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ITHACA, N.Y. For the mixed-use Asteri Ithaca project, it was a rough meeting last night. Repeated push-back from its neighbors developing Harold's Square was enough to give the Planning Board pause on whether or not the large Downtown mixed-use project could move forward as proposed. Several other projects also went through the board's nearly five-hour meeting last night on their road to final approval.

For those who like to read the agenda alongside their recaps, the 281-page PDF can be found here.

Rather unusually, the first major item on the agenda this month was a Special Permit, which can be triggered for uncommon use considerations in certain property zones. In this case, a family living in their home on Belle Sherman's Eastwood Avenue, which is zoned for one-family and two-family homes, wanted to take an existing mother-in-law apartment at the rear of their house and rent it out as a studio apartment rental. One neighbor wrote in support of the couple, while three spoke or wrote against renting out the studio in-law unit, with one letter saying "(w)e are concerned about changing the family-friendly cul-de-sac into a space occupied by unknown individuals...which would not be in keeping with the intended neighborhood street feel and the safety of the residents."

The board disagreed. So long as the tenant lease mandated the tenant parked in the driveway, they were comfortable with the proposal. "Everybody has the intent of this being a nice neighborhood. We need housing in Ithaca...the board is favored towards accessory dwelling units in owner-occupied housing," said Planning Board member McKenzie Jones. The board briefly discussed the short form environmental review, passed it unanimously, and passed the Special Permit unanimously.

Next up were lot subdivision reviews - these are when property lots in the city, legally known as parcels, seek some kind of reconfiguration, either to be split up, reshaped or consolidated. These tend to move quickly through the board, because they aren't physical changes that trigger an in-depth review.

The only one before the Planning Board was 209 Hudson Street, covered last month in the Board of Zoning Appeals summary here. The state court has told the board they have to issue the subdivision because the city of Ithaca lost its court battle, twice, over what the judges felt was an "arbitrary and capricious" subdivision denial two years prior. The new lot to be carved off of the north side of 209 Hudson Street's double-lot would be used to build a new duplex, and the board was comfortable with the design of the duplex. The subdivision passed unanimously.

Next on the agenda is the Site Plan Review, where the review of new building proposals happens. In the interest of not pushing 5,000 words like last month, if you want a description of the steps in the project approval process, the "Site Plan Review Primer" is here.

Just a quick refresher, the Planning Board looks at sketch plans, declares itself lead agency for environmental review, conducts a review and declares negative (adverse effects mitigated) or positive (potential harmful impacts, needs an Environmental Impact Statement), while concurrently performing design review for projects in certain neighborhoods for aesthetic impacts. Once those are all good and done, they vote on preliminary site plan approval and, after reviewing a few final details and remaining paperwork, final site plan approval.

At the top of the agenda this month, was the City Harbor project, proposed by Lambrou Real Estate, Edger Enterprises and businesswoman Elizabeth Classen on the site of the former Johnson's Boatyard at 101 Pier Road. As previously detailed, the two-phase project consists of a restaurant, waterfront promenade and marina, and 156 market-rate apartments. A 60,000 square-foot medical office building for Guthrie Clinic is part of the project. Phase one would also rebuild Pier Road to include sidewalks, street trees, a fire engine turnaround, and new and improving parking areas. While the project team plans to partner with the city to rebuild the golf course clubhouse in phase two, almost all improvements in phase one are on private property, with the exception of some of the greenspace and reconfigured parking areas.

Tonight's meeting didn't have any votes scheduled, it was focused strictly on design review. Preliminary project approval was granted last month, but the board wanted some aesthetic tweaks as one of the stipulations prior to final site plan approval.

T.G. Miller's David Herrick walked the board through new perspective renderings, while HOLT Architect's Steve Hugo fielded questions on the architecture and floor plans for the mixed-use buildings, and Whitham Planning and Design's Kate Chesebrough addressed questions on the landscaping. The board has brief questions regarding signage, trash collection, and whether three large willow trees will be maintained (two will be removed after an arborist noted they weren't healthy, but hundreds of new trees will be planted on-site.)

On the materials side, the waterfront buildings will use a rough-cut stone on the ground floor, with standing seam metal panels in a few different sizes and colors (Ascot White and Dark Bronze), and wood decking panel accents. Hugo said the design was inspired by the Sagamore Hotel in Lake George, which maybe it is, obliquely. Mechanical equipment is hidden in a "bathtub" concealed by the roof. Planning Board Chair Robert Lewis noted that it was a lot of metal on the outside, but it was well-differentiated. The project team is working on meeting the last of the preliminary final approval stipulations, and it sounds like July could be the final meeting for City Harbor.

Next up on the list for this month's review was the 11-story Asteri Ithaca Green Street Garage redevelopment at 120 East Green Street. The Asteri proposal by The Vecino Group includes a 218-unit low-moderate income apartment building with commercial space on the lower levels, and an expanded publicly-accessible garage next door, which will grow to seven floors with an additional 241 parking spaces (350 total).

As noted by city planners, the lower three floors of the U-shaped building will house amenities, a 49,000 square-foot conference center and a small amount of retail space. The Cinemopolis Plaza will keep its current public pedestrian passage between the Commons and Green Street, with lighting, signage, art, and landscaping improvements, though Cinemapolis will have to temporarily relocate for part of the construction period. The Vecino Group and their partners are also requesting consideration of a City Hall Plaza next door on the small parking lot between the project site and City Hall. That plaza would feature a large outdoor gathering spot with paving, lighting, landscaping, and furnishings while retaining a limited number of parking spaces.

This month, the board intended to go through some additional sections of the Full Environmental Assessment Form (FEAF) Part 3, which is a detailed report encapsulating impacts and proposed mitigation, and the board awaited more comments as part of the public hearing they held open from last month. From the agenda filings, it appears the general contractor for the project will be Welliver out of Montour Falls.

Vecino had at least nine people in on the Zoom meeting, able to speak on various aspects of the Asteri project. On the public hearing side of the discussion, a few local residents co-signed a letter advocated for the project and lauding its walkable location and affordability. The owners of the Cayuga Green Apartments across the street sent a letter opposing the plan, citing the impacts on Cinemapolis (who they have a sub-lease with), parking, and said the project was interfering with their legal rights. The owners of the Yellow Deli once again expressed concern about parking and impacts on loading zones for their business. Brent Bossard of Cinemapolis was taken aback by the Cayuga Green letter, and made clear that Cinemapolis was fine with the project, contrary to what Cayuga Green wrote, but Bossard did encourage the city to include Cayuga Green in the project conversation.

There were also several call-in speakers, mostly representing Harold's Square, who have been generally opposed to a neighbor blocking the views of their new apartments and taking up a lot of parking in the Green Street Garage. With all fairness, the buildings are close to each other (as shown in the video still above), and Harold's Square's developers are feeling anxious about two more similar-sized buildings a stone's throw from their brand new tower - relevant aside here, they struggled for years to get construction financing. The Harold's Square developers had submitted one of the four proposals (and the smallest proposal) to redevelop the garage in 2018, but it fell short in the scoring and was not selected by the IURA.

Chesebrough noted that Asteri is a U-shape purposely to provide light and air circulation for Harold's Square, and after meeting with the board for Design Project Review earlier, they are willing to consider pulling back 4.5 feet from the north side of Asteri's tower portion by reconfiguring the north face, deleting the balconies and some amenity space. City Planning Director noted concerns regarding the facade on the north and west side near street level, and Department of Public Works truck access at the rear.

"I'm a little bit torn. The visualization of the two buildings, trying to imagine the proposed building being there....I think my gut reaction is that the buildings are too close, or too tall. A part of me is feeling like this is a little too much and these need to be a little further apart. Part of what's troubling about this to me is that it does if you build a tall building and a second building comes along and has to be pushed back, that too is troubling to me in terms of property rights," said board member Garrick Blalock.

His colleague Mitch Glass largely agreed. "I'm also a little bit conflicted about this. 218 affordable housing units downtown is a great opportunity. The tower elements feel close. I appreciate the setback at terrace level, but I wonder if there are ways to set it back further. I'm troubled by what Harold's Square is pushing for. In terms of the parking, I'm concerned by the counts Jamie (Gensel, of the Harold's Square team) providing for parking, they seem too high...I feel like their parking comments are overstated, but I do feel a trip generation report is needed."

"I could get on board with supporting the height variance if you pull it back more," said board member Emily Petrina. "I'd like to see what it would look like at 25 feet (set back from Harold's Square)." Petrina and board member C. J. Randall both suggested it may be time to remove the conference center from the project, given the space concerns as well as COVID.

Chair Lewis summarized the wobbly position the Asteri team now seemed to find itself in. "You've heard a lot of concern about the spacing, you've heard some concerns about heights, and for my piece, when this project first came before the board, I liked the sense of life that was in the architecture, but as the design has developed, I'm not seeing that as much. I'm seeing something that is much more sterile. I'm sensitive to the trade-offs, taking back the corners while removing 4.5 feet. But I don't see how you can get at some of these concerns without deleting units. Maybe this can be resolved through cladding and articulation, but I don't see it." Lewis further encouraged the project team to show them what the project would look like without any zoning variances.

Project architect Bruce Adib-Yazdi said that the setback is largely driven by the ballroom of the conference center, and shrinking that as well as shrinking the number of affordable units would be the trade-off. Lewis said that they need to be shown what would be lost if the variances aren't allowed, so that they understand what happens and what exactly the negative trade-offs are, and help them decide whether to support the variances.

All in all, it didn't seem like anyone was pleased as the project's time wrapped up and the project's design seems much more uncertain. The discussion didn't go well for Vecino last night, and it seems like a major redesign will be needed, likely leading to the deletion of some apartments in the tower, which is 100% affordable housing.

One thing that did become clear after the discussion; the board was angry that Harold's Square hijacked a half-hour of the Public Hearing. Lewis seemed especially annoyed, describing the scene as developers "crying" about other developers. So while the Harold's Square developers might have gotten their desired pushback on Asteri, the board doesn't plan to let this commandeering of their meeting happen again.

Developer Jeff Rimland's 13-story proposal on the eastern end of the garage came back to the board to continue its public hearing and go through Design Review on the architecture and aesthetics. Unlike earlier incarnations, the latest design for the mixed-use building proposed for 215 East State Street no longer builds into the Rothschild Building and displaces the shops and shop-owners along the Commons, but went back to the initial proposal which builds atop a rebuilt eastern third of the garage.

Rimland's proposal rebuilds the eastern third of the garage with two levels of public parking (about 130 spaces), one ground-level private parking area for the building's occupants (34 spaces) and 10 floors of residential with approximately 200 apartments. A residential lobby would front Green Street, as well as an access hallway between the shops lining the Commons. Due to a professional conflict, Chair Lewis recused himself from the discussion, with Jones taking over as chair.

Project engineer James Trasher of CHA Inc. walked the board through the latest drawings, including program space plans. Trasher stressed they did negotiate with the Marriott for a mutually-agreeable amount of space between the buildings (30 feet). One letter was received in public comment, from Todd Kurzweil of the Sunny Days with various concerns, which sparked Jeff Rimland to remark on the letter as "slanderous", but there's also no love lost between those two.

Architect John Abisch highlighted the extensive accent lighting for safety and to draw attention to the lobby, and the use of corten steel on the facade. The materials and window trims are changed up along different faces of the building to make it not seem so "monolithic", and the accent lighting on the architectural bump-outs would be dimmable so that it's not overly obtrusive on tenants and neighbors.

Generally, the planning board's response was favorable to the project. Board member Glass said he loved the lighting and appreciated the articulation of the facade, but encouraged an enlivening of the garage facade, more work on making the windows articulated, and that tasteful signage would be welcome. His colleague Petrina liked the overall design, but had questions on planters and the unit layouts for apartments facing the taller central wing of the Green Street garage, to which Abisch said they are working with Vecino on it.

"Every time I see this project, I like it more and more, it's looking fantastic," said Blalock. "Is the Commons entrance meant to be a shortcut entrance for residents to the apartments, or is it a public entrance?...Is the entrance from the Commons meant to blend in, or look like a separate building?"

"It is a public way through, that is the plan. But as far as creating that dynamic between the tower and the Commons entrance, we saw that as a way to draw the tenants back into the structure," said Abisch. "We can go through a little further at the (Project Review Committee) meeting." Trasher later clarified it would be controlled public access, given potential security issues for the Rothschild Building's commercial tenants after hours.

"This is really coming along nicely, I really appreciate the materials you're using and the colors, it feels contextual. I hope for a positive resolution with you, Jeff and your tenants, best of luck with those issues," added Jones.

There is still much discussion to come on this and Asteri, as a special meeting is being planned in the second half of July to meet with those two project teams to coordinate plans and mutual concerns of the board on parking, aesthetics and other related matters.

Returning to the Planning Board this month after a brief hiatus were the mixed-use additions for the Aeroplane Factory on Taber and Brindley Streets, previously covered here. The project is proposed to be built in two phases. The first phase will consist of a four-story building with office space and retail on the first floor, office and residential on the second and third floors, and residential on the fourth floor, for a total of five apartments, 1,100 square feet of new retail space and approximately 6,000 square feet of new office space. Site improvements will include two new curb cuts, an outdoor patio (which sounds great for a warm summer evening like last night's meeting), landscaping, and a sidewalk and tree lawn along Taber Street. Phase 2 will include a 2,000 square-foot addition on the building closest to Taber Street.

This month, the board was set to vote on the "Determination of Environmental Significance", the likely negative declaration of State Environmental Quality Review that would mean all adverse impacts are effectively mitigated, and the project can be considered for preliminary site plan approval.

Like the project itself, the project team was a little smaller for the meeting, consisting of developer Jerry Dietz and the architect, Jason Demarest. Demarest led the board through the latest submission, and not a lot had changed, with some modest changes to the sidewalk and stormwater plans based on the recommendations of city engineers.

Being a fairly modest proposal, and with the board previously expressing support for the project and any proposed mitigation, the last part of the environmental review was uneventful, with only minor concerns about up-lighting and soils. But the vote to issue a declare a negative declaration passed unanimously, allowing the project to pursue preliminary approval next month.

New to the board this month was Cornell University's plan to renovate the freshmen woman's dormitory on their North Campus, Balch Hall. The details on the renovation for that nearly 100-year-old, 167,000 square-foot building were covered in the Voice earlier this month here.Renovations that affect the exterior of the building include replacing the windows, rebuilding and/or replacing gutters, downspouts, and minor exterior walls to allow for new waterproofing and facade work, and installing four roof bulkheads and dormers to accommodate new elevators. On the outside will be numerous landscaping and accessibility improvements, including new stairs, ramps and lighting.

Frankly, going into this there are two reasons to expect this project review to be smooth sailing. For one, Cornell's campus zoning is extremely flexible and allows just about anything the university could reasonably want so long as it directly supports the school's operations. For two, this is just a renovation with few exterior changes, so it doesn't usually receive the same level of scrutiny as a new build.

Cornell Project Manager Ram Vankat and university architect David Cutter presented the plans to the board. Vankat stressed the need to make the building ADA accessible, more environmentally sound (going for LEED Gold Certification), and address deferred maintenance now that brand new dorms were underway. The only area with any real controversy was Cornell's choice to replace the original steel-trim windows with steel replica aluminum windows. This was opposed by Historic Ithaca's Susan Holland, as well as a Rutgers professor who specializes in historic preservation. To give an idea of how quickly Cornell expects this to move, they hope to have approval by August, and plan for a one-year renovation period starting in the summer of 2021.

Board member Blalock encouraged a historic placard somewhere, and Glass expressed concerns over the window issue, noting that they would really, truly have to be replicas in form to be appropriate for Balch. Petrina generally supported the elevators dormers, but expressed hope to reduce the size of them if possible. She also supported the aluminum windows, but wanted to see more imagery of them to ensure they were a good fit.

"Those dormers are quite slick, and I hope those windows end up looking good," said chair Lewis. "It looks like you have a pretty tight timeline for approval, I hope that's feasible." The board quickly moved to declare themselves lead agency for environmental review, and the project will be back before the board next month.

As for the board itself, they're planning a working/training retreat for June 30th. Although the word "retreat" is in there, it's really just a day-long meeting to talk about policies and how to best utilize their roles on the board to advance the city's urban planning and economic goals.

See original here:
Planning Board Recap: Asteri project hits turbulence as Harold's Square pushes back - The Ithaca Voice

Texas apartment markets have suffered setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the rental business is expected to recover over the next 18 months as the impact of the coronavirus subsides, according to a new forecast from CBRE.

Researchers with the commercial real estate firm looked at major apartment markets across the state.

So far, Dallas-Fort Worth is the top-performing market, with a lower vacancy rate and the smallest declines in rental rates.

The Texas multifamily markets have many challenges over the months ahead, Jeanette Rice, CBREs Americas head of multifamily research, said in the new report. The markets may not totally stabilize until the fourth quarter.

Yet 2021 should experience steady recovery, and Texass pre-COVID-19 strengths should play a big role in helping apartment demand return rapidly through 2021, she said.

CBRE is predicting that Texas apartment markets will be back to pre-pandemic levels by the start of 2022.

While job losses in the state and business closings have spiked with the pandemic, Rice said a rebound in migration and new jobs in Texas will boost the rental market.

In the short term, with greatly reduced employment opportunities, migration into Texas will slow, hindering creation of new multifamily demand, she said. Longer term, as the economy begins to get back on its feet, the major Texas metros should again attract large numbers of new residents, thereby creating high levels of market demand over the following years.

While the apartment industry hasnt suffered near the declines seen in hotels and retail, the economic impact of COVID-19 has caused an increase in vacancy rates and has prompted slight declines in rents in some markets.

Statewide rents declined about 1.5% from March to May, according to CBRE. Dallas-area rents dropped 1% during the period.

Apartment construction has also been hammered by the pandemic.

Dallas-area apartment building permits were down almost 9% for the 12-month period ending in April, according to RealPage.

Nationwide multifamily building permits were at a four-year low.

The rest is here:
Texas apartment markets will slowly rebound - The Dallas Morning News

Neighborhoods

The radical, imperfect, and unfinished transformation of Bostons newest neighborhood.

A rendering of the St. Regis Residences Boston at 150 Seaport Boulevard, slated for completion next year. / St. Regis Residences, Boston/Elkus Manfredi Architects

A largely uninhabitable industrial zone built on landfill during the 1850s, the Seaport spent most of the 20th century as a vast wasteland of parking lots and abandoned wharfs. Even as two signature restaurantsJimmys Harborside and Anthonys Pier 4first lured swarms of diners to the waterfront during the 1960s and 70s, the neighborhood remained a desolate outpost of fishing piers and a few smoke-filled dive bars crawling with Southie mobsters.

Not anymore. Today, the Seaport is a soaring testament to the remarkable speed at which Boston has transformed and is transforming. In addition to the beloved Institute of Contemporary Art and the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, glittery condos, high-end retail, world-renowned nightclubs, and even, at long last, a Trader Joes have all emerged practically overnight.

Still, the Seaport is far from a finished product. The twin challenges of COVID-19 and climate change will surely usher in a new chapter for the citys sleekest neighborhoodand possibly its most important one. This is the story of the Seaport, told by the people who shaped ita tale of rowdy punks, squatting artists, visionary planners, bungled opportunities, and a future that remains unwritten.

Crowds gather to greet the fishermen at a wharf in 1890. / Corbis via Getty Images

Long before the gleaming skyscrapers and Teslas arrived, the Seaport first flickered to life during the 1960s thanks to a pair of fearless restaurateurs who threw open their doors for business.

Jim Vrabel, historian: After World War II, the fishing industry modernized and mechanized. Other than longshoremen and fishermen, the only reason people went down there was to go to the two restaurants. Jimmys Harborside had started in 1955, and then Anthonys Pier 4 was the big one. It opened in 1963.

John Fish, chairman and CEO, Suffolk Construction: Anybody who lived in Boston went to Jimmys and Pier 4, whether it be for Easter, First Communion, or other celebrations. It was a Boston tradition. But when youd go down there it was almost as if you were in a different world. Youd drive through these vacant parking lots with grass growing through asphalt cracks. Youd walk around the piers and see dead fish. And youd see a lot of other things that werent that attractive floating in the water.

Joe Barry, valet, Anthonys Pier 4: I started at Anthonys in 73. The neighborhood was the pits. Warehouses, a little chapel. A sub shop on Northern Avenue. There was a dive bar right at the foot of Pier 4, and another one by Jimmys. The road was cobblestone.

Harry Booras, cofounder, the Channel nightclub: When Anthony Athanas opened that place, people were telling him, Oh, youre right down the street from Jimmys Harborside, that place is always packed! What makes you think you can compete? Anthony thought that was a big asset. He said, No, no, it becomes a destination. And he was right. He ended up surpassing Jimmys.

Roger Berkowitz, president and CEO, Legal Sea Foods: The one guy you really have to credit with putting the area on the map is Anthony Athanas. He was a great showman as a restaurateur.

Barry: The big attraction was the Peter Stuyvesant ship, which was moored next to Pier 4. It was a Hudson River dayliner that Anthony used as a cocktail lounge. People would wait two hours to have dinner in there, without a squeak. Anthony also had a double-decker bus: The parking lot was so big that he would pick people up at the far end. He was a perfectionist. Youd see him in the kitchen, in the lobby, going around to tables, out in the parking lot, greeting people at the ship. We had different celebrities come in by limo. Frank Sinatra, Richard Burton. Julia Child was in there occasionally. Lots of politicians.

Booras: Everybody was there, from Elizabeth Taylor to Speaker of the House John McCormackyou name it. They would always go in there and get their pictures taken with Anthony.

Plenty of parking along the piers, 1982. / Photo by Bob Dean/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Thomas OBrien, founding partner of HYM and former director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA): Us as a family, we never went out to eat. It was only a special-occasion thing, and my mother thought Pier 4 was the biggest deal. I remember looking around at the people at other tables holding menus, asking her, Can I look at a menu? Can I decide what I want? My mother wouldnt let us. When the waiter came around she would look at me and my brothers and say, Hell have a hamburger, hell have a hamburger, hell have a hamburger.

Scott Lindberg, Fort Point resident: During that same time, there was a dive bar across from Jimmys Harborside where Whitey Bulger took out one of his competitors. He shot him in the street.

Barry: We happened to be working that night. The police were all over the place. We didnt hear the firing, but we heard the police cars afterward.

Christopher Sproat, sculptor: I was living in the Plant Shoe Factory in Jamaica Plain when the building burned down in 1976. I lost 15 years of work and all of my tools, everything other than what I was wearing. But I had a show coming up at MITs Hayden Gallery, so I needed a studio. Somebody let me know there was space available in Fort Point if I went and talked to the landlord, the Boston Wharf Company. They said, Yeah, we have space, but you cant live there. I said okay. They showed me the top floor of 34 Farnsworth Street. You could see the harbor, see the sailing ships coming in.

Valerie Burns, Fort Point resident: During the late 70s, a lot of small production was in the old buildings owned by the Boston Wharf Company. Woodworkers, a frame shop, book binders.

Marilyn Arsem, founder of Mobius, an experimental artists group: Only about 40 percent of the Boston Wharf spaces were occupied. It was mostly an industrial community at that point, a lot of office supply and printing companies. We performed at Helen Schlein Gallery in Fort Point in 78. Ros Barron had an exhibition, Richard Lerman. Ellen Rothenberg was performing there. When we took over Helens gallery in 83, we made it available to a lot of experimental artists in Boston doing dance, video, and sound art.

Burns: Fort Point didnt feel neglected because it was a place where a community of artists was coming together. It was kind of a special time.

Sproat: I had just bought a mattress when the landlord from Boston Wharf staged a surprise visit. They looked at the mattress and gave me a look that said, I didnt see what I just saw. So I built a workbench that was 16 feet long and about 12 feet wide. There was a secret panel on the bottom of this thing where I had my queen-size bed. When they came back and said, Wheres the mattress? I said, Oh, I got rid of it. We all sort of went along with this lie.

Kelly Pedersen, executive director, Fort Point Arts Community: Newer residents of Fort Point have no idea that people were initially living in buildings that were not zoned for residential. Squatting, basically.

Booras: We opened the Channel on May 30, 1980Memorial Day weekend. My partner had bought a former disco club that had the largest capacity in the city at 1,600 people. He was kind of out of money and asked if I had any ideas. I said, yeah: rock n roll. We had Metallica in there, punk bands such as Stiff Little Fingers. We did African musicKing Sunny Ad, Thomas Mapfumo. Run-DMC played one time, and we had the New Models open for them. Youd have nights with Africans in dashikis, punks with spiked hair, and guys in motorcycle jackets all seeing the same show. Punks would come in during the day and climb up and hide in the rafters in the ceiling and then drop down later to see the show for freerafter rats, we called them.

Barry: Roy Orbison was there, and I didnt go. My friend said he did, like, five encores of Pretty Woman. People were going crazy. I still kick myself, because he died the week after.

Booras: We started having some financial problems because we overextended. We opened a lounge, started an entertainment agency, and rent became higher and higher. After we filed for bankruptcy in 1990, we found a buyer, Steve DiSarro. In his quest for money, DiSarro got involved with Frank Salemme Jr., son of the reputed head of the New England mob. They lasted six months, then turned it into a gentlemens club. When that didnt work either, DiSarro disappeared. His murder wasnt solved until 2016.

The daily catch at Fish Pier, 1977. / Photo by Ulrike Welsch/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Beginning in the 1990s, two unprecedented public investmentsthe Big Dig and the Boston Harbor cleanupsparked new interest in the largely vacant waterfront property within shouting distance of the Financial District. In addition to the construction of the John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse at Fan Pier and a new convention center, Anthony Athanas partnered with Chicagos Pritzker family (the billionaire founders of the Hyatt hotel chain) to develop the land around his restaurant. Local developer Joseph Fallon also sought permission from the Massachusetts Port Authority to build the neighborhoods first apartment building by Fish Pier.

Fish: Early on in Thomas Meninos administration, I remember standing in his office, looking out of a window on the fifth floor of City Hall. He pointed toward the Seaport District and said, You will not recognize this place in 10 years. He knew something was going to happen well before anyone else could even think of it.

Bob Durand, former Massachusetts secretary of environmental affairs: Why wasnt that area developed before? Because we had a polluted harbor. The $4 billion project to clean it up had a big impact.

Yanni Tsipis, senior vice president, WS Development: The only reason anything is happening in the Seaport now is because the federal and state governments made really significant public investments there.

Steve Hollinger, Fort Point resident: The harbor cleanup worked wonders. When I first moved to Fort Point, there was a terrible stench. At low tide, the channel smelled like rotten fish. But over the years, through the 90s, there was a marked improvement one year to the next, until one day there was no smell at all.

Vivien Li, former director, the Boston Harbor Association: The federal judges on the First Circuit Court of Appeals were the ones who required the cleanup. So when they started looking to build a new courthouse, they realized that instead of staying in Post Office Square, they could be looking out their window at a clean harbor.

OBrien: At the same time, all of these landowners saw the Big Dig happening and they knew the value that was about to come their way.

Fish: The Big Dig has proven to be the most prudent investment that the commonwealth and the federal government ever made in an infrastructure project in America. People back in the early 2000s were criticizing the billions of dollars that were spent on it, but the economic benefit today and in the future will be a hundred fold.

Anthony Athanas talking chowder, 1968. / Photo by Phil Preston/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Joseph Fallon, CEO, the Fallon Company: Anthony Athanas had partnered with the Pritzker family, and I anticipated them to be moving ahead with developing Fan Pier. But Nick Pritzker, who was leading the familys investments in Boston, eventually got into a fight with Anthony in the early 90s, and they had to split the site based on a court decision.

Li: After Anthony lost most of Fan Pier, Congressman Joe Moakley wanted to help him. At the same time, the federal judges were still looking for a place to build their courthouse, and selecting the land that Anthony still owned became a way to compensate him. They decided they wanted a beautiful building that would set a tone for the waterfront, so they chose Henry Cobb as the architect.

Gloria Larson, former chair, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority: If anything was a cornerstone for what came later, it was the Moakley Courthouse. It became a signature element of the waterfront, and its presence helped dismantle the negative perceptions of the neighborhood that had prevented any real development from happening there. At around the same time, people were talking about the Hynes Convention Center being insufficient, and I was cognizant that once the Big Dig was fully completed there would be other opportunities down there.

Fallon: In 1997, our firm was selected by Massport to develop an apartment building and a hotel over by the Fish Pier. That became Park Lane and the Marriott Renaissance. When I was getting the permits, there was some opposition from the residents who lived on that side of South Boston, as well as some people from Fort Point. I walked by a line of people chanting, No greed east of D. The fishermen told me they had hooks that would easily support my body weight. I was doing it primarily because the convention center was moving ahead. I needed it to bring bodies down there.

Larson: Once I was appointed head of the convention center board, we hired Rafael Violy as the architect of the new building, and our first meeting was in a hotel bar downtown. Hed flown in from New York to meet with us, and I asked him, Rafael, what is your sense of this? What should this look like? He took a cocktail napkin and he drew five lines on it. I thought to myself, Oh my God, I just paid $33 million for a cocktail napkin. With architects, theres a ton of give-and-take. Mayor Menino was skeptical the first time Rafael and I brought the plans to him. The mayor unfolds them, and he looks at Rafael and says, Thats it? I wanted to self-immolate. But Rafael really calmly turned to the mayor and said, Show me what you dont like. Then Menino was like, This side looks like a hotel, this looks like a school. Rafael took copious notes, and he said, Your comments will be taken into close consideration. When we returned, Rafael had madenot major changes to his design, but the kind of representative changes that were a direct reflection of what the mayor had suggested. And the mayor said, Im good, Im great. I think this is gonna be fabulous.

The new Fan Pier rises as a forest of glass, 2017. / Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

By the early 2000s, the Big Dig was winding down and plans were taking shape to surround the new courthouse and convention center with gleaming office towers, hotels, and condominiumsplus a landmark new home for the Institute of Contemporary Art.

Kyle Warwick, former principal, Spaulding & Slye Colliers: After the courthouse was built, the Pritzker family was left with 21 acres at Fan Pier. There were only a handful of developers in the neighborhood at the time, jockeying for position. Anthony Athanas still owned his restaurant on Pier 4. Developer Frank McCourt owned whats now Seaport Square, and then you had Massport. There was a first-come, first-served mentality. The Pritzkers wanted to do a reset of the site and our firm came on board to handle that. Our first hire was Ken Greenberg, an amazingly thoughtful planner.

Ken Greenberg, architect and urban designer: At Fan Pier, what we tried to do is set up the waters edge to be as accessible as possible. Our plan laid out a central park in the cove that would extend into the site, so there would be a green passage from the land to the sea.

Durand: I chaired the three public hearings we had on the South Boston Waterfront Municipal Harbor Plan, which set the parameters for future waterfront development. Those were attended by hundreds of people. We took all the comments seriously. We wanted to create open space for people to rejuvenate their souls and their spirits. Nick Pritzker would call me and scream, We need a better timeline! We need to get going! But my boss was not Nick Pritzker; my responsibility was to the public.

Jill Medvedow, director, Institute of Contemporary Art: When I was hired in 1998, the ICA was scrappy. Absolutely minute financial resources, not a lot of political influence. But through a series of conversations and introductions, I met with the millennium commission, Boston 2000, and learned about this parcel of land on Fan Pier. We talked about our desire for a new museumour space at that point was a former police station on Boylston Street that had been built in the late 1800s.

Warwick: Part of our public-realm agreement was to give away a 99-year ground lease for a cultural site. There was a proposal from the Wang Theatre to create the Sydney Opera House of Boston, and there was another idea for an acoustic venue. Ultimately, the ICA was chosen. I think the projections of visitors to the museum, the cultural outflow, the public art pieces that could spill out to the other buildingswe thought all those elements would be best for a new neighborhood.

Medvedow: When the Pritzkers and the city made the decision, I was in Reykjavk, Iceland, trying to get two tons of lava donated to the museum for a public artwork by Olafur Eliasson. It was amazing to receive the newsa kind of rare underdog victory. There hadnt been a new art museum built in Boston for almost 100 years, and the general attitude toward contemporary art in Boston ranged from skeptical to cynical.

Hollinger: The city not only announced land for the ICA, they also announced that the park on Fan Pier would be designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh, so there was a larger vision that we thought were winsbig wins. The city was showing an interest in creating a high-quality public realm.

Fallon: Around that time, the Pritzker family got into a dispute among themselves. The nieces and nephews of Nick and his brothers challenged them, saying they were not sharing the benefits of the development projects theyd been doing around the country. The dispute went to court, and Nick ended up having to sell the site. We stepped in and bought it for $115 million. At some point in the process, I met with Nick about the Van Valkenburgh park. He had envisioned a tidal basin, where the tide would go out and come in and bring in fish, bring life to the basin. I said, Nick, Im not sure how that would work. This isnt Bermuda. The idea didnt resonate with me.

Hollinger: That park by Michael Van Valkenburghwe went to meeting after meeting on it. It was in the planning documents, and it was fully permitted. But years later, with no media attention or public oversight, the then-BRA quietly jettisoned that design in favor of some lawns and firepits, as though the whims of the Fallon Company were the overriding priority.

Friends enjoying the Loop, a buzzy art installation at One Seaport Courtyard last year. / Photo courtesy of WS Development

Jennifer Mecca, president, Fort Point Arts Communitys board of directors: I moved to the neighborhood in 2004, and then about two years later the Boston Wharf Company sold its entire portfolio of properties. Thats when things started going south. The new owners were clearing people outturning off the heat, all kinds of crazy tactics. Theyd give these presentations, like, This is such a great arts neighborhood. And then theyre turning around and evicting people left and right.

Lindberg: The areas obviously a gold minewaterfront property is waterfront property.

Fallon: I rented a helium balloon that lifted people 250 feet into the air, which allowed potential office tenants to see what phenomenal views they could have in the buildings wed proposed. As it happened, one of the first people to come down and take a ride in the balloon was the head of real estate for Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

OBrien: Mayor Menino was running for reelection in 2009, and the press was really beating him up that not enough had happened in the Seaport. The Big Dig had been completed and Vertex Pharmaceuticals was looking around for a new headquarters. He basically grabbed them and said, Well do whatever it takes to get you into the Seaport.

Warwick: Vertex going down there really helped ignite the economy of the Seaport.

Fallon: Vertex moving in also brought thousands of people to the neighborhood. They needed food, of course, so the restaurants now felt way more comfortable coming here.

Berkowitz: Heres the thingyou didnt have to be a Mensa candidate to figure out that seafood on the water would work. Anthony Athanas proved it, No Name proved it. Opportunities to open on the water are few and far between.

Tsipis: The master plan for Seaport Square was initiated in 2006. WS eventually took over as master developer.

Ed Kane, cofounder, Big Night Entertainment Group: It was pretty clear there was going to be a lot of wealth moving into the area. I really wanted to do a nightclub, but I had to convince WS. I said, Listen, were going to build something like nobody has ever seen here. We ended up building a $14 million nightclub. We were all in on the Grandwe were going to outspend everyone.

Tsipis: The Envoy Hotel started construction in 2013 and was the first block of Seaport Square to be completed. Our team worked closely with the Fort Point Arts Community to put the Assemblage Arts Space inwe were keenly aware of the history, that the creative community in Fort Point had been there since the late 70s, and we wanted them to have a visible space in the next evolution of the neighborhood.

Brigitte Martin, executive director, Society of Arts + Crafts: I had lunch in the Seaport in 2016, and I didnt know the area at all. I was walking around and there were a lot of buildings but no foot traffic. None, absolutely none. Everything was under construction. The rest of Boston just did not understand or embrace the Seaport. They viewed it like an alien spaceship.

The yogis land on Seaport Common. / Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

As new apartment buildings slowly filled up, the Seaport morphed from a place to work and play to a neighborhood people actually called home. Still, cultural diversity proved elusive: Currently the citys whitest neighborhood, the Seaport remains a place that many Bostonians are reluctant to visit.

Kristin Canty, owner, Woods Hill Pier 4: When I moved in above my restaurant right before it opened last year, I was very pleasantly surprisedits all ages, young people, people with babies, retired people. Its a complete neighborhood.

Tom Ready, Fort Point resident: You feed off the energy here, you really do. When we moved here, you couldnt find a coffee shop that was open on a Saturday. Why? Because there werent enough people! Now you look at the Seaport and Fort Point combined, weve got in excess of 5,000 housing units, retail, restaurants, hotels, museums, parks.You start adding all of this up, and its a pretty impressive neighborhood. There are people who are concerned theres been too much changeokay, I can see that. But hey, the neighborhoods better than it was five years ago. I find that exhilarating. I love living here.

Cecelia Levin, Seaport resident: I ended up winning an affordable-housing lotterythats why Im here. I dont get a beautiful view, but Im very fortunate. Im in the Benjamin, and the ones who are paying market renttheyre not here enough. Its baby boomers who sold their homes in Wellesley. They wanted to enjoy city life, so they moved to the Seaport, but they still have a second house on the Cape. Theres potential here, but we need programs that get people involved on a deeper level.

Li: In hindsight, I wish wed given more thought to housing, so that more people from different income levels could live there. Nonetheless, its still possible to enjoy the waterfront: the clean harbor, the views, the public amenities.

Deanna Moran, director of environmental planning, Conservation Law Foundation: We commissioned a survey last year and found a lot of Bostons residents of color just dont feel as welcome in the Seaport as white residents do. There are a lot of younger couples there, mostly affluent residents it creates this air about the neighborhood that if youre not in that demographic, you dont really belong there. People assume that some of the parks there are just for the condos, and for people coming from Roxbury and Dorchester, theres no easy way to get down there on public transit.

Jarred Johnson, director, TransitMatters: The original plan for the Silver Line was to run the bus up Washington Street from Dudley Square, and then in Chinatown it wouldve gone underground into a tunnel that connected to the Seaport at South Station. The tunnel never happened, and they spent maybe $40 million on the Dudley section, but well over $400 million on the Seaport section. And thats before anybody lived there! The reality of how hundreds of millions of dollars end up perpetuating segregationits pretty jarring. Thats the best expression of just how undervalued these folks were in the process.

The Diller Scofidio + Renfrodesigned Institute of Contemporary Art, sandwiched between blocky new office buildings and the sea. / Photo by Denis Tangney Jr./Getty Images

Greenberg: I remember the public discussions we had at the Fish Pier in the late 90s. People wanted to be sure that the space wasnt going to be privatizednot literally, but psychologically privatized. Our original plan laid out some really strong invitations, places where people could come and be comfortable. It was a much stronger statement than what ended up being done.

Johnson: The Seaport is sort of emblematic of Bostons race problem. I dont think anyone involved with its development specifically said, Were gonna build a neighborhood thats almost entirely white and void of socioeconomic diversity. I dont think that was the intent. But refusing to acknowledge that Boston is a very segregated city and that there are different levels of opportunity for folks of different racesif they didnt even acknowledge that, then theres no way that the Seaport could have ever been successful from that point of view.

Kimberly Barnes, programs manager, FPAC: I have been seeing more people of color walking around, which is exciting. Every Wednesday we have Stone Soup Poetry at the Assemblage, and theres a lot of people of color who participate in that. Theres engagement. Its very slow, but itll be happening more and more.

Moran: This past summer, CLF brought people from all over the city to the public green at Fan Pierwe coordinated busing to get people from neighborhoods that had never been to that part of the waterfront before. We brought people in from Dorchester and Roxbury, and they said, I cant believe this is a space thats available for me to use. We had a picnic, we had lawn games. It was great.

Barnes: One of my focuses is getting more people of color, more queer artists, and younger artists into the neighborhood. People of all classes. I really want to be inclusive, just encourage a lot of creativity and communication with each other.

Medvedow: Throughout it all, a lot of mistakes were made. The permitting and variances allowed for almost all of the buildings in the Seaport to be built out to the absolute edges of their lots, for instance. There are very few wide vistas and we missed out on the open, imaginative public spaces along the water that we see in other cities.

Larson: I think the results are mixed. But Id still give the Seaport a Ba B+, even.

Chef John daSilva expediting dishes at Chickadee, inside the Innovation and Design Building. / Photo by Kristen Teig

Having finally established itself as Bostons newest neighborhood, the Seaport is now confronting two existential threats: the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to hammer the areas hospitality and retail industries, and rising sea levels that pose an indisputable danger to all of that glittery glass.

Moran: The string of noreasters we had in 2018 was a wake-up call: There was a viral video of a dumpster floating down Seaport Boulevard. But the unfortunate reality is a lot of the Seaport is already built out. The city of Boston has done a great job of planning for climate change, but weve moved pretty slowly on implementation, so the opportunity we had to leverage private development to get dollars for some of these district-wide resilience projects has come and gone. I think that contributes to a lot of fear from residents about what the future holds for the neighborhood.

Christopher Cook, chief of environment, energy, and open space, city of Boston: Is the Seaport vulnerable to coastal flooding? It is. We built out Martins Park, we have a federal grant application to put a berm on the north side of Fort Point Channelall of that is about planning for that long-term flood pathway. At the same time, we have to think about how we can provide for our climate reality that also expands on everyones fundamental right to the waterfront. I think COVID-19 has highlighted those needs. Imagine this current crisis if we had a contiguous network of open space extending from Franklin Park to the Seaport.

Berkowitz: In my minds eye, I see people coming to the Seaport this summer as a bit of a respite from what theyve endured these past few months. Sitting out on the deck, feasting on fried clams and lobster rolls.

Kane: People are still going to go out, even though I dont think anyone wants to walk into a bumping, pulsing nightclub. At the Grand, well have reduced occupancy and be reservation onlyyoull book a table, come with your group, order from an app. Well stick to a local or regional DJ. On the dance floor, weve talked about putting high-top cocktail tables out, numbering them, and putting them 6 feet apart. Were going to keep it small and safe.

Lindberg: Many of us are trying to envision what comes next as social distancing becomes the norm. The surge of new residents and retail is paused and a return to normalcy seems unlikely.

The Yotel on Seaport Boulevard shows support for frontline healthcare workers during the early days of the coronavirus crisis. / Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Canty: I cant imagine opening up under these current circumstances. A fine-dining restaurant at 25 percent capacity, everyone masked and gloved, disinfecting constantlythats just not what hospitality is. Part of my staff really want to work, but some of them are afraid. If I did reopen Pier 4, I think Id do one meal a day, maybe two days a week. Takeout only. Provide food thats affordable and healthy, showing that we care.

OBrien: Heres the thing: This could be the beginning of a transformation. Look at the first generation of retail in a place like the Seaporta lot of it was national brands. If those were to go away and you end up with a retail mix that is more local, more interesting, that could be good.

Greenberg: As bad as COVID-19 is, the worst possible thing that could happen would be reversing decades of progress in getting us out of our cars and living more sustainably. I doubt the crisis is going to send us back into our cars and back to the suburbs. The gravitational pull to cities is very, very strong.

Burns: The neighborhood association has started holding monthly meetings on Zoom, and were seeing larger turnouts. Mayor Marty Walsh joined early this springwe were thrilled. I think hes increasingly aware the residents of Fort Point and the Seaport have become one organization. Before all of this, it was hard to tell who was an office worker and who was a resident, but during these COVID months the residents have become more fully visible. Thats really different. It gives us a sense of, Oh, this is who really lives here. At Trader Joes, Im recognizing more faces, even if theyre masked. Fort Point and the Seaport are coming together as a result of the crisis. Were emerging as a block. Were giving voice to this new part of the city.

Read more here:
On the Waterfront: An Oral History of the Seaport - Boston magazine

A large three-alarm fire that began atan apartment building under construction spread to neighbouring townhouses in Vancouver's Marpole neighbourhood on Thursday evening.

According to Assistant Chief Brian Bertuzzi of Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, the blaze had already engulfed three floors ofthe development at West 62nd Avenue and Columbia Street when firefighters arrived at around 5:45 p.m.

Bertuzzi said the heat allowed the fire to spread to the townhouse complex to the west.

"Everybody has been evacuated and accounted for," he said.

Photos from the scene show large flames shooting into the sky from the building under construction.

One unit in the townhouse complex was damaged in the fire, but no one was injured. Bertuzzisaid there's no indication yet about how the fire started.

It took 40 firefighters about an hour to knock down the flames.

More:
Fire spreads from construction site to nearby townhouses in Vancouver - CBC.ca

Q: I have trouble growing alliums in Atlanta. If they come up, then they dont come back the next year. Am I planting the wrong varieties ? Lynda Houser, email

A: As easily as wild onion, Allium canadense, grows in lawns, youd imagine that any member of this genus would grow well in Georgia. I have planted several species and varieties of ornamental onion over the years, but most did not succeed. The one I had the most hope for, Allium christophii, did great, with huge blooms, for a couple of years and then petered out. My friend Erica Glasener says she has had the best success with Millenium ornamental allium.

Q: Our blueberry bushes are 10 years old. This year, a good many of the green berries are falling off if you lightly touch them while picking the ripe ones. Any ideas? Nora Singley, McDonough

A: The most common cause of premature berry drop is poor pollination. Try to remember whether you had heavy rains during blueberry bloom time. Rain could have inhibited insect pollinators and might have damaged individual flowers. Without pollination, young berries dont mature.

Q: When do we trim blackberry bushes that have finished bearing? Ours have several really tall green canes. They are so heavy they are leaning over. Carol Brown, Twiggs County

A: You should prune blackberries a few weeks after harvest. This will give you enough time to note the new canes that emerge to replace the canes that fruited. Canes that had fruit will not bear again, and can be cut back to the ground. The replacement canes can be shortened as needed to fit your trellis. I recommend you cut your tall canes back to a reasonable picking height so they can grow side shoots during the summer.

Q: Can a rainbow eucalyptus tree survive in South Georgia? I love the tree. Kathy Sistrunk, Albany

A: The amazing multicolored bark of this tree, Eucalyptus deglupta, is certainly eye-catching! The weather may be hot in southern Georgia, but this eucalyptus likes it even hotter. Miami and farther south are good places to grow it. If you are interested in eucalyptus trees that are more cold hardy, check out Southern Eucs (southerneucs.com).

Q: I tested my pH with an inexpensive tester, and it looks to be between 7 and 8. What type of grass sod would do well in this pH? I get mostly sun and partial shade in a corner. Scott Ellsworth, email

A: The pH test kits you buy from garden centers are not very accurate. I doubt it says on the package what the accuracy range is, but I bet it would be plus or minus 1 point. In other words, the pH really could be anywhere between 6.5 and 8.5. Most grasses grow fine in soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. I dont think you need to worry about your pH. In mixed sunshine and light shade, zoysia grass does very well.

Listen to Walter Reeves segments at 6:35 a.m. on Green and Growing with Ashley Frasca Saturday mornings on 95.5 WSB. Visit his website, http://www.walterreeves.com, follow him on Twitter @walterreeves, on Pinterest, or join his Facebook Fan Page at bit.ly/georgiagardener for more garden tips.

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Ornamental onion is not easy to grow here - Atlanta Journal Constitution

The NFL has made some sweeping decisions as they return to facilities amidst the coronavirus pandemic. One of those has been forcing all 32 teams to stay at their home facilities for training camp. Another will be specific dates when teams are permitted to report to camp.

Either way, the Steelers won't be making their yearly trek to Latrobe and Saint Vincent College, instead taking their training camp to Heinz Field. During a recent virtual press conference Mike Tomlin spoke about his overall comfort level with staying at Heinz Field, and concerns he has with the situation.

"We have additional space than the 100 yards." Tomlin said about only having one field at his disposal. "There is perimeter space that we also have to use. From time to time, we work on a one-field structured format. Whether we are working at the indoor or working at Heinz Field. We have had several practices at Heinz Field."

Having the 100 yards, and then some, at Heinz Field for the team to utilize might be fine, but it doesn't mean Tomlin doesn't have some hesitation about the situation.

"My only concern about the utilization at Heinz Field is not space, it is about the wear and tear of the field. Our intentions are right now -- on a regular scheduled basis to be determined -- that we will get on buses and come to the South Side and utilize our grass fields here from time to time in an effort to help preserve those fields. But that schedule is yet to be determined. But those are the only concerns about Heinz field as a venue regarding the field surface."

Heinz Field certainly has had its share of criticism over the years. Whether it was the mud bowl on Monday Night Football vs. the Dolphins in 2007, or a myriad of moments when the chunks of sod coming off the turf would resemble a golfer's divot more than a player trying to make a cut on a professional playing surface.

The Steelers switched to a natural grass surface a few years ago, compared to the hybrid grass they formerly used, which allows them to re-sod the field as necessary. Plans are already in place to have the field replaced as many as three times in 2020.

Tomlin's biggest issue with the set up the NFL is ready to roll out is how much time he will have to prepare his team for an actual football game.

"Im not comfortable, but I imagine none of my peers are comfortable either, so Im comfortable with that." Tomlin said. "Physical conditioning is going to be a significant element of this process. Its going to define their journey and ours collectively. Those that are communal conditioners are working at a disadvantage in this 2020 environment. Those that are new to professional football and whats really physically required of them through the evaluation process are working at a distinct advantage.

"We talk openly about that elephant in the room. It doesnt lessen the anxiety. Man, we better have a group of guys that come ready to work from a physical conditioning standpoint, and if we do, we will be able to navigate the other challenges. If we dont, all the other challenges are going to be magnified. That is a true statement for us and the other 31 [teams] as well."

Members of the Steelers have been taking Tomlin's words to heart and have been putting in a great deal of work this offseason, and putting it on their social media platforms. However, Tomlin is absolutely correct when he talks about all teams having the same inconveniences. All teams will be staying at their facilities, and all will have the same amount of time to prepare for the 2020 regular season.

Uniformity is something commissioner Roger Goodell has preached since the league decided to hold the NFL Draft as scheduled. No one would be able to return to facilities until all 32 teams will be able to return. This policy remains true, and the league is expected to provide dates for players returning for training camps in the coming weeks.

As more updates are released you can expect to see them right here at DKPittsburghSports.com.

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Mike Tomlin is comfortable at Heinz Field, but not with time to prepare the Steelers - DKPittsburghSports.com

Your landscape will evolve over time. Plants have a lifespan. Some may live for a few years and others for decades. Over time the situation they were planted in can change and this will affect a plants longevity as well.

New homes do not tend to have any shade, for most housing developments are clear-cut, eliminating any tree canopy that was in place. Therefore, the plants selected for installation tend to be ones that tolerant full sun.

Over time, as trees in the landscape grow, they produce a shade canopy that may not be agreeable to the plants around them. The sod surrounding these trees must acclimate from a sunny to shady environment, if able to do so.

Sun-loving plants that are now in a shade situation can encounter more disease, weaker growth, and a slow steady state of decline. Age can be a factor as well, since most shrubbery peak at about 10 years and then slowly decline after that point.

When it comes to grass, some varieties are more shade tolerant than others. Most new homes will have full-sun tolerant sod installed because there is no shade. In time, this grass may thin out under tree canopy because of lack of sunlight.

Homeowners will redecorate and change up things inside the home, but forget to give the same degree of attention to the landscape. It is the landscape that makes the first impression to someone visiting your home, not the interior dcor.

Plants can also be trendy. I can look at some properties and tell you approximately how old the landscape is because of the mix of plants in it. Currently, tropical plants are in but once we have a hard winter and these die out a new trend will begin, and those landscapes will look dated.

It may be time for you to really look at your landscape and determine if it needs to be refreshed. Old and scruffy plants will most likely never look better than they do now. Just like an old sofa, it may be time for them to go.

Readers may e-mail questions or contact Keith at: keithfuller602@att.net.

Excerpt from:
Whats Growing: Landscape refresh - The Ledger

Evaluation is a curious thing. Youre trained to look for little particulars that set one profile above the other, one pitch mix sized up against the next, a River Rascal against a Loon, a switch- wait.

Whats a River Rascal?

For a minor-league baseball team, which prides itself on providing family-friendly fun, mascots provide between-inning entertainment and bleacher hijinks. They are even more important to the ballpark experience than their big-league cousins. Theyre also, quite often, much weirder and esoteric. While the minor-league season is all but an official wash, the mascots remain. They will outlive us all.

So how do you determine which ones are the best? Thats what were here to determine.

A few things to keep in mind about the evaluation process:

Mascots develop at their own pace. Talons take time to grow and inflating an inner tube around a pig isnt a process that happens...

Go here to see the original:
From Sod Poodles to Nuts, we picked the best mascot in MiLB - The Athletic

Brothers Jordan and Aaron Netzel love a well-manicured lawn.

The two brothers, who live in Siloam Springs, love it so much that their enjoyment of keeping short, neatly-trimmed, healthy grass has turned into a hobby over the last five years and has resulted in the creation of their own YouTube page, a social media presence in the lawn-care community and more than 115 videos of their work to watch.

"I've always been into golf," said Aaron Netzel, 33, who's a cabinet salesman for Mid-America Cabinets in Gentry. "(Jordan's) somewhat of a golfer. I guess we've always been kind of in love with that look and short grass. We always would be chipping in the yard at our parents' house. I made a little chipping green once upon a time. I had a 90-yard chipping green I practiced on. I always wanted something in the yard, so that's what started it -- cutting it so short we could play golf in our own yard."

You might know Jordan Netzel, 31, by his day job -- an optometrist at Roberts-Philpott Eye Associates in Siloam Springs. But on YouTube, he is known as the "Right Tool" and Aaron Netzel is the "Left Tool." And since the fall of 2018, they've become known together in the online lawn-care community as "The Lawn Tools."

The Right Tool and Left Tool designation comes from their official logo, which is on every platform The Lawn Tools post on.

Their projects can be found on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The Lawn Tools also have their own YouTube channel, where in less than two years they've posted more than 115 videos and have accumulated a following of more than 8,200 subscribers. Since posting their first video in November of 2018, their combined views have topped more than 1.6 million according to counter on The Lawn Tools' YouTube page.

A 'reel' beginning

It all began in the summer of 2016 with the brothers living in a pair of neighboring duplexes and trying to figure out the best way to care for the lawns, including a shared area of grass between the two buildings.

"They didn't put a fence down the middle of our two duplexes and we shared a yard," Jordan Netzel said. "I guess I suggested getting a mower. We'll get one mower and share it."

Aaron Netzel liked that idea but with a twist. He wanted to get a manual reel mower.

"One of those old-school mowers with no motors," Aaron Netzel said. "I just wanted to cut it shorter."

The brothers enjoyed the cut of the manual reel mower more so than that of a rotary mower, but they quickly learned that the manual reels had their own problems.

"As the grass started growing like crazy, if you get behind at all with the manual reel mower, it got really tough," Jordan Netzel said. "You would have to stay on top of it. So if you got behind at all, go on vacation, come back, you would have to mow it three to four times to get it cut back down."

Jordan Netzel quickly got tired of the extra work that the manual reel was causing, so he decided to upgrade.

He went on to Craig's List and found a homeowner's Tru-Cut H-20

"That made it a lot easier than cutting it (with a manual reel)," Jordan Netzel said. "It's not as stressful for the grass and you can actually cut it a lot shorter than if you're pulling it and tearing it with a rotary mower."

Late in the winter of 2019, Jordan Netzel upgraded to a Toro GreensMaster 1000 mower that he uses today, but he admits the days of the manual reel and the results it gave on his lawn convinced him this was the way he wanted to go.

"The first manual reel mower starts a slippery slope, because once you get one of those, I feel like you can't go back," Jordan Netzel said. "It just doesn't cut the same when you go to a rotary. You get hooked on the way it cuts."

'The Lawn Tools'

Somewhere along the way, the Netzel brothers decided it might be fun to play with their yard -- and film it.

"It was the fall of 2018," Jordan Netzel said, "and I wasn't mowing anything."

That summer, he had just moved into his newly built house, which included a freshly sodded yard.

"I think I thought my lawn was nicer than it was at the time," he said.

Jordan Netzel thought it would be neat to start a YouTube channel of the care of his lawn.

"There are a lot of other people doing it on YouTube," he said. "It feels more like social media than a TV show. It used to be only a handful of people had YouTube channels. Now its almost like, just because of the number of people that are doing it, there's a smaller barrier to entry. You can film it on your phone and everybody had a good quality camera on their phone. ... There were a handful of other people doing it, and I just thought, 'Well, I can do that.' So I just started thinking about it more and decided to post."

The first video by The Lawn Tools -- "Planting Bulbs/Work in the fall - Enjoy in the spring" was posted to YouTube on Nov. 4, 2018, and was more than 9 minutes long.

"That's a terrible time to start a YouTube channel," Jordan Netzel said with a laugh.

The first video received around 500 views, but the second, "JackHammer - Rock in my yard," which was released on Nov. 16, 2018, had more than 7,600 views.

"There's a pretty good community -- a lawn care community on YouTube," Jordan Netzel said. "That's where you start. Somehow you post a couple of videos and a handful of people find you and YouTube starts suggesting you to people who are really into lawn care. There's a few hundred people that are really into it and watch all of the channels and all the videos and really like having conversations back and forth. ... There are a handful of people who are just really way too into grass, they'll watch anything (related to) grass. That's how you get started."

Since the first post, The Lawn Tools have posted about all kinds of projects, with some of the most popular being on the topic of sand leveling the yard. Two posts in the fall of 2019 received more than 14,000 views apiece, and another, "Leveling Yard BEFORE Sod" posted this past April had more than 20,000 views.

But the most watched video -- and it's not even close -- has been "Top Dressing and Leveling with Sand for Flat Lawn," which went completely viral with more than 1.1 million views.

The Lawn Tools' videos range in topics on just about anything including planting flowers, killing weeds, reviews of lawnmowers, fertilizer, leveling, Christmas lights, winter projects and so much more.

They've also gotten sponsors from a fertilizer company called Lawnstar, who have provided free liquid fertilizer and liquid iron, which provide content for videos. They've also received three lawnmowers to review and make videos with.

'LT Turf' series

In May of 2019, Jordan Netzel got a call from Connor Ward, another lawn enthusiast on YouTube who has more than 63,400 subscribers. Ward asked him when The Lawn Tools were going to travel out to Utah and make a video on his lawn.

"We thought that was pretty huge that this bigger YouTuber wanted us to come out," Jordan Netzel said.

While they were in Utah, lawn lovers, Jeremy Of the Greener Lawn and Brett Goodyear of Brett's Grasscapades, who both live in the Salt Lake City area, also wanted The Lawn Tools to come do a video on their yard. Goodyear also started a YouTube channel around the same time.

"It's kind of a thing in the lawn care community," Aaron Netzel said. "You go to somebody's house and you mow their lawn for them, and then you just kind of do videos together. It's fun."

And so began what turned into The Lawn Tools' series called "LT Turf," where instead of filming at their own houses, they go to other people's houses and make videos of their lawns and mowers.

Posting videos with other lawn care enthusiasts on YouTube has helped expand the reach of The Lawn Tools. Their videos may be seen by someone visiting an established YouTuber's page, and then they subsequently start following The Lawn Tools.

That's when The Lawn Tools have seen their biggest jump in subscribers.

The Lawn Tools' travels have taken them to Fort Smith, where they met John Ware of LawnForum.com

"That's where I learned everything when I first started," said Jordan Netzel, regarding the website. "It's a forum of people who know way more about grass than you could ever imagine and give advice and tips."

Jordan Netzel's in-laws live in the Tampa, Fla., area and there's another lawn enthusiast in the area -- Allyn Hane, aka The Lawn Care Nut -- and Netzel filmed an LT Turf with Hane episode there. Hane has almost 350,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel.

"That was big," Jordan Netzel said. "We go down there and make a video, and all his followers see it and you get a big bump (in subscribers) there."

Jordan Netzel said the biggest jump in subscribers came last July because of a sand leveling video -- "Top Dressing and Leveling with Sand for Flat Lawn" -- that just "took off." As of this writing, the video has had more than 1.1 million views.

"I had 20 tons of sand all over my yard to level it," he said. "That video just took off for whatever reason. I put it up Friday noon. I woke up the next day to see on my analytics that it had 1,000 views per hour. I was getting notifications like crazy. ... It had 100,000 views after a week. ... That video is still doing really well."

The Lawn Tools had planned to film season two of the LT Turf series this year, including a trip to Arvest Ballpark, home of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals baseball team, but have been delayed by the covid-19 pandemic.

"I had talked to their greenskeeper," Jordan Netzel said. "Whenever things open back up we'll go out there and do one. They'll show us how they care for it."

Jordan Netzel also has talked to the tennis courts managers at the University of Arkansas. He would like to do the same one day at any of the UA sports facilities, including Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium or Baum-Walker Stadium.

Making the videos

Making the videos that are posted on YouTube require a lot of work in a lot of different areas.

There's obviously filming that takes place on each project, but there's also editing, which can take up tons of time, the Netzel brothers agree.

Aaron Netzel points to his brother as the one who does the lion's share of the work.

"So up to this point, he's done maybe 98 percent of everything, and that's maybe accurate," Aaron Netzel said. "I will say this. When we started, I was in a 'not do anything' phase in my life and he was like, 'Aaron loves YouTube' and 'Get Aaron off his butt.' That played a part of it."

Aaron Netzel credited his brother for being the one who is active in chat rooms and forums and making calls to other lawn enthusiasts.

"I was always called the elusive left tool," Aaron Netzel said. "People never saw me. I never commented on the forums. I'm like, 'I don't know how computers work. I never talked to anybody.' I really think that played a part of it."

On the projects themselves, it's mainly getting a camera and a tripod, turning the camera on and doing the work.

"A lot of it, say more than half, has been just put the camera on the tripod and move it around a lot," Aaron Netzel said. "A lot of stuff I'll man the camera and try and get some cool shots."

Said Jordan Netzel: "A lot of these YouTubers, they're the only person doing it as far as I know. We're the only lawn care YouTube channel of two people. Everybody else just puts the camera on a tripod and moves it around a lot and just mows strips then moves it around and change up videos."

The brothers also deploy a drone with a camera to get overhead shots.

"I think he had the drone before he ever started the channel," Aaron Netzel said.

Another rule is everything gets filmed. Even when a newspaper photographer is up on a ladder taking feature photos for this story, it's filmed.

"I just remember, especially in the early days, someone would put down the camera and the other person would do something stupid and be like, 'Did you get that?'" Aaron Netzel said. "'No I didn't get that, I thought we were done filming.'"

Jordan Netzel said when he went down to Florida to visit Hane, he was given a good piece of advice on leaving the camera rolling.

"When I would turn off the camera, something would happen, and (Hane) would say, 'You've got to keep that thing on man. You never know what you're going to miss,'" Jordan Netzel said. "His advice was film everything. You can edit out what you don't want. But you can't edit something you didn't film."

Said Aaron Netzel, "Then the more you film, the more editing there is."

"It's a double-edged sword," Jordan Netzel replied "It takes longer for editing for sure."

"The editing sucks," Aaron Netzel said. "It's so much fun (filming) the videos, but then you put it on the computer and you're like 'Aw crap I got to actually make the video now.'"

Jordan Netzel wakes up around 3:45 a.m. every morning to make time for editing.

"Everybody else is still asleep," he said. "I learned early on that if I wanted to do this, it couldn't interfere with family time. I had to do it at a time when everybody else was asleep."

Aaron Netzel, on the other hand, does a lot of his editing at night.

Personal favorites

The Lawn Tools each have their personal favorites in videos they released.

For Jordan Netzel, it was the video of his son's third birthday party where he turned his backyard into a miniature golf course.

"To me it was really personal that I made this miniature golf course for my son's third birthday," Jordan Netzel said. "All his friends came over and all family were here playing miniature golf and it was a great day. I remember the feeling of the day and I associate (that) with the video."

Another great family video happened recently when The Lawn Tools built a baseball mound at Aaron Netzel's house and invited over all the kids.

"I love watching that video because it's all our whole family just out there playing baseball and it's a fun day and it's a good memory for us," Jordan Netzel said. "It's nostalgic and it's my family and I love it. But that's not one of those videos that's going to go viral or anything. Some weird topics tend to get more views for lawncare."

Aaron Netzel said at the time of this interview that his favorite video may be coming up soon in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

"We've got a couple of good ones coming up really soon," Aaron Netzel said. "We've got a couple of other friends who really love making videos. Others are good at making animation. They're able to do some really cool stuff we would never be able to figure out to do.

Said Jordan Netzel: "We'll fine tune the LT Turf series over time and make it better and better and make it feel more cinematic as we fine-tune our editing skills and videography and everything. That's going to be really cool."

Adam Sandler's yard

Is there an end goal in sight for The Lawn Tools? Maybe, if you ask Aaron Netzel.

"We're not stopping until we mow Adam Sandler's yard," Aaron Netzel said. "That's been our goal from day one."

Aaron Netzel is a huge fan of actor Adam Sander's movies, according to Jordan Netzel.

"He has seen every movie in chronological order, I don't know how many times," Jordan Netzel said of his brother.

"I don't know if (Sandler) likes his yard mowed," Aaron Netzel replied, "but I would like it."

Jordan Netzel said his brother's wife once asked them both, what is the end goal of the Lawn Tools? When will you think you've made it?

"I didn't have an answer for that," Jordan Netzel said. "I don't know. We're just doing this for fun. We'll see what happens.

"(Aaron) pretty quick comes up with, 'When we do an LT Turf episode on Adam Sandler's yard, that's when we'll know we've made it.' So I didn't have a goal, but now my goal is to get him on Adam Sandler's yard and do an LT Turf episode."

Photo courtesy of The Lawn ToolsAn overhead shot of Jordan Netzel's house on the Fourth of July in 2019. Stars and stripes were cut into the yard with USA below that. Red, white and blue smoke also garnish the layout.

Graham Thomas/Herald-LeaderBrothers Jordan Netzel, left, and Aaron Netzel have their own YouTube channel called "The Lawn Tools." The two have posted more than 100 videos since November 2018 and have had more than 1.6 million views on their site.

Graham Thomas/Herald-LeaderThe Lawn Tools pride themselves in well manicured lawn and nice equipment.

Photo courtesy of The Lawn ToolsJordan Netzel uses an implement to sand level his yard.

Photo courtesy of The Lawn ToolsThere's nothing like having a putting green in your own backyard. The length of golf course grass was part of the inspiration behind The Lawn Tools.

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Grass is greener with The Lawn Tools - NWAOnline

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Sprinklers irrigate a lawn in this file photo.(Photo: The Spectrum & Daily News file photo)

Enoch City has begun testing a new drip irrigation system in its Jones Memorial Park that could potentially bring massive water savings to Iron County if implemented more broadly.

The Florida-born technology, called Responsive Drip Irrigation (RDI or GrowStream), consists of non-biodegradable tubing that is installed underneath existing sod or crops.

Once underground, a porous material meters out water in response to chemical exudates released by thirsty roots. In this way, the RDI system claims to only expend the exact amount of water plants needs to grow, right in the spot where they need it.

A non-peer reviewed study of the RDI system used to grow livestock feed grasses in Kenya has already indicated that water savings of up to 84% are possible, while supporting a 19% increase in plant yield. According to Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson, the system is also in use in parts of California and the Middle East.

We are grateful to Enoch City for modeling this system and hope to see many more water-wise irrigation systems throughout the community in the future, Enoch City Councilman and CICWCD Board Member David Harris said. We cant afford to waste such a precious resource.

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Compared to standard sprinkler systems that saturate lawns and fields while losing water to wind and evaporation, effective delivery of water directly to plant roots could help inch Iron County closer to ambitious water conservation goals.

Over 5,300 acre-feet of water in the Cedar Valley is used for municipal and residential purposes, Paul Monroe of the Central Iron County Water Conservation District (CICWCD) said. It is essential for the municipalities to work together and take advantage of new technologies to help lower that water usage.

The CICWCD sponsored installation of the RDI system in Jones Memorial Park with a $6,400 grant to Enoch City. Over the next couple of years, water and cost savings will be tracked in the park and compared with other parks in the area without the RDI system. However, Enoch is confident in itspotential and is already planning on expanding its use of the technology.

We will be installing more in another of our parks in the near future,Dotson said. And that could be a huge benefit. If this machine can reduce consumption by 60% in everybody's lawn, I mean, that's a huge savings of water.

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A June 2020 report by the CICWCD Water Advisory Committee confirmed prior estimates that Cedar Valley has been overdrawing groundwater, its primary water source, by about 7,000 acre-feet per year for several years. This has necessitated the development of a Groundwater Management Plan for Cedar Valley that aims to reduce water consumption and educate the public about the need to carefully manage water resources as Cedar Valleys population continues to grow.

With the CICWCD service area population expected to nearly double in the next few decades, from just over 49,000 currently to nearly 97,000 by 2050, the need to manage available water resources by adopting new water-saving technology like RDI is becoming an urgent issue that will affect residents of all valley municipalities.

Ultimately everyone's in this same basin together so that's why we pitched in, Monroe said. It's a collaborative effort, and it has to be. Water is regional and it doesn't have boundaries.

Joan Meiners is an Environment Reporter for The Spectrum & Daily News through the Report for America initiative by The GroundTruth Project. Follow her on Twitter at @beecycles or email her at jmeiners@thespectrum.com.

Read or Share this story: https://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/2020/06/23/enoch-city-testing-new-water-saving-responsive-drip-irrigation-system/3240436001/

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Responsive Drip Irrigation system part of Enoch City's new water-saving efforts - The Spectrum