SouthPointe, Summit Springs and auto-centrism amid the bursting retail bubble.

Photo credit: Barrister Commercial Group.

The usual auto-centric suburban design adorned with a hideous, generic name; a few more trees and a blizzard of developer-speak verbiage, and this nagging impression that with all this accumulated wealth looking for a landing spot, just imagine if it were invested in human beings rather than cornfields.

Work has begun on a new $80 million, 363,000-square-foot retail center in Louisville.

After years of planning and a prolonged court battle, local developer Barrister Commercial Group has finally broken ground on SouthPointe Commons that will sit on 48 acres off Bardstown Road near the Gene Snyder Freeway.

“SouthPointe Commons will achieve a unique ambiance through a complement of restaurants, entertainment, fashion tenants and specialty retailers connected with tree-lined streets. The lifestyle center is all about amenities and designs that enrich the consumer experience,” Barrister Commercial Group CEO Frank A. Csapo said in a news release.

Then there's this.

There is a retail bubble -- and it's bursting, by Paul R. La Monica (CNN)

 ... During a conference call with analysts on Tuesday, CEO Richard Hayne (Urban Outfitters) compared the state of retail to the housing glut last decade that helped bring about the Great Recession.

"Retail square feet per capita in the United States is more than six times that of Europe or Japan. And this doesn't count digital commerce," Hayne said. "Our industry, not unlike the housing industry, saw too much square footage capacity added in the 1990s and early 2000s."

"Thousands of new doors opened and rents soared. This created a bubble, and like housing, that bubble has now burst," he added. "We are seeing the results: doors shuttering and rents retreating. This trend will continue for the foreseeable future and may even accelerate."

Back here in New Gahania, we're doing precisely the same thing, except Summit Springs (such a horrible name) is being placed atop a hill along a poorly planned commercial corridor (State Street), and now its money-grubbing progenitors have an active partner in the city of New Albany, because it's a bright, shiny object ... and who cares when the storm water comes cascading down the slope?

ON THE AVENUES: Our great and noble leader is here to stay, so let's break out the țuică and make a joyful noise.

The settlement of Mike Ladd's lawsuit does little to dissipate the ugliness of his treatment.

First, the breaking news.

Former UEZ director claims New Albany administration tainted his reputation; Mike Ladd harbors discontent over Urban Enterprise Zone issue, by Daniel Suddeath (N and T)

NEW ALBANY — The lawsuit brought by former New Albany Urban Enterprise Zone Executive Director Mike Ladd has been settled, but he still harbors discontent over how the matter was handled.

Ladd settled with the zone for an undisclosed sum June 16 in an agreement reached through a court appointed mediator. In January, Ladd filed a lawsuit asking for the pay out of the remainder of his contract, which his attorney said was $11,370.

Ladd was fired by the UEZ board at the request of the administration in March 2012. It’s not uncommon for city officials to be dismissed; however, Ladd took exception to a statement made by David Duggins, director of economic development and redevelopment for the city.

Next, the newspaper's handy chronology.

• Jan. 1, 2012: Jeff Gahan takes office as New Albany mayor
• March 2012: Urban Enterprise Zone board votes to fire Ladd
• October 2012: Complaint sent to city’s Ethics Commission
• September 2013: Ethics commission confirms it won’t hear past cases
• January 2014: Ladd files lawsuit against city seeking pay out of contract
• June 16, 2014: Sides agree to Settlement reached former UEZ director case

In January, I told you exactly what I think, and I'll repeat it today.

I'm not a lawyer. I only play one on the blog when Dr. Tom comes calling. But wouldn't it be nice if the city could bring itself to admit to the pre-meditated fiasco of Ladd's firing, pony up what the contract stipulated, and be done with it?

There wasn't any malfeasance, was there?

Has it occurred to anyone involved that implying malfeasance can make it hard for a man to find a job?

Irrespective of how the lawsuit plays out, the worst of it always will be that after fighting so hard to avoid the UEA's outright annexation by the Righteous Brothers (i.e., Doug England and Carl Malysz), it's exactly what happened.

It made me sick then, and it still does. Bad for the man, and bad for the city. All in all ... too bad.

For background at NAC:

Mike Ladd: 17 months to receive 2 weeks pay, and other shovel-ready Ethics Commission topics.

Tweeting the Urban Enterprise beheading, as it happened.

UEA decapitation: Different tactics, same desired outcome, and still just as wrong as before.

ON THE AVENUES: A decapitation, coming tomorrow.

I sincerely believe that Mike Ladd was wronged, and it makes me embarrassed to live in a place where such treatment is regarded as proper. Political culture in New Albany suffers from a learning disability.

Why is that, and can anything be done about it?

Check your spelling, C-J slackers ... and watch that arm.

Owing to the terminal cuteness of the church's self-identification as a "fire and rain" kind of place, the proper spelling of the word circled above is obvious.

It should be "retched."

But just in case you chose "reached," don't forget ...

2013 REPRISE: Stop "reaching out" before I tear off your arm.

But every family needs cheap cigarettes, right?

I received a comment, and feeling all sprightly and journalistic, I set out to investigate.

"Well, it's almost a win - have you noticed the four newly installed faux 'windows' on the State Street side of the new Family Dollar store? Dark glass that stares back at you — almost as good as a window on the street scape. New Albany gentlemen walking past can check to see if their neck ties are straight. Thanks Family Dollar!"

Let's not be so cynical. Aren't cheap toys and "low price" cigarettes what we all need for the holidaze?