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Showing content with the highest reputation since 03/22/2024 in all areas

  1. I'm not ultra-close to the 11th project, but this statement - along with similar ones about the Montrose Boulevard project - is deeply frustrating to me. Do people not realize how insanely hard it is to get anything done for non-drivers in this city? It took six 311 calls to get the knocked-over school speed limit sign outside of my school moved a few inches off of the three-foot sidewalk. Not fixed, not even cleared away. Moved a foot and a half. I know that's a pretty stretched anecdote, but my point is this: every piece of infrastructure built for pedestrians and cyclists is the product of years - usually over a decade - of begging, clawing, fundraising, desperate (and mostly ignored) public outreach, and compromise with the twelve angry NIMBYs who default to opposition on everything. It may or may not be true in this instance, but the paradigm of bending over backwards to appease every opposing voice has been strangling this city (the whole country, really) for too damn long.
    14 points
  2. Wolfgramm, Tannos developing condos in East Montrose - Houston Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
    11 points
  3. The Houston Methodist Centennial Tower sure is becoming imposing at street level. It's just massive. You would think this is an office skyscraper but it's a hospital.
    9 points
  4. It is not possible to eliminate all opposition with *any* project, and road diets in particular always have opponents. You don't like this project. We get it. That doesn't make it unsuccessful. 11th St was unsafe and uncomfortable and now it is much less so. Is it perfect? No. But it does a much better job of prioritizing human life and was able to be implemented relatively quickly and cost effectively.
    8 points
  5. Lizard people. Whitmire's campaign was mostly funded by the lizard people. Everyone knows their lair is underneath that government complex. That's how they control the politicians. The lizard people need more traffic on Houston Avenue because the vibrations run the generators that power their heat lamps. It's science. The entrance to their labyrinth is underneath the fake "slide" at the corner of Kessler and Elder. Did you never think it was strange that there would be a tiny playground in the middle of an industrial wasteland, with just one piece of playground equipment, surrounded by a security fence?
    8 points
  6. Visioning from October 2023 Feedback Summary:
    7 points
  7. Construction update from today. The parking garage is rising on a slant.
    7 points
  8. A photograph of the rear of the campus. Honestly, the painted garage is not bad. Some of these precast garages do not event get painted.
    7 points
  9. 7 points
  10. I was at the Montrose HEB and noticed the luffing tower crane's boom was stretched out flat, are they going to take it down? Went over to check it out, Maxim has their AT crane set up to remove it.
    6 points
  11. 6 points
  12. Hard to imagine a worse land usage to front a rail stop than a car dealership, so I'm pretty optimistic that whatever comes next will be an improvement.
    6 points
  13. BCM is rocking it right now. Their campus just keeps getting bigger.
    6 points
  14. This has broken ground. Let's gooo!!! Should we move this to Going Up! ? I don't think HAIF has ever watched and documented a $200 million energy substation? The top of the electrical gear and utility poles must be of a tall height as well. Definitely a niche build. Edit: This topic was originally in Going Up! I thought the official CenterPoint Energy press release indicated they wanted to source more power to the nearby TMC Helix Park. That's quite the effort to build a whole new substation for one (or two) developments. Pictures from today: Removed the surface lot concrete to build a road. Believe it or not, there was actually 4 excavators on site! They are not wasting any time. Full speed ahead! Photo of the week:
    6 points
  15. no one is creating congestion. traffic studies were done. the results of those studies determined that the amount of lanes for vehicles was more than necessary for the volume of vehicles. so they used the surplus ROW to safely accommodate other forms of transportation. if drivers feel entitled to then get off that road and take to side streets then you don't throw away the safety improvements on the initial street, you make other streets safer too. the problem isn't making streets safer, the problem is people who feel they are entitled to drive unsafely, not just on streets like 11th, but then going out of their way to do the same on streets that are completely residential. maybe this mayor should follow through on his campaign promise to put more officers on the streets, or supplement the traffic cops with state troopers, and then the bulk of those officers could go stop the people from speeding on the residential streets.
    6 points
  16. Been a lot more action in recent week or two. some concrete work inside and out front. They've made sunk-in doorways in a couple of places. Also more wiring and starting the setup for i guess stucco.
    6 points
  17. heh "A luxury condominium complex off of Allen Parkway in River Oaks boasts an unusual amenity—a community swimming pool in the shape of, well, let's just look at the photo." https://www.chron.com/culture/article/houston-river-oaks-condo-pool-19354269.php
    5 points
  18. One Park Place feels inadequate.
    5 points
  19. Actually, the point I was trying to make with an intentionally silly example is that the absence of anyone using the bike lanes at the exact time whoever is complaining is in the act of driving past them is not proof that they're not being used at all.
    5 points
  20. Multiple plumbing demo permits along the right of way on the future sunken portion IH69/59.
    5 points
  21. Yeah, if you find a $5 lobster roll, definitely do not eat it.
    5 points
  22. It's probably a tall order for NC State to get past second-seeded Marquette, but if that were to happen, and the Coogs beat Duke, it would set up an Elite Eight meeting between the Coogs and the Wolfpack. It sure would be sweet if the Coogs punched a ticket to the Final Four by beating NC State. The only downside would be how many times we'd have to watch replays of the closing seconds of the 1983 championship game.
    5 points
  23. Even in a car, getting in and out of most businesses on 11th is now easier and safer, since traffic no longer busts the 30 mph speed limit by 10 - 20 mph. Beyond that, it's not at all unusual to drive down the length of one of the side streets without encountering another car. Taking the logic of some to its conclusion, we therefore don't need those streets.
    5 points
  24. I was out for a walk along St. Emmanuel on Sunday and decided to walk into Lustre Pearl when I noticed people peeking from the rooftop. Based on a discussion with the bartender, Lustre Pearl is open. They are pretty much working with a blank slate, so I am interested to see how they will fit into the East Downtown neighborhood and the Houston bar scene in general. They are currently doing drink service only. They plan to serve food in the near future once they have developed their menu. They have a vision to bring in a mix of events and entertainment: trivia, DJ's, live music, drag brunch, etc. I unfortunately did not take any photos. The space is huge! Where the Austin locations are more vintage rustic, the East Downtown location is industrial rustic. The interior on the first level was wonderfully done. Plenty of bar, lounge, and high top seating on the first level. Plenty of standing room on both levels. The rooftop is beautifully done. It has a great view of the Downtown skyline. From what I can tell, there was not a lot of noise bleeding from the surrounding bars with outdoor spaces, such as Truck Yard and Sunset, and vice versa. Looking forward to making this a regular stop in the neighborhood.
    5 points
  25. I had lunch on Navigation on Saturday. Wow! What a transformation. The street was brimming with pedestrians. The surrounding developments almost makes the area unrecognizable. Really great to see…
    5 points
  26. New, expansive construction walls are up for the forthcoming "Jack's Cafe" at Houston Zoo. A look at the current work on-site:
    5 points
  27. Every time I'm disappointed with the rate of development in Midtown, I try to remind myself of what it looked like when I lived in Houston in the 90's. Mostly one-story abandoned commerical buildings, surface parking lots, and a struggling Little Saigon neighborhood. The development of West Gray between Bagby and Cushing was just getting started, and very few people could envision what it became. Anyone who thinks pedestrian-oriented development can't work in Houston should visit that area.
    5 points
  28. Michelin Man in a Space Suit? Love the artwork!
    5 points
  29. thought this was a great and interesting article...Houston (especially Galleria area) has the strongest hotel performance in the nation so far for 2024! https://www.costar.com/article/1687611980/houston-hotel-performance-strongest-in-galleria-submarket-home-to-texass-largest-shopping-mall
    5 points
  30. The fronts are boarded up recently for a less-than-lovely look. The more positive note is that there were a bunch of 'suits' walking all over the property for an hour+ yesterday (March 20). Fingers crossed.
    5 points
  31. Just spent the week in Kansas City for the Big 12 Conference tournament. The area around the Toyota Center is brutally awful by comparison. The Power and Light District built around the T Mobile Center has 3 modern glass condo/apartment towers, a massive covered plaza for DJs and big screen action with tons of cheesy bars and restaurants facing it. Then there are several pedestrian scaled blocks around it that are closed to traffic on game days. There are no visible open air garages in site. All parking is underground or hidden behind retail. It's really well done. If Houston could just start with that awful Tundra Garage,,, Also, the convention center is right across the highway there which is sunken. Makes for a much better pedestrian experience than walking under a freeway as our hotel was a beautiful new Loew's by the convention center. I was with my sister who lives in One Park Place and she kept saying the only thing KC was missing was a Discovery Green type park.
    5 points
  32. I'm curious to know if these crimes ended up in the standardized crime reports that are sent to the FBI for statistical purposes, or if they were left out. If they were left out, we need to know the real crime rates in Houston with these "shelved" crimes included.
    4 points
  33. MD Anderson East Campus Construction Update.
    4 points
  34. Reposting this from a different thread. Today's view of the TMC Skyline from the MD Anderson Prairie. The spring Bluebonnets are blooming!
    4 points
  35. https://www.fly2houston.com/biz/opportunities/solicitations/2591 "The Houston Airport System (HAS) is seeking industry information and input for innovative strategies and approaches from highly qualified firms that can be applied or included in the development of a subsequent Request for Qualifications (for Statement of Qualifications – RFQ) and Request for Proposals (RFP) that support attainment of the EFD/HSP goal to develop and construct an approximately 120,000 sf specified building with potential uses of light manufacturing/assembly for advanced products, high bay, and office space at Ellington Airport (EFD)/Houston Spaceport (HSP). EFD/HSP is open to, but not limited to, business models provided by a firm (or team) with competencies to Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Maintain (DBFOM)."
    4 points
  36. jdlstreetart on the Holiday Inn parking garage. gonzo247 on the Holiday Inn building. Heavy rain all day Thursday got the heavy man lift stuck in the mud. They had little mats under it but those mats are intended for very light equipment not this heavy high reach man lift. Gonzo said Dragon76art is doing his mural at the Shell soccer stadium. This one is being done by MrD1987 and a friend. Not sure who is doing this one but the art looks familiar one done downtown recently.
    4 points
  37. I have no direct knowledge of anyone's political leanings, but my "walks like a duck" instinct tell me that there are a good number of 11th street opponents who are coming at this not from any genuine concern about traffic and public safety, but are acting on right wing conspiracy theories over 15 minute cities and project zero. The right wing conspiracy theory is that projects that are intended to make communities more bike and pedestrian friendly are just the beginning of extensive government control over people's movements to the point of a China-like society with CCTV monitoring of everyone and social credit scores. Ultimately, the conspiracy theory is that 15 minute cities are just the beginning of a plan to imprison people. This conspiracy theory has gone as far as spawning waves of tik toks and social media posts where people claim that the Texas panhandle fires were the result of Amarillo, Texas adopting a "comprehensive plan", which they believe is code for 15 minute cities planning and eventually having George Soros imprison everyone. Of course, that is the far right extreme. Most opponents of 11ht street who are on the right are just coming at this from the usual culture war perspective of any effort to promote biking and pedestrian access being a misguided leftist way of saving the environment by unnecessarily burdening people driving their F250s to their office downtown (if they can fit in the garage). This just becomes even more apparent when you look at the arguments being made. There are basically three main talking points. Traffic on 11th street is now bad. Emergency vehicles can't get through. Traffic is spilling over to neighborhood streets. These are familiar arguments because they have been advanced by people who are concerned about the lack of zoning and overdevelopment that hurts the existing residential neighborhoods. The right wing response to that has always been "tough sh#t." If you do not want traffic, move to the burbs. Many neighborhoods have complained about people parking on their narrow streets for near by commercial development that then makes it hard for emergency vehicles to get through. And the city does nothing about it. But now that those externalities are the result of a project that benefits pedestrians and cyclists (and not private profits), suddenly those impacts are a burden that no one should bear and the improvements cannot be ripped out soon enough. Point is that everyone in the Heights has been taking one for the team with increased traffic, on street parking spillover from commercial development and issue with emergency vehicle access (which is probably the least of the problems for 11th street as 14th st is also an emergency corridor) in order to build more apartments and retail development, etc. in the neighborhood. If you are going to through a fit over those externalities, then you cannot also wag your finger at everyone else and squawk "Houston has no zoning" when those issues are raised about private development.
    4 points
  38. If you're worried about more people driving down your street, I appreciate that - I feel the same way about mine. But if there's not any evidence to support that side streets become more dangerous as a result of lowering car speeds and increasing pedestrian infrastructure, then it's not a relevant argument. And it still has baked in assumptions that there are a fixed amount of cars on the road and all these projects do is divert them elsewhere and that there's no way to change people's transportation decisions. If more people chose to walk or bike down my street instead of drive because of infrastructure design, that makes me and my family safer. If there is something showing that there is another negative side effect of these projects besides driver inconvenience, I'm happy to learn more. Side note, it comes across as disingenuous to characterize it as simplistic thinking when "taking pleasure in pedestrian deaths" wasn't ever an argument anyone made.
    4 points
  39. No, no, no, no. You have one leg for the gas pedal and one for the brake pedal in a car, where God intended people to travel. 🤣🤣🤣
    4 points
  40. The parking contract/management went to LAZ Parking! There are now monthly parking now available signs. The garage should officially open in a few weeks. There are still orange barriers at the entrance.
    4 points
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