In the city, everyone has to deal with that most aggravating of petty annoyances, YOU. And HIM. And everyone else.
It would be nice if our annoyances could be summed up with something simple and specific, like "Joe Blotzman," and we could take up a collection to pay him to move somewhere, but A) he might hold out for more -- that would be just like Joe, wouldn't it? -- or B) he could toss the keys to his house to his cousin Harvey, who's worse.
Face it: As long as you're going to live around other members of your fellow species, you'll be annoyed. You're annoyed with me already for not getting to the point. I'm annoyed with your lack of patience.
Cleansing breath, everyone. OK?
Here's the latest issue to remind you why peace and harmony is an unattainable goal: A developer wants to put a mixed-use building in the city. You say: Depends on the uses, doesn't it? Affordable housing/gluten-free cupcake shop, that's jack-dandy. Slaughterhouse/kazoo factory, we have an issue.
Well, it's housing and shops. But how big?
If we've learned anything from the past 50 years, it's not to level distressed neighborhoods and put up godless boxes that stack people in the sky, with a plaza that's supposed to be full of romping kids but ends up a barren expanse populated entirely by loose plastic bags making slow circles in the air.
The developer's building would be six stories.