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Reading the article, this seems huge? If they are contributing 65 mil to the effort, that means Rice is contributing its own portion to it so I wonder how much that will be. If you called me and were like "XR, your neighborhood is getting infrastructure improvement to the tune of 65 mil+" your boy would be pretty jazzed about it. I know this thread and others have argued about various issues Midtown may have, but you can't really argue with activated spaces, plazas, and general pedestrian experience improvement. A parking garage will help businesses in the area so they don't have to rely on street parking so much, and if they want to, can take advantage of the reduced parking mins around the red line. Pretty smart. Feel like its a win-win-win, other than for the HCEDD who still want their community benefits agreement.

https://recovery.houstontx.gov/city-council-approves-new-hope-housing-savoy-providing-120-affordable-rental-homes-in-sharpstown/

It’s a first draft for Second Draught?

I really like how this building helps balance our skyline a bit more.

Expedited plan review permit for the foundation.

This is becoming a disaster 😆

I love the site and idea behind all of this. Keep up the great work!

The Cosmopolitan is like the short guy who shows up at the park to play basketball with the other guys and just won't take the hint.

They have to stop using "early winter" as a description for when something will be finished. Once again, from context, it's clear this means early spring of 2023.

🙄

Midtown TIRZ OKs infrastructure deal with Rice around ION campus An economic development deal struck between the Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone and Rice Management Corp., representing The Ion, would allow for Rice to lead a series of improvements such as sidewalk and street repairs, the construction of public plazas and a new parking garage. The Midtown TIRZ, which collects funds through a portion of area property taxes, agreed to reimburse Rice for a portion of the projects, providing $65 million toward the effort.

Seeing home made printed Variance signs don't give me much confidence in the developer being well capitalized.

On the consent plat activity for this week. Lot between Lamar/Dallas and Ennis/Palmer: I searched a ton to see if this was posted anywhere already and couldn't find it. Please merge if I missed it.

Here's your answer. @wilcal

Happy this is opening on this block. Looks like Local Foods won't be coming back, saw a For Lease sign the other day. Not to jump off topic but any word on the renovation of the building where Mia Bella was originally located? Seems to be taking forever.

https://abc13.com/digital-kiosk-houston-billboards-city-council-vote/10584483/ Those that voted against the kiosks and were in favor of an app and QR codes fail to realize that when you want someone to come to your city, you don't want them stuck on their phones in your city about your city. I'd rather have visitors interacting and looking at our city. It just shows some of the nearsightedness by the city at times. In all honesty, not many people are going to have a random app from another city on their phone. Most people won't even take the time to search and download it.

Second Draught, Suite 130.

I said the same thing lol

I would presume they had done the traffic studies and decided the number of people taking Memorial was a small enough number. or maybe the people who live on Memorial on the other side of 610 didn't like it being used as a through road so lobbied for the designers to insert the traffic circle to divert most of the traffic to Woodway. either way, I presume that Woodway can handle the traffic.

Still waiting for the fins on top to really make this pop. It looks unfinished.

I believe this will be the site of the long rumored 103 story W Hotel & residences. It’ll have a spire on top and should be a game changer for the Telephone Rd development corridor

Guy said they should open up in 2-3 weeks.

Monarch. Just leave the U of H forum about the U of H. It has nothing to do with your alma mater.

Buddy of mine lives nearby and took a photo of the podium lighting at night. Awesome!!

It's the SEC this time around, but I'll give you slightly accurate pre-cog credit. Anyway, it's about damn time

https://www.engagehouston.org/shepherdanddurham

The same talented people who keep our downtown street lights synchronized also keep the clock on time.

Aren’t all of these buildings past their tax free period? Seems like we get very little from the TIRZ relative to the size of the tax base. If somebody breaks a bottle or drops deuce outside somewhere, it will be there for a week at a minimum. Broken things like this clock tower seem like a given.

Uptown landmark.

Not happy with the post-processing of that photo so I fixed it.

It’s not being torn down or replaced. It’s major improvements to where the other businesses were previously. A facelift of sorts. I’m addition, the new plat is filed for change of ownership and consolidation of previous lots.

As this development finalizes, a random thought about this part of Montrose. That gas station a block away is increasingly growing out of place. So what is the solution? I saw this in DC and wonder when we might start seeing it Houston. Given the density and land value in Montrose I imagine it can be far off.

😂😂😂😭😭😭 I'm reading this post at the same time I'm watching Cocaine Cowboys on Netflix 😁😁😁😁

Agreed. That is what Midtown, Montrose, East End, and all of the peripheral downtown neighborhoods are supposed to look like. Cut it out with the townhouses and build some real density.

Do we know the cost of this land when purchased?

Should have given the entire facility to the TMC and let them run with it. Problem solved. They could have built housing, new facilities and expanded the scale of TMC 20+ years ago. Instead… we got the Texans.

I believe this ship has sailed: My father has long thought the best use of the Dome is simply as a sports facility. He wanted to see it repurposed as a large multi-sport Olympic level training facility. Maybe it could have been made into an indoor/outdoor facility by opening some of the exterior? Could have been a solid complex for the USOC teams to use, additionally, could have had annual trials/competitions etc here. That’s not a big money/big ticket event on its own, but adding all those athletes here nearly year round, and you tap into the ready resources of the TMC and you’d have a win-win. Athletes from around the country would have travelled to Houston for medical procedures, rehabilitations and the like (I know some do already, but the draw would have been bigger). The TMC institution’s could have opened a large sports medicine complex along Fannin. You could add a 400 room hotel with some live-work type condos/apartments for reserve for athletes, and the rest available year round for events and conventions. Of course we’re in the middle of the country with a mild fall-spring and it’s an ideal training complex. I know that is very, very unlikely to happen now… but pie in the sky ideas like that are what Harris County should have been going after.

And to think one of the ugliest parking garages once occupied this plot…

That looks very...institutional. Are you all sure this is not a jail? Or a nursing facility? Because the design language of this building basically says "this is where we keep the poors."

If the sidewalk is too narrow, then the city needs to widen it. Plus I highly doubt these will be going in areas with sidewalks that are only 3 feet. I personally think these are going to be great. We need more eye catching, pedestrian friendly things like this.

https://www.gsmarchitects.net/portfolio/affordable-housing-for-working-families