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More Football Operations Building News, along with a fundraising campaign. Campaign: https://uhcougars.com/news/2022/6/23/cougar-pride-houston-athletics-launches-100-million-fundraising-drive.aspx A lot of new images with a few old ones.

the design and size of this hotel suggests it should be closer to the price point of The Carpenter in Austin, which is 200-400. and to repeat, none of the hotels y'all suggested are ones I could in good conscience recommend to other millennial travellers. The Heights House is a trashy uncool embarrassment, and the others are very much expense account/business traveler-driven.

Levcor now selling NW Mall https://www.levcor.com/northwest-mall

Lunch time.

Hopefully it will be purchased by Hanover or Midway!

Plan Review permit was pulled.

Still no work going on but they took a lane and parking away with the new barriers.

Bare concrete looks like a future fountain and will be covered in marble.

Really is a beautiful building.

Hunt Realty Investments is planning an 11-acre development called North End, located between Victory and the Woodall Rogers freeway. The development will include office, hotel, and residential towers, with the tallest office tower potentially anchored by an 800,000 SF lease to Goldman Sachs. The tower could rise as high as 80 stories. Kohn Pederson Fox has drawn initial plans for the development. Dallas City Council approved $18 million in incentives for Goldman Sachs yesterday, which is choosing between Dallas and a few other cities for the new office, although Dallas already has their second-largest office after New York. Most of the employees for the new office would come from that office. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2022/06/10/goldman-sachs-office-tower-near-downtown-dallas-will-be-the-largest-in-a-generation/ https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2022/06/22/goldman-sachs-would-bring-5000-jobs-to-new-dallas-office/

Most/all of their properties are retail. I'm in disbelief that we'd actually get retail right there. Its badly needed, just in disbelief. Also, I feel like the neighborhood would fight it. BUT, if we get a little Marq'E mixed with some 19th and Yale from their portfolio in this spot...myyyyyy goodness. It would change the complexion of museum district.

Condos actually start at 16th floor. That floor is the common area (pool, club house, etc) but it does have a penthouse on that floor and I think that's what the patio is for. The rest of the floor is common area so no patio and thus the weird asymmetry. Starting from floors 17-29 are regular condos and 30-35 are the penthouses. Thompson Hotel is up to 15th floor but not sure how much of that are rooms vs parking.

Is Regine's still moving forward? I reached out to Lombardi Family Concepts several times since January for clarification. Around December, I heard their Lombardi's concept is opening in the Uptown Park development. I also saw listings for positions for Lombardi's in Houston around that time, however, a location was not provided. This week, a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration lists construction plans for Lombardi's at Uptown Park. There wasn't a suite number listed, so I don't know if it is replacing Regine's, which was originally planned for the former Tasting Room unit.

Why are he and Jackson Lee framing this as if they had no idea about it? Are they that disconnected or are they taking the opportunity to cash in on political clout? And on the net-zero housing pledge demands: I'm pretty sure that will happen naturally when these lots are replaced with something twice as tall with less parking...

It would be foolish to not have these working before 2026. I know that's a while away but knowing this city, they would literally wait till the week of the World Cup to get them repaired. This is good news though that it's being considered for the yearly budget.

Here's some news on the Bridge Lighting -- A report was given at Houston First's Operations Committee meeting in April: "The bridges were a partnership project between TxDOT, Montrose Management District ("MMD") and Houston Galveston Area Council with a $3.5 Million budget. The lights were initially turned on just before Super Bowl LI in 2017. MMD was responsible for maintaining the bridges [sic], but was dissolved in 2018, resulting in the City of Houston transferring the responsibility of the lighting system on the bridges to Houston First in early 2019. Shortly before taking over the responsibility, deterioration of the lighting system was noticed. It will cost approximately $1.5 million to make the lights operable and $90,000 a year to operate and maintain. The president/CEO emphasized that this project is not within the mission of HFC but the increase costs will need to be considered when planning the budget." So, at least it's on someone's radar...

Yeah MST&G was loud af and the crowd it attracted always resorted to some sort of fight or whatever. This is a really cool concept for the neighborhood. I hope they do well because as a cyclist this is badass.

If you look closely you can see all the vintage train cars next to the left warehouse.

The Menil should just start a construction/development company at this point and start designing all over Montrose cuz they clearly understand the aesthetic. Those renderings perfectly vibe with the area, my goodness.

Project: Memorial Park Running Complex - Cafe Architect: Schaum/Shieh Information: 3,100 S.F. cafe/concessions building. Approx. 2,000 S.F. interior and 1,000 S.F. exterior covered patio area.

Project Name: Us Living W. Alabama Architect: Preston Partnership Information: 13-story residential building. 9 Levels of residential over 4 Levels of parking. 385 units totaling 372,211 S.F. A total building area (garage not included) of 387,801 S.F. Garage has a total of 518 parking spaces. There is a 2,838 S.F. makerspace/art room with a 894 S.F. outdoor terrace at Level 3. Outdoor amenity terrace including pool, yoga lawn, zen garden, fire pit and grilling area totaling 16,634 S.F. at Level 5. Fitness, solarium, kitchen and dinning, bar/pub, and meeting spaces also at Level 5.

Project: Araj Taghi Custom Homes Office Building Address: 1514 Antoine Dr. Houston, TX 77055 Architect: Interfield Information: 3-story office building. Level 3 will be Araj Taghi offices and Level 2 will be lease space. Ground level entrances and parking. 8,940 S.F.

I forgot to include this blurb here last week about EaDo Navigation at 2311 Canal St: Broham, the boutique grocer and market from chef Jonny Rhodes coming next year to the East River development at 100 Jensen, will temporarily operate at 2311 Canal in the coming months. More below: "Broham Fine Soul Food & Groceries...plans to open a temporary 1,270 square-foot location early fall in a nearby building owned by Midway at 2311 Canal Street. Once Phase One construction is complete, the self-sustainable boutique bodega will relocate to their permanent 4,000 square-foot space in The Depot (the ground level of the garage)." https://realtynewsreport.com/east-river-signs-retailers-to-redevelopment

Excavation continues.

The garage is so tall! Makes a huge statement at Main & Holcombe.

A few more floors to go.

Blue screen is up!

Love to see a business get to choose the amount of parking that is right for them since they are in a market-based parking area.

https://www.parksideatdg.com/

Thought I would share this model.

I can't recall all the businesses operating at 4002 N Main St, but in recent years the property was home to Skinny Rita's Grille, Stuttgarden Tavern, and Main Street Tap & Grill. 4002 N Main St, I think, is located in the Montie Beach neighborhood within the Greater Heights area.

Houston Zoo Galapagos Exhibit, Houston Zoo - American Sealants. Inc (amsealinc.com)

849 people in a city of more than 1 million people in a metro area of more than 8 million. It's never good when public policy outcomes are determined by the loudest voices. I do not get that conclusion from this statistic: 31% + 27% = 58% of 849 people in favor of keeping the highway is in line with 66% of a different 1,000 people 2 years later. I don't think one can label the current state of affairs is exactly "politically popular." The truth of the matter is the vast majority of the community just isn't engaged. It's a matter of making the simple case between the status quo and "doing something," just as it always has been. Avoiding "doing something" that affects hundreds of thousands of people a day because, for example, some group thinks private housing that was bought with gas tax monies for the express purpose of building a freeway should be converted to a measly 400 units of public housing--I can assure you--that will definitely not be politically popular, not to mention illegal.

Yes please 🚴‍♀️ 🏃‍♀️🥪☕!!!

Yeah... 10, 45, bayou, 610. Though I could see an argument for taking it all the way down to W Dallas as the southern border.

Washington Corridor really should have been its own forum. There's enough development, it contains multiple neighborhoods, and it really isn't the Heights. Even the sliver along Heights Boulevard that historically was part of the Heights isn't really anymore.

Narrator: It did not, in fact, look like Chicago.

From the ARC3 Architects web site....... https://www.arc-3.com/boards#/1801-smith-street/

Front entrance.

They were punching out windows on this yesterday.

There’s an elevator to the left of the front entrance (San Jacinto) next to the former Jos A Bank store. That’s still in use fulfilling the ADA requirement. There’s also elevators on the Lamar side as well as Austin St at the back of the dining area (next to the outdoor balcony overlooking Austin St. Passing by the other day, I’m surprised how much of the old front entrance has been dismantled. The renders didn’t really focus too much on this side so I feel like we’ve missed some details on changes to the main entrance. Are they reconfiguring the escalator setup? Also, what becomes of the old Tejas Grill space. IIRC they closed up after the renovation was started. Is rehabbing this space included in the renovation plans or left up to whomever leases the space?

Collaborative Building: Helix Gardens: One Discovery Way: Mixed-Use Garage:

Love the different glass types. Very nice building!

Early discussions for a renovation project involved a potential $200 million figure, before I think Hurricane Harvey scrapped everything. I seem to remember it was going to involve a complete gutting as well as adding a rooftop garden. At the time, I was disappointed that they weren't going to build a whole new symphony hall, as Hans Graf called for them to do twenty years ago. Although I will say that the last couple times I've been in town and seen Jones Hall, it had a certain venerable awe, maybe because I've lately been going to concerts at the Long Center in Austin. Anyway... I'm just glad that they're even renovating it at all. You have to look at the glass half full.

I haven't been in there recently, but there always have been multiple elevators. At least one on each end and one or more in between. I think even more than one set in the middle. A quick call to the management suggesting better directions be displayed might be in order. A forum rant, let alone a call to the Governor, not so much. Judging by the signage you photographed, it looks like they are trying, but as with any large renovation project, things change from day to day and the signage may not have kept up.

I listened to this podcast, which had as its guest Bob Eury's successor at Central Houston (someone who most recently was head of some Hollywood BID). Anyway, he stated the organization's goal is 30K residents in downtown Houston . . . he didn't give a timeframe on that, but that is about triple the current number. Seems like probably a good 20-year goal. Obviously it was all kick-started by the DLI incentive packages, and there have been a couple of non-DLI projects since, but that's a lot of new units to deliver. Seems like still a ways to go in getting the momentum going towards tripling the units downtown. Looped In Podcast: Interview with Kris Larson and Angie Bertinot of Central Houston on downtown Houston's recovery post-pandemic (houstonchronicle.com)

"Dynamic and walkable"🙄

@BEES?! Its been open since Sept. 27 and it's a beer garden.