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Miya Shay snapped a photo of a rendering we haven't seen yet. She took this in Central Houston's office.

https://www.facebook.com/HermannPark

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Moody-Rambin/146508658869453

Photo by elnina999

Unlike the market square tower, I don't believe that this building requires any discretionary governmental approvals. The land is already platted, so it doesn't need to go to the Planning Commission. It isn't in a historic protection district, so it doesn't need to go to the Archaeological and Historical Commission.

That's exactly how they're selling it to you. How much you wanna bet that they are understating the true cost? Any takers? But has the Reliant complex been losing business due to lack of a giant dome-like facility on the grounds? Is the existing space insufficient, and they are just now figuring that out? If a renovated Dome is such a swell idea, why are just now promoting it after 12-odd years of vacancy? If this concept made a lick of sense do you not think some developer would have proposed it years ago? I'm not aware of a single case in which a sports stadium has been successfully re-purposed for other uses, and I've yet to hear of why this would be different. It's simply throwing a lot of good money after bad for a County vanity project. If they were selling the proposal to strip the Dome down to its bones as sort of a giant park shelter I would have been 100% behind the idea. But this is just an ill-thought out scam on taxpayers.

Seems like a large proportion of the crimes I have been hearing of lately are being committed by 12 - 14 year old kids. Most of the recent uptick in midtown crimes were apparently 13 year old kids. A pair of them tried to wave me down which is when I actually realized how young a 12 year old kid really is. It must be really crappy to get robbed by a child. To be honest there is much more of a chance I get shot if a 12 year old rolls up on me with a gun. I would be quick to hand over a cell phone or whatever to anybody holding a gun in my face, but I would be much more inclined to punch said robber in the face if he weighed 95 pounds. I will let you all know soon how a bullet to the ribs feels. Architecture.

Let's get real for a minute. Here's why prices are high in Southampton and Boulevard Oaks and have risen dramatically; 1) LOCATION. There are few better in the city. Literally minutes to the Med Center, Downtown, Uptown, and most major universities. Direct access to the city's premier park. 2) Beauty. In a city that lacks beauty, this area has it. 100 year old live oaks. Tree-lined boulevards like Sunset, North, and South. Strict deed restrictions and a well cared for housing stock. 3) Amenities. Hermann Park. Rice University. The Rice Loop. Rice Village. Light Rail. Fleming Park. Museum District. 4) Schools. Poe, Lanier, and Lamar if you go the public route and multiple privates in the near vicinity. 5) The economy. Houston is booming. 6) Demand. See #5. 7) Supply. It's beyond low. 4 houses are for sale right now in Southampton proper. That is it. The tower has nothing to do with it nor do the yellow signs. And, if you are moronic enough to bypass a neighborhood because the neighbors are active participants in trying to shape its future and protect its past, then wow. Just wow.

Couldnt have said it better myself!It annoys me to no end when I read endless comments from suburbanites puffing their chests out and speaking down to us from their high horses, "What a waste of taxpayer money! I never go downtown! No matter what they build I will NEVER go downtown unless they provide more parking!" Blah blah blah, etc etc...... GUESS WHAT GENIUSES! THESE PROJECTS ARENT MEANT FOR YOU, AND THE DEVELOPERS ARENT HOPING TO LURE YOU OUT OF THE WOODLANDS TO DRIVE 40 MINUTES TO FIND A PLACE TO PARK AND VISIT THE SCANT RETAIL DOWNTOWN! ......Like largeTEXAS pointed out, this infrastructure is all being put in place for the people who are already downtown for one reason or another (i.e. they live there or they are at DG, George R Brown, staying at a hotel downtown or working downtown) and with residential and hotel construction downtown on the upswing it is a fact that the demand for more retail is going to grow. /rant Ugh, it's like the anti-rail people with the same argument: "I love my car so I would NEVER use these trains, therefore NO ONE ELSE will ever use them either."

The incentive check bounced.

GROUND FLOOR RETAIL

Update: Finger Company twiddling thumbs

HA! The fire department thinks they know my definition of "safe viewing"?? You can tell them to watch for me... I'll be the guy BASE jumping with a GoPro.

Yea if you keep going back to the older pages, you'll see them too.

I doubt it, Hines is a very large company and at any given time has multiple projects under construction all over the place. I would think it has more to do with where they are in the design/development stages. We've already seen a couple of different versions in just a few weeks which leads me to believe that they are still working out the design. It takes it a bit of time to then finalize construction documents. The other projects were much further along development wise before they went public I'm sure. Hines also has a lot more hoops to jump through with it's location vs projects like Hermann Place.

Htown has a good point here. They fought the battle and lost. It's time for the signs to come down.

Nothing happening on the property. The city has finished repairing the roads after they tore them apart to upgrade the water-pipe system flowing to the property.... Now it appears just to be a waiting game with the Finger Companies.

I just wish there was a place downtown that served breakfast all day. An omelet would be great for lunch. I'd recommend that House of Pies open up a shop in the new Marriott, but it would end up charging inflated hotel food rates.

If you think that this plan is an affront to the history or legacy of the dome, bulldozing it and turning it into just another parking lot is just about the biggest f/u anyone could ever do to it or to Houston. At least the structure and cool ceiling (see my avatar) is saved in all it's mid-century modern glory. The dome must be saved. This plan may not be the best use for it, and $8 could very well turn into $9, but at least it saves the Astrodome for another day when someone might come up with a better use for it. This plan would include removing the seats and gutting the inside. By getting the bulk of the remodeling out of the way now for this plan (which might actually work - we won't know until we know), it might make a future use that no one has thought of yet easier for a developer to make lucrative. Seems to me people are getting all caught up in the politics of how this current plan has come to fruition, but I don't see this as a political issue at all. It is strictly about saving Houston's only world recognizable landmark. I don't care who makes a profit or frankly even if it loses money. This is about civic pride and a one time chance to keep alive the most famous standing icon that makes Houston special.

I'm sure the Downtown District has visions of grandeur not unlike most developers when envisioning what could be - Apple, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, etc. But, you're probably right that more basic retail is more likely right now. The Sakowitz building was built for large scale retail, even if it's currently a parking garage. To me, that's the one opportunity to get a big anchor retailer such as H&M, Target, or something of the sort. If the new building where Foley's was has ground floor retail (and it better!), that corner should be the center of the retail action, at least early on.

I think that the large ads are pretty much a standard rendering design element/cliche for retail spaces. Sort of like the searchlights aimed at the sky for skyscrapers, or rooftop gardens.

True enough. I think it will take a basic retail infrastructure for residents to be in place first though. The thing is, if you polled downtown residents on what retail they would like to see, my guess would be it would include humdrum things like: cleanersconvenience store / gas stationgood grocery storeWalgreensTargethardware storeStarbuckspizza chainI worry thought that this isn't what the Downtown District has in mind, even though they haven't said exactly what kind of retail they want. I suspect that instead of the above they are, consciously or not, wishing to attract the kind of retail targeted at that ever-elusive marketing sweet spot: people who are both stylish and wealthy. Trust-fund hipsters as it were. I would feel better about the idea if it were more clear what the retail goal was.

More work will be done to the parking garage.

So many of these comments follow the same trajectory: you're pissed that way it's been handled, you wanted so much more in terms of vision, and yet you shrug your shoulders and say "it's only $8 dollars, and the Astrodome history blah blah ginger." You're being played, exactly as they want. The plan is an affront to the architectural and social history of the dome. I'm tired of watching petty fiefdoms squander our money and good intentions.

Good point. Destination retail is always great, if you can get them downtown. But, to build a truly sustainable retail district, all kinds of retail is necessary.

Thank you finale some who gets it,!! They said no one would ride the rail a waste of tax dollars, but it averages more than 41,000 people a day Q1 2013 numbers. Which give it limited length actually makes it one of the most used LRT in the nation per mile.Ihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_light_rail_systems_by_ridership They said no one would bite on the Tax break for resdinetal. How many are on the planning board now ? There excuse no one wants to live downtown..Then why is the 900 are so units almost all sold or rented out ? Now they say no one will bite on the Retail tax break.. they point to Green st as proof, while ignoring that Green st failed on a mangament side, not a venue. the business that make up green st have faired quite well actually. Second they keep thinking this about bringing people in the burbs back to the city.. it not the math has already shown that 130,000 people live within 3 mile radios of Downtown of various income.. 130,000 people who are a LRT ride away a 5 min car ride away. It not that they dont want to shop downtown its that there is nothing for them to shop at downtown. The economic base is already there for the first time in a long time all the right parts in are in place to make DT a place to go... I think people are hung up on the 80,s when we moved too fast, but is,nt there also a danger of moving too slow and letting this window to transform dt Houston close ?

This is not about attracting "suburbanites" to shop downtown. While they might make up part of the mix of shoppers, this is about providing a district in the heart of the city for the growing number of people who live, work, and visit downtown. Ground floor retail and retail that is open on the weekends is sorely lacking downtown. As the new (and not even announced yet) residential towers and mid-rises get built, as the rail lines are completed, as the new hotels are completed, as the convention center expands and new and bigger conventions are added, as the East End and Midtown fill in, as Buffalo Bayou continues to be transformed and becomes even more of an attraction, etc, there will be more and more reasons for downtown to need retail. In its current state, downtown will not be able to meet that need. A little planning for current and future needs would go a long way. Just look at Market Square's revival. Most people seemed to write it off as dead forever just a few months ago. Then the little park that many said would always just be a homeless hangout was rebuilt. Things change, cities change; Houston is finally starting to change in ways that many of us probably hoped it would a long time ago.

Unfortunately, removing his sig wouldn't really solve anything since he continues to post.

Weird, that is what his sig says to us longtime posters, as well.