Mid Main: Mixed-Use Development For Midtown

[cspwal]

There was a construction moratorium during the huge boom in the Houston economy? No wonder so many people are outside the loop!  

[Timoric]

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Edited July 10, 2019 by Timoric

[Angostura]

Interesting visualization here of construction density by decade in Houston.

 

Houston is "known" as a cautionary tale of the kind of sprawl and ugliness that happens w/o zoning and central planning, but most of what caused Houston to lack density and walkability are actually direct results of the development rules put in place by the city government:

 

• the 1974 construction moratorium driving development outside the loop
• minimum setback rules essentially outlawing street facing retail
• parking minimums, which, along with the setback requirements, dictated the strip center as the only viable type of small retail development
• minimum residential lot sizes (5000 s.f. in effect until 1998), which prevented neighborhoods from achieving sufficient density for walkable development

 

If you look at the most "charming" parts of Houston, parts of 19th St in the Heights, Rice Village, Midtown, and the Washington corridor, they were all places built before these rules were put in place. Only in the last few years have the rules been changed to allow retail development with 5-ft setbacks under certain conditions (zero would be better, but it's a start), but each development still has to provide its own parking.

 

Left to their own devices, developers would almost certainly build denser and more walkable than they're currently allowed to do.

 

[H-Town Man]

True to a point, but you don't get laws like this without tacit approval from the community. Call it the "zeitgeist." It's sort of like the argument that Hollywood movies of mid-century would have had much juicier content if it weren't for the Hays Code. Yes, but how did you get the Hays Code? It didn't come out of a vacuum. It's what people wanted.

 

 

[H-Town Man]

I didn't remember it being the conservatives who told people that they needed an equal rights ordinance...

 

[Angostura]

True to a point, but you don't get laws like this without tacit approval from the community. Call it the "zeitgeist." It's sort of like the argument that Hollywood movies of mid-century would have had much juicier content if it weren't for the Hays Code. Yes, but how did you get the Hays Code? It didn't come out of a vacuum. It's what people wanted.

 

Yes. 

 

Parking minimums are especially beloved by those people that are concerned that, at some point, a stranger might park on the street in front of their house.

 

Inadequate sewage is certainly as good a reason as any for a building moratorium.  And, while I can't find a source, I've heard that the 25-ft setback requirement was a result of the distaste that many people had of the "canyon" formed along Woodway by the various office buildings set relatively close to the street. (I, for one, quite like driving through the Woodway canyon.)

 

Further, property developers tend don't tend to be all that popular with the public, so depriving them of the use of a 25-ft strip of land where their property abuts the right-of-way is unlikely to engender a lot of sympathy.

 

All that said, the law of unintended consequences is why, given the choice between doing something and doing nothing, I generally prefer our lawmakers and regulators opt for the latter. Too frequently, calls by the public for more regulation and planning assume infallible benevolence, competence and clairvoyance on the part of the regulators and planners. In this case, it's pretty clear that assumption is unwarranted.

[cspwal]

Why did they have a construction moratorium instead of making more sewage capacity?

 

 

 

Oh wait I can answer that it would cost money

[Nate99]

Too frequently, calls by the public for more regulation and planning assume infallible benevolence, competence and clairvoyance on the part of the regulators and planners. In this case, it's pretty clear that assumption is unwarranted.

 

 

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

[H-Town Man]

Yes. 

 

Parking minimums are especially beloved by those people that are concerned that, at some point, a stranger might park on the street in front of their house.

 

Inadequate sewage is certainly as good a reason as any for a building moratorium.  And, while I can't find a source, I've heard that the 25-ft setback requirement was a result of the distaste that many people had of the "canyon" formed along Woodway by the various office buildings set relatively close to the street. (I, for one, quite like driving through the Woodway canyon.)

 

Further, property developers tend don't tend to be all that popular with the public, so depriving them of the use of a 25-ft strip of land where their property abuts the right-of-way is unlikely to engender a lot of sympathy.

 

All that said, the law of unintended consequences is why, given the choice between doing something and doing nothing, I generally prefer our lawmakers and regulators opt for the latter. Too frequently, calls by the public for more regulation and planning assume infallible benevolence, competence and clairvoyance on the part of the regulators and planners. In this case, it's pretty clear that assumption is unwarranted.

 

Some good points. I think that in general, people were just in love with a suburban model of development, and parking lots and easy-to-widen roads fit that paradigm.

[hindesky]

Northern building

 

 

 

Southern portion.

 

[monarch]

^^^ well done hindesky!

[jmitch94]

I fell like this one is taking awhile. 

[cspwal]

They did go for all concrete/aluminum construction, not stick construction

[hindesky]

Northern portion is topped out.

 

 

[hindesky]

Southwestern side.

 

 

[infinite_jim]

Parking garage on the north side of the complex is open for business.

[hindesky]

Brick is going up.

 

 

[Triton]

Mid Main by Marc longoria, on Flickr

 

Mid Main by Marc longoria, on Flickr

 

Mid Main by Marc longoria, on Flickr

[hindesky]

I like the different colors of the brick.

 

 

[Avossos]

What material will be used over the blue?

[BeerNut]

I heard the lease up will start next month.

[Urbannizer]

Mid Main by russell.hancock, on Flickr

[hindesky]

While attending the Madness on Main St. I got a few pics.

 

[hindesky]

[monarch]

^^^ fantastic job hindesky.... wow!

[HoustonIsHome]

Stopped outside this on Friday . It really had a presence.  Totally transformed the area.  Love the brick.

 

This area will have new life once this opens.  I wonder how this is going to affect HCC

[samagon]

6 hours ago, HoustonIsHome said:

Stopped outside this on Friday . It really had a presence.  Totally transformed the area.  Love the brick.

 

This area will have new life once this opens.  I wonder how this is going to affect HCC

 

I had mentioned in a thread in the midtown forum that places like Natachee's, Double Trouble, Continental are probably going to end up getting squeezed out. This (3600) and the other people aquarium (3800) are either going to bring more bros to the area that like the Washington vibe and will never go to these places (but watch rents increase), or I could be wrong and it's going to bring people that like the current atmosphere of the direct surrounding area. I suspect like you though, this is going to transform the area. I'm going to miss the continental club if that happens. It's one of those places that, in my mind, make Houston.

 

One thing this will absolutely do is create more pressure southward on the area centered around Richmond/Main. I suspect it won't actually do anything to that direct area, it will be similar to the area around the greyhound station and people will just avoid the area.

Edited May 31, 2016 by samagon

[HoustonIsHome]

The Main Corridor is kind of developing like a less extreme version of LV  BLVD in that one block in either direction and you feel like you fell off the surface of the Earth.  

 

I don't know how any politician and traverse Main and not see the benefits of the Red Line.

 

Anyway, I am more of a fan of filling in and expanding out. There has been so much growth and yet so much room for development between Bell and Alabama.

 

As Disco Green and Market Square have encouraged development,  I do hope that the Super Park will continue this trend. The Super Park has the advantage of being already in an area that is booming, and it is right on a metrorail stop. 

 

I know we have been complaining a lot about the size and placement of the park and apartment,  but I am starting to believe that you can't lose nowadays with a modern park. 

 

The lengths of these blocks (super block and to a lesser extent Midmain) lend themselves well to creating interesting pedestrian oriented developments. Since Berry does not cut through Mid Main, the entire Ensemble station is accessible to pedestrians without traffic cutting off the stations. 

It will be interesting to see what they do with the sidewalks and if a livelier version of Main Street Square Plaza develops at that location. 

 

So many possibilities

[Texasota]

As mentioned upthread, this development is owned by the same developer that owns the existing neighboring retail, and he has made it clear that he wants to support local businesses, particularly of the sort that's already there. Also, my understanding is that these apartments will be relatively inexpensive and small.

 

Not a guarantee by any means, but good signs.

[Moore713]

I travel the area every night for work and can tell you the new development is not a threat to the existing business quite the opposite,  I remember the ghost town this area was after 5 pm ..now it does decent foot traffic on weekdays and actually looks live on the weekends. ..the increase in residential is benefiting the business there as people like the vibe and how it doesn't feel like another massed product  hip spot created in some Corp board room...that has allowed it to have a natural urban vibe tjat I think people are responding to..I'm glad the developer reconized that and incorporated it into the building design