build it and they will come (maybe)

I saw city council approving the magoffin park villas a mile away. At least the developers conceded a few things to make it fit in to the neighborhood a little better. Brick should be a more dominant material and the windows and height of the roofline will be more inline to what the HLC wanted. I admit I don't find the proposal completely hideous and the arguments for it are compelling. Something tells me one building won't turn the neighborhood around but will hopefully encourage rehabilitation of the buildings that do matter. It'll be nice to bring some life to those dead lots so it should still be positive. I think the developers could have done a little better, but at least it's not some half-assed stucco deal. The thing I worry about is the kind of precedent that has just been set. What's the point of bothering to please the landmark commission when you can just take it to city council and get your development approved?

You can read a little more about it here and here.