Breakfast links: Unfortunate discoveries

When your landlord meets foreclosure

A City Paper employee moved in to a group home in Columbia Heights, then soon discovered that the landlord was facing foreclosure. Many stressful hijinks with the crazy landlord and help from DC’s Office of the Tenant Advocate followed. (Housing Complex)

Culture of pilfering?

A Metro supervisor was fired for stealing 70 pieces of Metro-owned equipment. He was allowed to retire and Prince George’s County will not press charges, because Metro “[created] an atmosphere where such behavior … was part of an implicitly tolerated practice.” (Examiner)

Near SE Whole Foods worth $8M?

Whole Foods is interested in building a store near the ballpark, but wants $8 million in tax breaks to do it, which would pay for more parking, elevators and a taller first floor. (Post)

Take a virtual bike tour of DC

A TRB attendee recorded a video tour of DC’s bike infrastructure, complete with speeding cars passing too close, and Federal Protective Service cars blocking the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes. (Dr. Gridlock)

Minimums inflate parking spaces

A new study in New York City found that fewer than 15% of large new developments built more than 4 more parking spaces than required, suggesting that parking minimums are pushing up number of spaces developers would otherwise build, and making housing more expensive. (Streetsblog NYC)

Glaeser v. planners?

Lydia DePillis struggles with Ed Glaeser’s disdain for city planners. He wants them to have less control and ordinary citizens the most say over what is built near them, though he despises NIMBYism. Okay… (Housing Complex)

What’s in Obama’s 2012 transportation budget

The President’s 2012 transportation budget increases both transit and highway funding, with transit getting slightly more; consolidates pots of money, renames the Highway Trust Fund, and more. Amtrak released its own budget request including plans to expand capacity on the NEC. (Streetsblog, The Transport Politic)

Unemployment down, oil imports up

The national unemployment rate has dropped to 9%, but the economy is struggling with a growing trade deficit, exacerbated by higher prices for the oil we must import from foreign countries. (WTOP)

And…

Metro’s PIDs are having some major issues these days. (TBD On Foot) … Mount Pleasant will get some pop-up urbanism in the form of a Temporium opening on Friday. (We Love DC) … The proliferation of chain stores continues in Columbia Heights. (TBD)