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Again. Another article written by someone who instead of trying to get the facts instead begins with a faulty premise to back up what they view should happen. I already have an idea of what part 2 is going to be. All you have to do is read part 1, walk this woman's approach to its logic conclusion, and then infer what direction per the sources she used and people she feels are the authority figures on the subject. Part 1 read like this; Houston is once again going its own way in doing what it wants to do instead of doing what other progressive cities in the West and East have done, oh and of course Austin. Can't forget them because they are hip and cool. How dare Houston try to be different and not listen to Silicon Valley elites in how this ought to be done. How dare Houston try to revitalize a deadzone between two of its major hubs. No those fancy things belong in Montrose and Uptown. Look at these select amount of people that hold my same view point and not the opposite view. Let me bring up this extreme example of a development in Virginia that was overly massive and crashed during the dot.com bust of the late 90's because thats exactly comparable to this. Oh and we can't develop on this land too because...climate change. Part 2 is going to be this author browbeating us to death with what she believes should be done, and how we should take cues from the East and West, and Austin. To this person, there are zero redeeming qualities about all of this. I'm not saying this is perfect, and I'm certainly going to hold judgement on whether its a success or failure till they get more of this built, but in this woman's worldview this is automatically a failure in the making because in her worldview this is impossible to achieve. It violates the "silicon valley" orthodoxy on how to do things as if they are the leaders of some religion. There is reason to be skeptical, but this is ridiculous.

In relation to the article, I think she is looking at it in terms of the past and present and not what The project can do for the area in the future. Yes there is only a Jack in the Box note but what options would the district bring in the future? Yes there is loads of stuff right now in uptown but pound for pound how much effect would this have in uptown compared to the effect on this area? In Houston terms uptown is getting kinda overbuilt. This area is a prime location in no man's land. Uptown right now could probably supply all the food needs of the entire district without having to solicit new options. Building in this area would definitely attract new options. The way I see it markets attract markets; jobs attract jobs; services attract services. Another thing, when I was at UH I participated in programs that were a collaboration with Rice and Baylor. This thing is close to all three. In fact it is close to all major colleges except Houston Baptist. Uptown isn't as well located in relation to the universities. In terms of location I think this is the best in the state. The only two locations that come close are Southeastern downtown and east downtown. Midtown is on its way up while uptown is already up. I just down see opportunities in uptown with as much land in an area that convenient. There are sure to be more ROD type developments in Uptown, but shopping districts are self sustaining. This project will be deeply integrated with the schools, TMC and Downtown. One final thought. Houston has never been one to cluster all dense developments in one area. Houston builds in an area and then the market reacts. We build in pockets and over time the pockets connect. Rice knows what they are doing. They do not need to overpay for amenities when the amenities are converging in that direction already. This project will only speed the merging treck of Downtown and TMC to each other. That's not even considering UH's new medical center development on Wheeler.

I agree with Luminare, you can be skeptical about this project. But I think you would need to temper that skepticism with this thought: Rice and its endowment wouldn't pour 100 million down the drain. They are jumping at the chance to be the first ones to really take control of Houston's tech scene. If you go to their campus, and just walk around, you realize they sit right next to parts of TMC, which I know allowed my friends, who were rice students, direct access to these medical institutions/research facilities for opportunities like summer jobs/internships, and potentially employment/residency after they graduated from Rice. Rice is now seemingly doing the same thing with Houston's tech scene. They get to control the two blocks around the burgeoning tech scene at their ion? Imagine the opportunities for their students. Its a calculated risk. At worst, it becomes a glorified WeWorks for Tech companies. Which is still waaaaay better than anything else Houston has right now. The writer of that article, as Luminare points out, thinks this should be in Montrose or Uptown. She believes the "build it and they will come" mantra is invalid because that area of Midtown is not dense enough. The writer, and the people interviewed keep pointing out that the Ion is next to a jack in the box, in an attempt to say that there aren't viable dining options or a gym or bars around it. Yes, there is a jack in the box. But two blocks down there will be a Whole Foods (coming Q1 2020!). And one train stop down you have: 5 bars, a great sushi place with a conveyor belt (4+ stars on yelp!), an actually pretty traditional chinese restuarant, and a vietnamese restaurant. Then if you walk a block or two past that the vietnamese place you hit 24 hour fitness, and that whole block of places like Jinya Ramen, and Piola Pizza. The Ion has the things the writer believes should be around it, but she fails to give Midtown, and the Ion, a chance. I hope Pt. II of that article is the argument for it succeeding!

Y'all are fast. Here is my bus window shot from yesterday.

Theres a banner up saying "award winning sushi restuarant and bar" is moving in, and they also put up a sign some kind of fitness looking place is moving in. Have they already said what places are going to be on the ground floor?

I am kinda disappointed that the new building looks like it's going to be strikingly different from the original, however I do like that rendering and I'm very happy that this was at least an upgrade rather than a complete tear down. It has me wondering what the completely new buildings will look like. If the bottoms of all the buildings are similarly matched then this is going to be an excellent area for pedestrian activity. Bring on the blue line.

Awnings completely gone from the Wheeler-facing side:

I don't think the author was suggesting the Ion was inherently a bad project. In reading the 2nd part of the series today, the point being made was that "one building isn't enough." The 2nd part largely focused on the need to attract more venture capital into the Houston area, as well as development of those with the technology skills required for tech startups out of our universities. In essence, the "chicken and egg" problem of becoming a hub for tech start-ups. The points about density the author raised about the Ion are not invalid. In fact, Rice's land acquisitions around the Ion suggest they too understand the value of having housing, coffee shops, etc. for a tech hub. By way of example, Rice owns the land under the Jack-in-the-Box mentioned in the article, having acquired that land last year (aside: not sure if that restaurant has a ground lease or if Rice acquired it as well). Future phases of development would help fill in the density required. Of course, Rice's acquisitions have spawned interest in areas nearby. Consider the recently-platted "Transrise" along San Jacinto by Rosedale. That project is certainly going to use Rice's presence north in their presentation to get financing for development (alas, we have few details on that as of yet).

drove by this morning and all of the strip center is completely knocked down!!! there is a small mountain of debris they are in the process of removing but wow...this plot of land is well on it's way to becoming something!

I agree. the developers here have a jewel and it has the potential to reshape downtown for the next 5 decades. It needs vision and it needs willpower. It doesn’t need a sea of parking and a buzzy grass roof (how’s that working out at greenstreet?). It needs passion. Frankly, it needs Hines.

I agree. Midtown TIRZ has a good vision, but their project management skills are DISMAL! The Caroline Street re-do was delayed for years and is now under way but going so slowly that it should be done by 2030. It’s truly mind-boggling!

Don't forget that Montrose is only a short walk away. For example, the area near Ono Poke, the new Lotti Dotti bar (formerly known as Brooklyn Athletic Club), and the Timberline Fitness under construction on Jack St & Richmond are all only a short 5-10 minute walk from The Ion (AND they're in Montrose).

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I believe that is supposed to be a high rise if that's what they are starting.

Day 2.

Dang it! Beat me to it. Oh well, this was my drive-by angle:

Another terrible drive-by photo, but the crane is going up today

So...the vacant lot/parking lot at 100 Waugh near Dickson St and the Memorial on ramp is being dug up. It’s Day 2 of activity that appears to be storm sewer or utility installation. No pics yet—don’t shoot! This is the lot that was the construction worker parking lot for the mixed use building with HEB.

This??? http://www.thorequities.com/portfolio/the-kirby-collection/ Latest renderings and info as of 9/2015: http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2015/09/massive-kirby-mixed-use-project-to-break-ground.html

Seems like another renovation is happening downtown. The domino effect is in full force in Downtown Houston, and maybe even Houston in general.

Another floor. Looking better with glass.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Report-Chase-Tower-to-be-sold-in-627-million-14028442.php Here's to still hoping for that reclad of this building.

I am still holding out hope for a light rail line. I take the bus on Bellaire a couple times a year and the quickline to me doesn't make that much of a difference and I only usually see one or two other people on there. Granted I don't think I have ever gotten on during rush hour so I might be underestimating it. Any idea where the stops will be? There used to be a Westheimer bus that got unto 59 and got off at Greenway and went down Richmond. That was a little bit quicker than the Richmond bus regularly but during rush hour there wasn't much of a difference. The volume of traffic on our east - west streets and on 59 warrants something more. I don't want to focus on public transportation in this thread, but this development just adds to the wealth of amenities and the number of people that will be traversing Richmond/wheeler so I'm hoping that light rail on this corridor is revisited

Award winning Sushi restaurants are so 2008!

It's incredible just the past year what is happening downtown.

There has been some steady refurbishing going on in this area around Voodoo Queen. The Firestation is a good example of it.

If you want to see this model in person, it's on display in the Mies van der Rhoe wing of the museum.

I was actually going to take a video to compress into a timelapse when 1. the battery hit 25% and 2. the memory card maxed out. This was a fun spot to fly, so I'll try to make it back soon.

Ah, you're correct. I only read the excerpt by Crockpot. There was a few mumbles here about future phases including high-rise(s).

Friend sent me this today.

Well, if this 1st phase goes well, my next guess is that they will want to incorporate multi-family units around the property.

Topped out http://www.stevenholl.com/zh/news/728

Another case of a "journalist" actually being an "activist". They don't even label the article an opinion piece. Its clearly from one perspective and should be labeled as such. If it were labeled as an opinion piece and the writer simply admitted where they stand on this project then I would at least respect what they are saying more. There are plenty of people (including myself) that support this. The activist also does something which is common which is "framing" and using loaded terms and words to immediately put something into a bad light before it is even explained. The data is skewed as well since this person is only referring to ONE study, which is from a source that isn't an authority on anything, Frontier Group and US PIRG Education Fund. They are basically a thinktank which is skewed to one side of the conversation, yet the story sets them up to be a moderate, non-biased arbiter of transportation funding. As well as bringing in Jeff Speck back into the conversation, again not an authority on anything. When they do throw in TXDOT its not in a way to see what the other side says, but is merely used as a setup to counter what they view should be done instead. Another problem I have with this "writer", Jeff Speck, and Frontier Groups study, is that they whine and complain about these projects, and yet don't present clear alternatives. They always speak in vague terms, and general concepts. We all know that building more lanes won't solve traffic problems, but what is alternative that these people propose that is serious in anyway? Like other writers similar to this one. They don't really care about the project or people involved. This is just another supposed "victim vs oppressor" narrative which they can exploit for clicks. Its a shame too because their opposition isn't wrong, and the alternative ideas that they claim to support I support as well, but they always go about this in the most senseless way possible, and never properly present alternatives, or proof of concepts that authorities can see to make different decisions.

I like how the ADA ramp is not usable and runs into the mailbox and stairs.

Anybody hear when this HEB is expected to open?

I was at the plant during its last six weeks of operation as a producing facility (barring some form of divine intervention, of course!). Still see the towers standing; not sure of the status of sale/demolition. A view looking towards downtown from the top of the storage tower, shortly after sunrise on my final day:

I don't think Timoric said it is now, and I don't think any body else thinks it is either. But with the groundwork laid and infrastructure in place it opens up Post Oak to become whatever developers, planners, and architects choose. I'm going to bet that in time it will achieve that greatness just because that's how Houston has always rolled. We have overcome so many critics over the years for not having zoning or planning for urban growth until twenty years ago when the leaders began to realize the importance of these things. Now there are many urban planners who tout Houston as the model for future cities. We've created one of the best park systems and number of acres of parks in the country in that time. Twenty years ago we had zero miles of bike lanes and trails and now our system has become relevant with another planned miles of dedicated trails and bike lanes. Ten years ago few lived downtown and now we have at least 3 distinct neighborhoods taking shape in downtown. Twenty years ago we had not one mile of rail and now we have 3 lines and many miles of track. Twenty years ago Midtown, was a ghost town relegated to an occasional mom and pop business, and nothing moving after dark except an occasional possum or raccoon. Now it's the thriving home to thousands of millennials and hundreds of restaurants bars and service oriented businesses. Twenty years ago we had two or three major hotels downtown and now we have hotels everywhere, hosted three super bowls, created an envious city center in Discovery Green GHBCC, and are attracting conventions and world class sporting events. In my life Ive seen a town of under 900,000 become the 4th and soon to surpass Chicago as the 3rd most populous city in America, So I won't say anything is impossible, because Houston Texas, is a can do place and when we set our mind to it we get what we want eventually. All the examples everyone makes like Madison, Michigan, or Fifth, have been around hundreds of years in two of the largest metropolis's in America. Post Oak for all its grandeur has really only been more than a rural intersection with Westheimer since 1960. In less than 50 years the galleria Uptown has become a major urban retail office and residential force often mistaken for one of Texas largest skylines. Anything is possible You just have to be patient and understand that the saying "Rome wasn't built in a day", isn't just a clever way to get the spouse off your back for not getting a project done quicker..

Surprised. With the proximity to the bayou, the theater district, market square park, numerous restaurants, walking distance to the rail, bayou walking paths, and stunning views of the skyline I would think something more than this would be developed. Surprised.

Knocking down an exterior wall today. The new management said they want to open up the area. New signage went in This will be the new vehicle turnaround

So does anyone know how parking for East Village works? The valet nazis are kind of frustrating and current construction limits street parking... I've been told that if you tell them you are going to one of the restaurants you can park for free... Pretty sure I did this once before? I recently visited on a non-event Sunday afternoon and they said parking was still $10?! I don't remember seeing any posted prices and the signs at the driveways just say something like "Private Lot - Parking for East Village customers only". As I understand, this area is considered Central Business District so paying to park isn't a surprise. $10 on a Sunday afternoon is kind of steep, or am I just being cheap?

Portland and Milam, for anyone else who forgot where the The Carter is.

These are a block south of The Carter