by lode on 5/26/23, 12:44 PM with 66 comments
by mikeshafer on 5/26/23, 7:28 PM
The biggest issue for me, other than the massive amount of work and capital required to build something here, is that you are RIGHT on the highway. It's not a freeway, but there is enough traffic on that Big Bend route to Marfa that every minute or two during the day, you'll have some truck hauling it at 75mph past you.
I think you could demo most of the land and turn it into some fun outdoor concert venue with food trucks and bathrooms, but you won't be able to draw more than 100-200 people max because you would have to eat up so much of the land for parking.
I really can't think of any killer use case for Lobo, which is unfortunate because it's actually quite gorgeous there. You can see the mountainous border with Mexico in the distance and I'm sure it's stunningly beautiful at night.
by slillibri on 5/26/23, 6:44 PM
by grumple on 5/26/23, 7:16 PM
I own a decently sized house in a major city. It's about 100 years old but in above average condition. It still requires considerable time and maintenence. Fortunately I have water, gas, electric hookups from the city. They pick up the trash and maintain the roads too (not well, but they do it).
Now imagine you have to do all your regular maintenence, but on 30 buildings. And there are no contractors willing to come out. And the nearest hardware store is 100 miles away. That sounds like several full time jobs. Now let's make it worse. You also need to manage the electricity, water, gas, trash, road maintenence, and anything else that comes up. Awful. Another couple of full time jobs. Only all these jobs you now have produce no income.
Want a place to throw weird parties? Get a field somewhere with water and electricity and build a small structure for bathrooms and storage. Don't plague yourself with endless maintenence of ancient buildings.
by adamredwoods on 5/26/23, 6:15 PM
by keiferski on 5/26/23, 5:48 PM
It's only about 50 miles north of Marfa, which has a lot of art world stuff going on.
by chasd00 on 5/26/23, 7:24 PM
It's definitely a unique area, the people who live there either have lived there for generations or live there because they don't want to be found (for various reasons). Marfa gets especially strange because it's full of rich people, artists, and grad students but also literal cowboys and bandits.
by sklarsa on 5/26/23, 5:54 PM
by jdwithit on 5/26/23, 6:35 PM
by koolba on 5/26/23, 6:23 PM
by friend_and_foe on 5/26/23, 11:20 PM
by jmspring on 5/26/23, 8:12 PM
That said, I haven't been in awhile and I hear it was impacted by the recent fires.
by beautifulfreak on 5/26/23, 10:05 PM
by qwertox on 5/26/23, 8:34 PM
by zdms on 5/26/23, 8:48 PM
by BeetleB on 5/26/23, 10:55 PM
If there is a museum of bad writing, this belongs there.
by expertentipp on 5/26/23, 9:47 PM
by Rebelgecko on 5/26/23, 10:24 PM
by wolverine876 on 5/26/23, 8:42 PM
by 0zemp2c on 5/26/23, 6:07 PM
there is at least one county out there that doesn't have ANY building codes...you can build whatever you want
forewarned, it is expensive to get anything done in the middle of nowhere