Mr. & Mrs. Smith (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (TV 2024): Two new assassins are paired, fall in love, but begin to distrust each other. Different from the 2005 movie in that these two are unsuited for each other in every way, not just that they want to kill each other. Also, they are bad assassins. B-

Prime

Council Recap: Competing Views of Development

Part 2 of an important topic.
Part 1: "Council Recap: Comp Plan Update"

In the August 12, 2024, review of progress on the City of Richardson's update of its Comprehensive Plan, City Manager Don Magner and Mayor Bob Dubey laid out competing models of how development works in Richardson. Neither view was laid out in detail. I'm not sure either person has given the matter enough thought to do that. I'm not sure either one even sees the conflict between the two models. Going by what little they did say, conflict there is, and both models should raise warning flags.

Council Recap: Comp Plan Update

On August 12, 2024, the Richardson City Council and City Plan Commission (CPC) received an update on the development of a new Comprehensive Plan for the City. The emphasis was on land use with focus on allowed secondary uses, missing middle housing, and identified redevelopment zones. City staff plan to finish the Comp Plan and present it to the City Council for adoption in December, 2024.

My hopes for this update to the Comp Plan, the first since 2009, have steadily fallen during the year-long effort to produce it. Here's why.

POTD: Robben Island

"From prison’s deep shade,
To City Hall’s bright parade,
A new dawn was made."

—h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 10 23 South Africa - Part 1

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Robben Island, off the coast of South Africa at Cape Town. "Political activist and lawyer Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on the island for 18 of the 27 years of his imprisonment before the fall of apartheid and introduction of full, multi-racial democracy. He was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and was elected in 1994 as President of South Africa, becoming the country's first black president."

Click for a bonus photo.

POTD: View from the Top

"At Africa's edge,
Mountain shadows kiss the sea.
Cape Town's sentinel."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 10 23 South Africa - Part 1

Today's photo-of-the-day is the view from the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. Full disclosure: We took the cableway to the top. We didn't hike or climb.

Click for a bonus photo.

Feud: Bette and Joan (TV 2017)

Rotten Tomatoes

Feud: Bette and Joan (TV 2017): Voyeuristic look at two fading movie stars working (and feuding) on and off a movie set. Watching this felt like slowing down to gawk at a traffic accident. Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon are great, maybe because they know what it is to be fading movie stars. B-

Hulu

#VeryTardyReview

Council Recap: Interurban at the Crossroads

On August 12, 2024, the Richardson City Council deliberated an application by Clay Cooley VW to add a repair shop, a body shop, and a vehicle storage lot on their property in the Interurban District. Clay Cooley VW's vision is for a car-centric business located along a busy freeway. The City's vision for the district is at odds with that. There's already a major mixed-use development underway just south of this site, Belt+Main, for which Clay Cooley VW's dealership will act as a blockade against extension of that mixed-use neighborhood to the north.

Spoiler alert. After ninety minutes of deliberation, the City Council continued the hearing until September 23 to give the applicant time to...to do what, exactly? Mayor Bob Dubey punted that question to City Manager Don Magner, saying, "Don, would you please tell the applicant what we're asking him here?" And Magner punted that question to tomorrow morning, saying, "I think if it'd be okay with the applicant, I can follow up tomorrow, and we can put our thoughts together and give you some clear direction."

Council Recap: Imagine the Sky Full of Signs

On August 12, 2024, the Richardson City Council unanimously approved a variance from the existing sign control ordinance that limits sign heights to 20 feet. Clay Cooley VW wants its pole sign to be raised to 39' 7". In July, in a meeting that lasted only 5 minutes from gavel to gavel, a recommendation to approve the request was passed unanimously by the Sign Control Board (an oxymoronic name).

My Lady Jane (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

My Lady Jane (TV 2024): Henry VIII's kids (Edward, Mary, Elizabeth, and cousin Lady Jane Grey) vie for the throne. Alternate history that doesn't take itself seriously. Instead of religious war, there are Ethians (animal/human shape-shifters) vs Verities (normal humans). It took time to figure it all out, but when I did, it was a fun watch. B+

Prime

Council Recap: Budget Workshop

The Richardson City Council held two days of meetings to hear City Manager Don Magner present his recommendations for the 2024-2025 City budget. Highlights taken from the City's own slides:

• Property tax rate reduction of $.01877 to $0.542180
• Senior Tax Exemption increase of $15,000 to $145,000
• 3.95% increase in Streets, Alleys, Facilities and Parks Maintenance Programs
• 3.95% increase in the Economic Development Fund to $2,076,659; an increase in Economic Development Department funding of $78,434 to $1,280,818 (does not include the marketing position reassigned to the Communications Department)
• $1.9M for Home Improvement Incentive Program tax rebates
• $3.84 million in funding for pay-as-you-go capital replacements and $1.56 million for the IT replacement fund
• 3.0% merit-based market pay plan adjustment for all employees
• An increase the minimum starting salary for full-time and permanent part-time positions to $19.45
• Continued investment in public safety via 5.0% public safety steps, capital equipment replacement, mental health programs, expanded community programming, etc.
• Funding for Richardson Replants, ADA Transition Plan, Housing Needs Assessment, Citizen (CARES/CPA/CFA) and Neighborhood Association Programs, Network/Counseling Place support, Culturally Diverse Programming and Events
• 3.0% water and sewer rate increase
• $2.00 (+tax) per month rate increase to the residential solid waste rate
• $1.00 per month increase to the residential drainage fee to $5.25 per month
• Commercial drainage fee increase from $0.119 per 100 square feet of impervious area to $0.147 per 100 square feet
• Annual Arts Grants funding increased to $375,000
• Several fee adjustments to better position Sherrill Park to cover operational costs, equipment needs and fund a capital maintenance reserve
• Implementation of Phase 2 & 3 of Sherrill Park Master Plan via $6.0 million Certificates of Obligation