Could Highland mall suck any more?

[nuglet]

I guess you folks know that ACC has bought about 1/2 of Highland mall? They now own the end that used to be Dillards and it will be offices for ACC.. YOUR TAX $$$ AT WORK! Isn't it just great how hard we have to work to pay the taxes that buy up retail property for Gov use, which pays NO TAXES. Just more real estate taken off the tax rolls at the tax payers expense. Much of N. Airport is now owned by Gov agencies. What a great country!!!! Every year I pay property taxes that amount to 1/3 of my original purchase price for my home. We need to start our own gov agency, or better yet, start a religion!!!!

[Mokoa]

Originally Posted by theaustinescorts

Usually these malls are owned by one of a small number of chains. If it is independently owned and in bankruptcy it could be a steal to buy it. It has great potential given the gentifrication of everything around it, and all it really needs is a water moat [sp] and guard towers like old castles used to have to seal off any of the riff-raff wandering in from the bus stops on the north side of the mall. It's the urban bus traffic there that ruined it, just as the installation of a bus stop ruined a similar mall on Walzum in San Antonio. Just goes to show you that if you're going to have public transportation that the routes need to keep the the riff-raff in their own hoods. Bus routes in the hood need to not link up with buses that go to places where hood-dwellers will ruin everything.

The San Antonio mall your are referring to was Windsor Park Mall at IH 35 and Walzem Road. The bus stop had been there for years before the start of the mall's downfall. The downfall started after a shootout between gangs occurred at that bus stop, killing an innocent bystander. A young mother who was simply waiting there for her bus to go home. It was a major news story that occupied the TV stations and the newspapers for months. The developer of the the mall immediately had the bus stop removed, not just from Windsor Park but from their other mall here in town as well. It was a dark cloud that the mall could never shake loose. Even after two major renovations and the addition of the Bexar County Sheriff's office location, the decline continued. Tenants kept moving out. It was only a matter of time before the place was empty. It is now just a big mostly empty building. However, Rackspace has moved in to one part of it and plans on expanding. We will see.

[Guest031411-2]

so, when do we stop with the PC lingo and actually ascribe the downfall to society and the shift of responsibility to where the the actual blame lies? Or should we continue to look the other way?

[GneissGuy]

Originally Posted by nuglet

I guess you folks know that ACC has bought about 1/2 of Highland mall? They now own the end that used to be Dillards and it will be offices for ACC.. YOUR TAX $$$ AT WORK! Isn't it just great how hard we have to work to pay the taxes that buy up retail property for Gov use, which pays NO TAXES. Just more real estate taken off the tax rolls at the tax payers expense. Much of N. Airport is now owned by Gov agencies. What a great country!!!! Every year I pay property taxes that amount to 1/3 of my original purchase price for my home. We need to start our own gov agency, or better yet, start a religion!!!!

If they got the office space at a cheap price per square foot, that's a good thing vs. them building new office space or buying/renting it at a more expensive price elsewhere.

Now, if you want to complain that ACC and the other bureaucracies have too many employees taking up office space, that's definitely a valid point. I think the problem isn't so much where they are as the fact that they're around at all.

Of course, it's also entirely possible they bought the office space at a price that's not economical, too. Or that it will cost them too much money to remodel/repair the property. Or that they will waste a lot of money making the space ready for use.

[GneissGuy]

Originally Posted by theaustinescorts

Usually these malls are owned by one of a small number of chains. If it is independently owned and in bankruptcy it could be a steal to buy it. It has great potential given the gentifrication of everything around it, and all it really needs is a water moat [sp] and guard towers like old castles used to have to seal off any of the riff-raff wandering in from the bus stops on the north side of the mall. It's the urban bus traffic there that ruined it, just as the installation of a bus stop ruined a similar mall on Walzum in San Antonio. Just goes to show you that if you're going to have public transportation that the routes need to keep the the riff-raff in their own hoods. Bus routes in the hood need to not link up with buses that go to places where hood-dwellers will ruin everything.

There may be some validity in what you say, but enclosed malls are dying everywhere even if they don't become hangouts for the hood. It's just not as "cool" to hang out at the mall any more. Strip centers or standalone stores seem to be the in thing these days.

[rCoder]

I went to a mall for the first time this year last Saturday. Now I'm one who almost have panic attacks in crowds and I did have to practice my relaxation protocols because of crowd density. I'd guess the parking lot was 40-50% full. OK, the mall was in Houston, but dead it ain't... Lots of teens and 20's, & 30's. Definitely too many kids (IMO, they really ought to put the kid play area in a sound proof room...).

[Slotgoop]

I'm thinking the guard was looking for ACC parking permits in the section of the lot reserved for students. I'd rather ACC rent out existing space somewhere than building a new campus. I would think a mall in trouble with vacant space could be had at a bargain price. The only thing redeeming about that mall is the fact that Sugar's is across the street IMHO.