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From UHD From White Oak Bayou Trail

100% this. I was there in the meetings in the very beginning (because I live close to I-45) and no one was raising any idea about mass transit until too far into the project when they are trying to finalize the design. When TXDOT first proposed doing this project, the city should have been working with them hand in hand. Would be curious how that section south of the Westpark Tollway got there. Did the city and the toll road authority work together to keep that land available? It's clearly meant for mass transit with even the highway pillars being set so that light rail or BRT can travel between them. That sort of engagement should have been here on this project but it never was. I didn't see BRT diagrams until the final months of decision making for the I-45 project. The most my neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods were trying to do were working on connections that TXDOT was removing, such as the North St Bridge (which is gone unfortunately in the design) and ramps on the northside of N Main which I still don't understand. There was also the talk of sound barriers. That was literally it.

Yeah eventually we'll see those areas connected with proper drainage, etc. The city wants to put a bond proposal in front of voters to take care of issues like that and all city infrastructure so we don't have to wait for funding before another street is rebuilt. City Council talked about it at the last Sidewalk Summit. Good things are happening and continuing to happen.

That's a lot of tall high-rise residential in a just a few short years. I used to think 35 stories was pretty big...

On The Other Hand, since capacity is constrained by the single-track railroads, there's a lot of traffic from Houston east, and as Amtrak has no scheduled station stops between Houston and Beaumont the UP dispatchers normally make Amtrak use 'directional running'. As a legacy of the megamergers Union Pacific has two parallel single-track routes between Houston and Beaumont: The ex-Southern Pacific line through Crosby and Liberty and the ex-Missouri Pacific line which runs north of it through Huffman and Hardin. Normally, these days, eastbound trains take the ex-MoPac line and westbounders take the traditional Sunset Route. To get to the eastbound track from the downtown Amtrak station the train has to get on the former Missouri Pacific route which originally ran through Conroe and Trinity to Palestine (former route of the Houston section of the MoPac Texas Eagle). Problem is there is no direct flyover or crossover from point A to point B. So what the eastbound train has to do is to follow the Sunset Route until it's past Tower 26, then back up on the diverging track south past Lyons Avenue which puts it on the old MoPac line, and finally proceed northbound on the ex-MoPac main until it diverges east for Beaumont just past 610. This dance takes a little time and, needless to say, throws a monkey wrench into freight movements through the area (and the feeling is mutual). But I suppose it's simpler and cheaper than double-tracking the Sunset Route or, heaven forbid, building a spur route or crossover intended primarily for passenger traffic....

FAA filing confirms height of 1,035’ 06/01/2023 - 06/01/2026 construction timeline. https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/searchAction.jsp?action=displayOECase&oeCaseID=561697793&row=5

Zoo Lights https://flic.kr/p/2o1XAaq

While unusual it's far from being unique. Reference this map (which is a few years out of date). What the dispatcher was doing was ordering your train to back up on the "passenger main" where the Amtrak station is to west of Chaney Junction, where the freight main line (which, incidentally, is the one with the graffiti-covered bridge over I-45 and I-10 north of downtown) diverges. Once on the freight main, it's a direct shot to Tower 26 and thence to Belt Junction which is where the ex-MoPac line to Beaumont and New Orleans (main line #4 on the map) leaves the terminal area. Why do they do that? Can't say. It could be that there was heavy freight train traffic at and around Tower 26 blocking the spur lines, or perhaps track work was in progress. While the directional running I mentioned above is standard operating procedure now that can change at the drop of a hat; if major track work is underway on either main track to Beaumont all traffic in both directions will likely be diverted to the other one.

Give me Montrose Blvd over Kirby Drive any day of the week.

u/drpetar posted this pic in r/Austin.

Tower crane base has been installed.

(1) I'd have to think a lot hinged on this past election and people were in "wait-and-see" mode. I think @Triton is right that we may see some movement either one way or the other soon (although I have nothing to base that on). (2) As a longtime State pol, I think Mayor Turner sees his role as an intermediary between the County and the State and the business community, so he has been pretty deliberate and not being the loudest voice in the room (although I have nothing to base that on, either). Regardless the mantra of these anti-NHHIP groups appears to be, "Well we complained, so they're supposed to cancel everything," again, based on what happened in like 1950s Baltimore when whole neighborhoods nowhere near any existing freeway were being demolished for the first time. At no point have they offered any alternative other than to not build, it is absolutely performative and juvenile and not in the best interest of the city or the region as it's not like the problem goes away. I mean, sheesh, at least put something up that says, "Spend the $7 billion on commuter rail, and here's an alignment that would work." If they tried, I'd definitely have more empathy.

Levit Green Boulevard: Sidewalks:

What's interesting is, when I first starting going back to Houston (as often as I possibly could) after (unwillingly) moving to Alamo Town, it struck me how much denser and "tighter" Houston feels than SA. Not just downtown, but all over the Inner Loop. It first really struck me on Waugh, driving from Memorial to my friends' place in Montrose. ETA:Let me add that Downtown San Antonio is a totally different story.

The newest desktop Google Maps shows the new building.

Kind of horrifying to think that after this is redeveloped, it's still going to be like 70% surface parking.

Backside of the Big Tex Storage on Montrose, it's really not an attractive building to photograph.

Words cannot express how awesome this building is.

This is one of my favorite views of downtown.

In the Houston Business Journal article linked on page 27 (and quoted above), there is this about retail tenants planned for Lifestyle Pavilion at 1755 Allen Pkwy (or 1701 Allen Parkway): "The company has not yet named the building's other tenants, which include two restaurants, but additional tenant announcements are expected this fall. One of the restaurants will have a rooftop terrace, the company said." https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2022/10/20/dc-partners-texans-fit.html I think in addition to contemporary Mexican steakhouse Toca Madera, the other restaurant possibly planned for the Lifestyle Pavilion at the Allen is Maizon. Maizon is a Mediterranean dining concept from Los Angeles-based hospitality and lifestyle company Noble 33 (more about the concept from What Now NYC). The company is also involved in expanding Toca Madera in partnership with the Madera Group. Noble 33 previously disclosed plans to expand concepts from the Madera Group (which include Toca Madera). Additionally, the company also hopes to introduce their own concepts in various cities, including Houston. I'm not a hundred percent certain Maizon is leasing space in the mixed-use development. It's possible Noble 33 could open Maizon elsewhere. However, the restaurant along with Toca Madera are coming soon to Houston, according to Noble 33's website. There is also this on the site: "Noble 33 is a hospitality and lifestyle company with an ever-evolving lineup of unique, social dining restaurants stateside and abroad, Noble 33 leads the management and continued expansion of iconic brands Toca Madera and Casa Madera, while also developing brand new concepts such as Sparrow Italia and Maizon Mediterrania that will further expand the boundaries of high-energy fine-dining. Future targets for new locations include West Hollywood, Houston, New York, and Miami." https://www.noble33.com/ More details about Maizon's Houston location will likely be announced after the winter holidays.

I love the project and all, but honestly, I laughed a bit at "easy Metrorail connection to CBD". Unless this project includes some serious pedestrian infrastructure beyond the property lines, it's actually going to be a really annoying walking connection to both the rail and, (though I'm more optimistic about this being quickly remedied) the Brays Bayou trail. Not exactly too far from the TMC stop, but definitely not a pleasant walk. I hope the district has a plan for this. Would hate to see this become yet another car-centric wolf in pedestrian sheep's clothing.

One Discovery Way marketing material from Beacon Capital Partners 2022_03_28_BeaconCapital_OneDiscoveryWay.pdf

An aerial shot of the Mill mixed-use development, 2315 Navigation Blvd. The photo was posted yesterday on BuiltNearby's Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck0-S_epTUQ/

I appreciated her being honest about the likely gentrification effects of the project. I think she's right that a large project like this - especially if they can ultimately get a full scale grocery store - can be as transformative of local income levels as it probably will be for local rents. But that could just as (/much more) easily not happen as happen. Based on what she said, it sounds like they're trying to be intentional about that, but while I'd love to see those efforts succeed, I remain skeptical. Some things that could maybe help with that: -Higher all-day frequencies for buses that connect ER to 5th & 2nd Ward neighborhoods (and/or a Jenson/Lyons rail or BRT line). -More or a focus on protected bike routes from the north and south (plus bridges). -For office tenants (and the Johnny Rhodes concept), partnerships with neighborhood schools (and the HCC campus on Drennan) to create (paid) internships for students. -Make plaza space free or very cheap to book for food/market stalls. -Include a variety short-term-leasing retail/service spaces, including for things like dance & exercise class studios. -Seems like a great place for a music school + instrument shop. Obviously, Midway is under no obligation to do any of this. But it would make me happy if they did.

Aerial shots of East River posted last week to Built Nearby's Instagram. East River is Midway's mixed-use development in the Fifth Ward at 100 Jensen. https://www.instagram.com/p/CkgWWetLbkD/ These were also posted last week during previews of golf course East 9 and its companion restaurant / icehouse Riverhouse.

A few nuggets from Houston Chronicle's Looped In podcast with Midway regarding retail in the first phase of East River (100 Jensen): About Johny Rhodes' boutique grocery store Broham: "It's a smaller grocery, but it's very sustainably focused, so it'll all be his homegrown produce. He does offer other products, but in a sustainable way. So a lot of times there's a lot of waste in grocery stores, especially when it comes to meat and how animals are processed. And he will sell every part of an animal before he brings more meat to the store. And so it's that kind of mindset that's driving his concept. Even when produce starts to go bad, before it hits that point, he plans to bring it back to his farm and turn it into preserve so that it can be sold at the store. And so Food Fight Farms is the name of his farm, and his whole family has been working on growing this produce. So he's super excited. So are we. It's going to be a really unique concept. So he wants to be open by June 10, 2023. That is his day to open." About other retail previously announced: "So El Condor is our coffee shop. They've been working with a lot of local groups for a long time here in Houston and are working on their own blend right now. So we'll have our own kind of East River blend of coffee, which will be great. Lick ice cream. They have some locations in Austin, in College Station at our other project there. And so we're excited to have them here as well." "And then at the top of the waterfront building, we have the second event location for Astorian (estimated delivery is Fall 2023). So this will be very different than their current location. It will have its own name, most likely inspired by the large outdoor terrace that they have at the top level. When they started looking at the space and considering it as an event center, we really wanted to make sure that the public could also enjoy that view. And so they completely agreed and have incorporated kind of an outdoor bar cocktail lounge on the corner there. So when it's not reserved, that will be open for the public." "We also have Tomi Jewelry, which has taken one of the white box spaces in the multifamily project." About the ground floor retail units in the Laura, the multifamily development at East River: "So those retail spaces will be delivered more and ready. So that makes it a lot easier for first time users to move in and not have to deal with the confusion or hassle of construction. We've used short term leases so they can be shorter term leases in that building. And they're much smaller spaces, so we can keep the price point a lot lower. And we'd love for that whole building to be kind of pop up, more local, kind of eclectic spaces along the plaza there."

Thanks! A few nuggets from Houston Chronicle's Looped In podcast with Midway regarding East River at 100 Jensen: "There are essentially five or six sections of the site. We are on the first section all the way at the west end of the site where the Jensen bridge comes across the bayou. And so this is where we started construction. This entire section is about 26 acres." "As you come over the Jensen bridge traveling north, you'll see the Laura, which is our 360 unit apartment complex. It's right along the bayou. It has an outdoor pool at ground level that connects to the trail system and has a great view of downtown. And then you would turn into the project from Jensen and then you will see a future office building called the Stacks building. It's inspired by kind of industrial wharf buildings. That building will start construction next year." "And then as you come around the bend, we have a district parking garage that's kind of central to this section. And then once you get out of your car, you would travel south towards the bayou. And there we are under construction on two office buildings. Both are five levels. They both have retail at the ground floor. The waterfront building has retail at the top floor. And then there's two other smaller retail buildings along the waterfront there that are one story. There are also metal buildings that look like little warehouse buildings when they're complete. And those will have kind of food and beverage concepts there. This is just one small part of the project. It was really important for us to just get started. That's been our goal over the last two years." "That waterfront building actually was initially designed closer to the bayou, and through the design process, we decided to shift it further away to allow a larger green space overlooking the bayou. That buffer zone includes the Buffalo Bayou Trail system, which extends all the way through downtown. It's like a 15 miles network of trails that will continue to extend east through the east End, and adjacent to that, along this entire waterfrontage, there will be parks essentially designed to connect between the buildings to those bike paths. So people can ride their bike here and then kind of meander up into the park space. And then if they like, they can visit the retailers and venture further into the project. But we do want to preserve kind of this green belt along the entire waterfront there." "...Now we have both office buildings topped out. The Laura is almost topped out. The garage is topped out, and almost complete. The park spaces will start construction in November, and so all this will be complete beginning of next year. So we'll have our first office tenants moving in in March there... And then the retail, they'll take a little bit longer to build out... they'll be building out over the summer. [We're] trying to get that coffee shop (El Condor) open earlier so that our office users can start buying their coffee day one. But we are planning a big grand opening event for fall of next year, and we hope to have all the retail open by that time." "So East River Nine is all the way at the eastern end of the site. The site follows the bayou, and part of it kind of extends out where there's a bit of a peninsula. And from that part of the site, you have a great view down the bayou with downtown in the distance. But as we started out at the west end of the site, it's going to be probably 15 or 20 years until we get to that end of the site." "So this group proposed a golf course on that peninsula part of the site. It's a nine hole par three golf course. So it's not your traditional golf course. It's meant to be community oriented, family friendly. It's a shorts and flip flops type place that's got an ice house and a restaurant kind of on the property. And they've also been doing a lot of great community outreach in advance of the opening. So they've partnered up with PGA Reach, which is a nonprofit to work with veterans and youth in the community. For some of the veterans, it can be therapeutic just to get out and have that focus and then obviously, engaging youth very early can open a lot of doors for people and be great for your career. And they also approach Wheatley High School about having a golf team. And Wheatley's in the Fifth Ward. Here where we are. And what was cool is when they went to talk to the staff at Wheatley, they realized the vice principal had gotten a full right scholarship for golf. And so it really just kind of reinforced the idea that this game that maybe traditionally hasn't felt accessible to everyone, you know, really doesn't need to be that way." "We don't have a boat dock in this first phase, but it is something that we're looking to incorporate in future phases." "..there are 360 units at the Laura. It is planned to deliver the first units summer of next year. So June of 2023. They're a little ahead of schedule right now, which is great." "Well, one of the initial wish list items from the neighborhood was a grocery store because we are in a food desert. There is no full size grocery store here. And we have had many conversations with some of the larger grocery centers. And at this point, it's too early for them to feel like it's a neighborhood that they should be in."

4 story 69 units with ground floor parking. Architect - https://elementarchitects.com

From my friend at Methodist.

It's hard to take the report of "mothballing" too seriously when they also tell us that the building is 23,500 square feet .. I'm sorry, but anyone who could write that should not be reporting on commercial real estate matters. They also tell us that "It (mothballing) is a fate that has already befallen some of the Bayou City’s other notable office towers" with a link to a story about ONE building that was foreclosed and says nothing about any buildings being mothballed. <SMH> To make matters even worse, they keep throwing out the word "mothball", but there doesn't seem to be any indication from Brookfield that they are "mothballing" is even one of the alternatives they are considering. It seems some kind of repurposing would be considerably more likely. What a sad mish-mash of an article that was.

That last one really shows how far the city has come since that notorious late-70s parking desert photo. Still a ways to go, but man. For reference:

This week's update.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/texas-inc/article/Real-estate-transactions-Gateway-to-the-Museum-17504000.php Office Building is about 60% leased now. Apparently it is named the Museo Institute for Medical Arts.

228’ https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/searchAction.jsp?action=displayOECase&oeCaseID=541455555&row=5