I see your waterpark

[minx]

And raise you a Buc'ees!

It seems they've applied for a conditional use permit in Stafford right off Courthouse Road exit of 95.

They (buc'ees) are kind of interesting - this weird combo of a gas station and mini walmart (without all the dirt).

But, at least two gas stations (Sheetz and Wawa) have opened less than 2 miles from that exit, and Buc'ees refuses to allow any type of semis in - even if it's just a cab not attached to a chassis.

What we really need there is an actual truck stop like a Loves that is well-maintained (I have been in some pretty skanky Loves).
There are no truck stops where you can park and get an actual meal anymore.  And with the Amazon and DHL warehouses coming in, there will be a need for one.

I'm getting tired of the stereotype that truckers will destroy any place they're allowed into.  Maybe if they were treated better by both their companies and the general public, more people would consider it as a career.  And we NEED truckers.  How the hell will stuff move around the country otherwise?

But Buc'ees will definitely bring in revenue faster than your waterpark...

[Dave's Not Here Man]

Never heard about any plans for Buc-ee's coming up this way so that was a surprise.

A much better place for a truck stop would be the Centerport Pkway (Airport) exit where there's next to nothing being built there. The area around 630 is already a nightmare coming and going with development.

You have to be careful about these highway oasis's though. On 64 in Lousia (It think it's called Zion Crossroads) they are building up the area around the exit with fast food, gas stations, no tell mo tells, and let's just say, you'd have to go see it for yourself and anyone supporting that kind of stuff where they live should be required to go spend a couple of hours out there.

[minx]

Point taken.

I was thinking more of a simple truck stop where you could stop, sit for a bite to eat, and take a shower. No overnight parking.

But you are right - that would create a demand for a hotel/motel that was inexpensive, and then the eatery at the truck stop wouldn't be enough, and so on.
There's already a WAWA on Rt 1 before the airport exit, but if they build something by the warehouses itself I could see that possibly working. I doubt the county will zone anything in that area for a regular hotel or a mo-tell.

And I think the old Beaver is diluting his brand. The allure of Buc'ees was that you had to travel to get to one. Even in Texas they're spread pretty far apart. If there's one on every corner, I wonder if people will stop coming. Their brisket was good, but I don't know that I'd go there every day for it.

[Dave's Not Here Man]

The people in this area go absolutely bat shit crazy when a new chain opens up. My daughter worked at the Steak n Shake when they opened the one right there by Southpoint at 95/1. The only thing I can remotely think of that ever brought that much traffic to a fast food place is the chiki fil a. And it lasted for a good solid 2 years. Have you been by there lately? It's gone. Building and all. Sat empty for a while was supposed to become a taco bill, and next thing you know it's knocked down and hauled out.


Speaking of which, I have noticed out of the corner of my eye that chica de file' ain't exactly stopping traffic on the main roads these days either.

[minx]

It looks like the Steak and Shake is becoming some sort of self-storage - there's already a hotel next to it, so I can't see it being another hotel. And it's 100% a shitty location for an office building, but who knows?

And we need to stop approving convivence stores and gas stations like they're the be-all and end-all of life.

[Dave's Not Here Man]

And used car lots. Al Qaeda Motors on every damn corner around here.

[k9krap]

In KG, it’s tire lots, tobacco shops, and Family Dollar stores.

[minx]

I have to wonder about the vape stores. There's one on every corner - how the hell do they stay in business as long as they have?

One would think that you'd patronize one of them, and not the others. Do people rotate through them on a regular basis?

Got last week's vape from Charlie's shop, so I need to go to Dave's this week. Next week is Sammy, then back to Charlie...

[Dave's Not Here Man]

I read this morning that one of the D state senators has fired the first shot at killing Glenn's fantasy garden by prohibiting the state taxpayers' money from being used for the project.

[minx]

Senator Louise Louis (how's that for a name?) has basically held her ground and said not only no, but Hell No!

But there could be language in the budget that allows it to be reconsidered next year. Or Youngkin could call a special session of the assembly to vote on it.

And yeah - this is another example of one person holding too much power. She's upset that the budget short-changes priorities in her district and wants that addressed. So she's going to prevent any debate on the stadium.
And just because I support not building it, doesn't make what she's doing right, any more than Johnson holding up the federal budget makes his stance right.

But before ANYTHING moves forward on this, I think there needs to be a very serious debate on that stadium that involves all aspects of it's funding.
Money from ticket sales will supposedly pay off the bonds issued. What happens if ticket sales don't bring in enough revenue in a given month/quarter/year? Who has to pay?
What guarantees are there to prevent Leonsis from moving the teams until the bonds are paid off?
The state will issue bonds for the stadium construction which will be paid by the taxes the stadium will generate. Is this the best use of our money?
How will the state pay for road maintenance and other improvements that may need to be done after the stadium is operational?

So many questions - and the answers shouldn't be coming from Monumental Sports either. This is an issue that the legislature needs to hammer out. Then the terms can be given to Leonsis for him to agree to or not.

My fear is that this is simply a larger waterpark - a shiny new toy that everyone can brag about until it starts getting older and needs work.

[Dave's Not Here Man]

I knew at least 2 William Williams


Will edit later lol.

[Dave's Not Here Man]

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Conversation
L. Louise Lucas
@senlouiselucas
Some Republicans don't like me tweeting from the Senate floor. Well I don't like them trying to limit our rights to abortion, putting dangerous weapons on our streets, trying to take away people's health care or refusing to admit they lost an election. So I guess we are even.

[minx]

Stafford posted their advertised tax rates - think they're going up by .013%
Mostly to fund school projects - we need to build two new ones - HS and ES.

BOS grilled the superintendent of schools - how many people in the school system made $100,000k a year? What positions do they hold?
How many support staff are at each school and how many hours do they work?
Shit like that.

Superintendent gave the answers then turned it right back on the board - how many county employees made $100,000K a year and what positions do they hold?
How many support staff does the county have - what are their hours and pay?
What is the county's schedule for maintenance and replacement of major equipment?

I say go superintendent! While we have the right to transparency from the schools, that same right applies to the rest of the county.

If the BOS is worried about employees who make 6 figures or more, then EVERYONE who does should be unveiled - not by name, but how many, and in general what positions they hold and their seniority level.

[k9krap]

www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/glenn-youngkin-louise-lucas-arena-virginia-rcna142573?cid=eml_mda_20240311&user_email=f1ef66d655a74d6d43471b955cfa92cfa0c8ef8acba482dc2c6af964b960878a

🤣🤣

Unfortunately, Youngkin is vetoing numerous bills in retaliation. I expect some of them are the marijuana ones we were hoping for.