M1EK's Bake-Sale of Bile

Another quick hit:

As a refreshing change, News 8 found somebody besides Las Manitas to use as the poster-child for the local nascent effort to protect 'iconic businesses'.

Tambaleo might be great but it's only been there because the definitely great Electric Lounge went away (where I was introduced to my favorite band). Who knows what the next great club might be - we might never find out if we obstruct downtown development that can provide additional spaces for and customers for those future 'icons'.

Anyways, a truly iconic business would just go get a new lease (or buy their building). Las Manitas is the worst offender here - they own a building next door to where they are right now; they're being offered a sweetheart deal in finding a new place if they don't want to move into that spot; but they're still complaining. It's as if the landlord has no rights whatsoever here, which is just abhorrent to me.

In 99% of local development politics, I think we'd be well-served to follow the rule "do whatever Dave Sullivan recommends". But not here; it will be too difficult to decide which local businesses are icons and which aren't; and the first one to get rejected will sue the city and win. At least Dave, to his credit, isn't proposing the kind of heavy-handed tactics that the City Council recently put into play against Marriott - he's instead calling for a mix of incentives to encourage preservation of such businesses.