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Looked like they were doing a partial mat pour this morning. A few pump trucks are on-site.

Fencing is down and an excavator is on-site. Groundbreaking looks imminent:

I've always thought they should change the circular area facing Kirby into a pedestrian courtyard with landscaping that restaurants can open out onto, etc. No cars driving through there at all. They put a lot of effort into making an architectural statement with this outdoor space, but then what's it programmed for? ...Drive thru/valet drop off...

@Luminare I might be interested in taking this on in a reduced capacity now that work has calmed down. Having a color coded google map with links referenced to HAIF post is probably the most useful tool for someone with casual interest in developments.

Underbelly Burger now open at the farmer's market on Airline. https://preview.houstonchronicle.com/dining/underbelly-burger-now-open-at-houston-farmers-16754168?fbclid=IwAR1MLDghS0h-xk6Lf55R39eOoWcpKdcXvlB2kQlzuB0OLHFPAYtPcpE-33k

She gone. Just saw on /r/Houston

New plat for the lots Urban Genesis owns on McKee. It includes all but the 4 houses.

Photo from fly2houston.com

Where have you looked? ;-) Watch Downtown TIRZ board meetings, Houston First Corp board meetings, I think even Midtown TIRZ.

TXDoT is building the deck/cover upon which others (Houston First Corp, Downtown TIRZ, City of Houston, probably EADO TIRZ, possibly private developers) will build the park and other items. The East side cap park/development is going to happen.

Heights, River Oaks and Eado ice houses -- all next to each other in near northside.

This planning document from the downtown TIRZ at least indicates they are planning for what to do with the highway cap. I believe they have it in their 'more than on the bubble' status of project progress. Its not approved and signed for, but realistically that would be very strange at this point in the project. http://www.downtowntirz.com/downtownhouston/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/08-11-20-Board-Book-FINAL.pdf Yes there is a $500M price tag being mentioned for this cap, but you have to remember how much money is going to be made in terms of new development, increase in existing property value and the potential for sprucing up GRB to make it a super fancy conference destination. The city would be foolish to look at this and say 'nah I'd love to have a big hole instead'. Agreed. You can tell Chartres was designed with the express purpose of getting as many suburban commuters from the highway offramps to their office and vice versa (not unlike a number of other streets around downtown). Hopefully with good road design and light timing etc it can be controlled. The city is at least saying the right things in terms of supporting multi-modal development -- only time will tell if that is really on the agenda.

Get out of here with your facts...and logic...and making sense!

This project is so funny to me. I'm glad the Embassy Suites is getting covered up, but damn that pool is going to be useless lol. "Visitors to the Embassy Suites can enjoy sunning themselves daily from 12:33 to 12:37pm"

4 Houston Center is 986,000 SF and sits on two full blocks. Using the land price per square foot from the Skanska land sale, the land is worth at least $56 million, probably a lot more given the better location. But just taking the $56 million, the building would have to be worth about $57/SF or less for them to demolish, probably more like $50/SF to cover demo cost and entrepreneurial incentive. Best comp for the building's value is probably 1111 Fannin, which sold last year for $69/SF, although this building is probably worth a bit more (but so is the land). So... yeah. In 10 years, as the building gets more obsolete and the land value goes up, this could be a redevelopment.

Had a chance to view these renderings. This building will have even more terraces than Texas Tower. I think this forum will be very impressed by the redesign. High quality project - hopefully it gets capitalized!

Sign posted on Calumet:

https://www.hcfcd.org/Activity/Active-Projects/Brays-Bayou/C-11-Project-Brays/Project-Brays-Construction-Updates

There’s a deed of trust from April 2020 on this site (Instrument RP-2020-166598) Looks like a dollar amount to cover preliminaries before construction commences (e.g. impact fees).

Just listened to a presentation given by Kirby Liu earlier last year. The concept of connecting to Amtrak is on their radar. It sounds like, at least so far, they haven't been able to get Amtrak interested... But are hopeful once they (Post) demonstrate some success...

Building is gone, seems like 80% of the lot was parking lot.

I took that to be a reference to the surrounding properties, not to the building's physical exterior.

In the warehouse district master planning, there is a concept of encouraging Metro to relocate the bus facilities to the north on part of the land that is currently occupied by I-10, but will be abandoned by TXDoT when the freeway is relocated as part of NHHIP. This would free up the Metro land for private development along the north canal.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/astros/article/Astros-Jim-Crane-expansion-Minute-Maid-Park-16596664.php Jim Crane basically said he plans to develop it. Also this, from ballpark digest:

I think they're designing the cap to have highrises built on top as well.

I for one would much rather this than the current setup of a highway underpass and a 4 lane feeder road

I don't believe there will be a disconnect on the East Side any more than the disconnect present today. The west side of downtown is almost fully dense, the only thing separating Midtown/ Allen parkway area and downtown is the highway. An example, Harmonica Park is located right across multiple apartment buildings. If that highway was just a street, it would make it a lot easier for residents in the area to visit the park, but look at what they'd have to cross. If they use the sidewalk, they would end up having to go down a couple of blocks in the opposite direction then back around.... for a park thats technically across from them. The east side has the same situation only there isn't much density, especially on the blocks marked above. So not only does a pedestrian have to go under the highway to get to downtown, but they also have to go through a parking lot or an abandoned building. Also, I guarantee people would much rather prefer to walk above a highway than under it. I know it sounds subjective, but people get a sense of security when they're walking in a bright/open space vs under a highway.

I drove by it today. It's crazy how much nicer the park looks next door just because they removed the chain link fence.

Just to pile on (because why not) I went through and marked blocks nearby that are either empty or very much underutilized. I don't think it is comprehensive, but it is illustrative that there isn't a lack of land for businesses to move to around that area.

Love that they are actually putting down pavers. I usually expect these kind of details that show up in renderings to end up dropped (if they were ever actually intended...) during construction

My understanding (as a tenant of Common Desk on the second floor) is that the 4th and 5th floors are intended to be majority, though not entirely, leased to Microsoft and a Chevron green energy accelerator. And it's more about those companies not being in any hurry to get back to in-person office work yet. Hopefully that delay isn't an indefinite one, but my understanding was that it's just the expected slowness that comes with getting anything moving during Covid. I could be misinformed, but I feel like that's what I've heard.

The developers are doing that because they can make a known return building what they know how to build. Sure, they could build apartments with GFR and all that jazz, but they don't know for sure if it will make them money. Developers tend to be pretty low risk types. None of them want to build 500,000 square feet of GFR and have it end up empty, or have to find new tenants every 6 months when the restaurant concepts fail.

Cyclists or pedestrians would find themselves in a place where running for help is not an option, where other people can't see an attack take place. It's tailor-made for robbery, rape, and assault. People who have any street sense know to avoid such places when possible.

The editorial reads like a press release. Doubt the Chronicle contributed much more than the title.

A few weeks after the proposal was approved by whom? I suspect what you are remembering is the final City Council vote granting Metro rights-of-way to use city streets, which occurred in November 2000. AFTER Metro had spent years planning the line and running it through various other approvals. Construction started in March 2001, 15 or 16 weeks after the right-of-way approval. (FWIW, the BRT and light rail projects included in MetroNext will also require city council approvals of rights of way for Metro, which approvals have not yet been sought or received.)

To play devil's advocate, I think doing home depot or pep boys as GFR under an apartment as a lot less appealing than HEB. I agree though it is a lost opportunity -- especially if they EVER fix that bike bridge into the heights.

There are suburban style developments all along the feeder within the inner-loop. Hell, Houston’s only natural landmark, Buffalo Bayou, is just starting to see vertical mixed use development. There’s no reason to expect any different for development outside of a few key areas.

I love this building and loved driving by it as a kid. It was always a favorite. I cannot seem to find a timeframe on when they plan to open the building or anything. I was really hoping they were going to put some loft apartments in there prior to discovering that someone was working on it. Anyone know what the next phase for the building is?

Let's not get started on the Astrodome argument on this site. I think it has its own post.

I don't know why there is even a debate about the Astrodome. I don't see why it is controversial to preserve. I am also pretty sure it would be a functioning tourist attraction right now if it were not for the Texans and the Rodeo. I think Ed Emmett was willing to take them on and Lina Hidalgo isn't. It's not a fight that most people would want to have in their first or second term as judge. Some of those buildings you mention I am not sure pass cost/benefit analysis. Sam Houston Coliseum had some history but was pretty dated for its function. Location comes into play. New York is on its third or fourth iteration of Madison Square Garden. Some of those early iterations were pretty amazing structures with 100 times the history of Sam Houston Coliseum, but land on Madison Square is too precious a commodity to be taken up by a functionally obsolete arena (and yes, I do realize that the current MSG is not on Madison Square). POST might see the wrecking ball too at some point and I won't be chaining myself to the bulldozers.

The Orange Show and Smither Park will be part of a new 8-acre campus. A Houston Outsider Art Center Beloved by Dominique de Menil Is Expanding Into an Eight-Acre Campus for Offbeat Creativity | Artnet News

Looks like this one might sit for a while. Noticed them spraying grass seed this week.

Almeda bridge looking southbound, only two support columns for better water flow and the approach appears to be at least 12"+ higher than the existing road. Calhoun bridge.

Yes, in bridge design, the bridge engineer doesn't change the road profile (difficult to change in urban areas), so the deeper beam will create less area under the bridge for the water to flow. More area was added (thicker bridge) to impede water flow than was removed by taking out a couple of bents. However, less bents is also good because it prevents debris from being trapped at the columns and impeding water flow. It takes just a couple of iterations to get it right. Also a lot of the new bridges are being built with recently updated rain/hydraulic data.

IIRC, the Hyde Park Grocery (Fairview @ Taft, currently Cuchara) was a Lucky 7 store, as was Ventura's Market (on W. Alabama - since demolished).

According to the paper, it opened in November 1967 as "Orlando's Lucky 7" (Lucky 7 being a grocer franchisee at the time, much like Minimax).

^^^ ok, enough with the KIBBLES 'n BITS scenario! maybe, just maybe, someone can deliver unto us proud HAIFERS, the approximate date/time... that the official new renderings/concepts may be hereby presented to the masses. props, in advance...