. Moreover, whatever the rocky understructure, the till soil has been averaged by a thorough mechanical mixture of rock grindings. Hence, the prairies are continuously fertile for scores of miles together. The true prairies were once covered with a rich growth of natural grass and annual flowering plants, but today, they are covered with farms.

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