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Showing content with the highest reputation since 03/21/2024 in all areas

  1. I'm not ultra-close to the 11th project, but this statement - along with similar ones about the Montrose Boulevard project - is deeply frustrating to me. Do people not realize how insanely hard it is to get anything done for non-drivers in this city? It took six 311 calls to get the knocked-over school speed limit sign outside of my school moved a few inches off of the three-foot sidewalk. Not fixed, not even cleared away. Moved a foot and a half. I know that's a pretty stretched anecdote, but my point is this: every piece of infrastructure built for pedestrians and cyclists is the product of years - usually over a decade - of begging, clawing, fundraising, desperate (and mostly ignored) public outreach, and compromise with the twelve angry NIMBYs who default to opposition on everything. It may or may not be true in this instance, but the paradigm of bending over backwards to appease every opposing voice has been strangling this city (the whole country, really) for too damn long.
    14 points
  2. Wolfgramm, Tannos developing condos in East Montrose - Houston Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
    10 points
  3. The Houston Methodist Centennial Tower sure is becoming imposing at street level. It's just massive. You would think this is an office skyscraper but it's a hospital.
    9 points
  4. Randall Davis Co. unveils plans for Rice Village condo tower - Houston Business Journal (bizjournals.com) “This is an area that is really underserved for condo living,” said Davis, founder and CEO of the Randall Davis Co. “There’s currently no opportunity for people to buy a lock-and-leave home. A lot of people in the Rice Village area, especially empty nesters or those wanting to downsize from a large house, want to stay in their wonderful neighborhood. So, that’s what this project hopes to do: give them an option that doesn’t currently exist.” He also threatens teases another project in the works... "That said, Davis is in the process of lining up yet another condo project, but he isn’t ready to share details about it yet. “Call me in six or seven weeks,” he said."
    9 points
  5. It is not possible to eliminate all opposition with *any* project, and road diets in particular always have opponents. You don't like this project. We get it. That doesn't make it unsuccessful. 11th St was unsafe and uncomfortable and now it is much less so. Is it perfect? No. But it does a much better job of prioritizing human life and was able to be implemented relatively quickly and cost effectively.
    8 points
  6. Lizard people. Whitmire's campaign was mostly funded by the lizard people. Everyone knows their lair is underneath that government complex. That's how they control the politicians. The lizard people need more traffic on Houston Avenue because the vibrations run the generators that power their heat lamps. It's science. The entrance to their labyrinth is underneath the fake "slide" at the corner of Kessler and Elder. Did you never think it was strange that there would be a tiny playground in the middle of an industrial wasteland, with just one piece of playground equipment, surrounded by a security fence?
    8 points
  7. Houston's Tony Marron Park is set to undergo major renovations at the end of this year. But before then, Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Aurora Picture Show are throwing one last big art fest at the east side park. Called Night Light, the festival features several visual artists who have created site-specific light installations that will be projected throughout the park on the evening of April 6. It's a continuation of Houston's long-standing embrace of light and space artists, from James Turrell Skyspace at Rice University to Carlos Cruz-Diez to Jean-Michel Jarre's Rendez-vous Houston, which famously lit up the buildings of Downtown in 1986. For Night Light, BBP’s co-presenter, Aurora Picture Show, has chosen mostly Houston artists, including Violette Bule, Ronald Llewellyn Jones, and duo Nick Vaughan & Jake Margolin, who will create site-specific works to be displayed in the park. This is the second year that the festival will take place at Tony Marron Park and will likely be the last event there until renovations at the park are completed in 2026. https://www.chron.com/culture/arts/article/night-light-festival-houston-18967660.php
    8 points
  8. The fronts are boarded up recently for a less-than-lovely look. The more positive note is that there were a bunch of 'suits' walking all over the property for an hour+ yesterday (March 20). Fingers crossed.
    8 points
  9. Just spent the week in Kansas City for the Big 12 Conference tournament. The area around the Toyota Center is brutally awful by comparison. The Power and Light District built around the T Mobile Center has 3 modern glass condo/apartment towers, a massive covered plaza for DJs and big screen action with tons of cheesy bars and restaurants facing it. Then there are several pedestrian scaled blocks around it that are closed to traffic on game days. There are no visible open air garages in site. All parking is underground or hidden behind retail. It's really well done. If Houston could just start with that awful Tundra Garage,,, Also, the convention center is right across the highway there which is sunken. Makes for a much better pedestrian experience than walking under a freeway as our hotel was a beautiful new Loew's by the convention center. I was with my sister who lives in One Park Place and she kept saying the only thing KC was missing was a Discovery Green type park.
    8 points
  10. Visioning from October 2023 Feedback Summary:
    7 points
  11. Construction update from today. The parking garage is rising on a slant.
    7 points
  12. A photograph of the rear of the campus. Honestly, the painted garage is not bad. Some of these precast garages do not event get painted.
    7 points
  13. 7 points
  14. I was at the Montrose HEB and noticed the luffing tower crane's boom was stretched out flat, are they going to take it down? Went over to check it out, Maxim has their AT crane set up to remove it.
    6 points
  15. Hard to imagine a worse land usage to front a rail stop than a car dealership, so I'm pretty optimistic that whatever comes next will be an improvement.
    6 points
  16. BCM is rocking it right now. Their campus just keeps getting bigger.
    6 points
  17. This has broken ground. Let's gooo!!! Should we move this to Going Up! ? I don't think HAIF has ever watched and documented a $200 million energy substation? The top of the electrical gear and utility poles must be of a tall height as well. Definitely a niche build. Edit: This topic was originally in Going Up! I thought the official CenterPoint Energy press release indicated they wanted to source more power to the nearby TMC Helix Park. That's quite the effort to build a whole new substation for one (or two) developments. Pictures from today: Removed the surface lot concrete to build a road. Believe it or not, there was actually 4 excavators on site! They are not wasting any time. Full speed ahead! Photo of the week:
    6 points
  18. no one is creating congestion. traffic studies were done. the results of those studies determined that the amount of lanes for vehicles was more than necessary for the volume of vehicles. so they used the surplus ROW to safely accommodate other forms of transportation. if drivers feel entitled to then get off that road and take to side streets then you don't throw away the safety improvements on the initial street, you make other streets safer too. the problem isn't making streets safer, the problem is people who feel they are entitled to drive unsafely, not just on streets like 11th, but then going out of their way to do the same on streets that are completely residential. maybe this mayor should follow through on his campaign promise to put more officers on the streets, or supplement the traffic cops with state troopers, and then the bulk of those officers could go stop the people from speeding on the residential streets.
    6 points
  19. Been a lot more action in recent week or two. some concrete work inside and out front. They've made sunk-in doorways in a couple of places. Also more wiring and starting the setup for i guess stucco.
    6 points
  20. The Planning Commission deferred this to get more information on the dimensions of the building and public sidewalks right of way. 3 people spoke against it including a person associated with 1500 Gray proposed development and two who claimed to live close by. The one person who spoke for it said that IH45 Pierce Elevated was coming down and the building doesn't encroach the existing alley. He mentioned that the Midtown Development District would acquire the property under IH45 when it is demolish to build a park.
    6 points
  21. Randall Davis Co. unveils plans for Rice Village condo tower - Houston Business Journal (bizjournals.com) "His London House project, which broke ground last year, is wrapping up construction. London House is a 12-story, 70,000-square-foot condo tower at 2323 San Felipe Drive, which has a total of 23 units. It's scheduled to be completed Oct. 12 and only has six units left to sell, Davis said. “Our goal is to have completely sold all of the units in London House before it opens,” he said."
    6 points
  22. Actually, the point I was trying to make with an intentionally silly example is that the absence of anyone using the bike lanes at the exact time whoever is complaining is in the act of driving past them is not proof that they're not being used at all.
    5 points
  23. Yeah, if you find a $5 lobster roll, definitely do not eat it.
    5 points
  24. It's probably a tall order for NC State to get past second-seeded Marquette, but if that were to happen, and the Coogs beat Duke, it would set up an Elite Eight meeting between the Coogs and the Wolfpack. It sure would be sweet if the Coogs punched a ticket to the Final Four by beating NC State. The only downside would be how many times we'd have to watch replays of the closing seconds of the 1983 championship game.
    5 points
  25. Even in a car, getting in and out of most businesses on 11th is now easier and safer, since traffic no longer busts the 30 mph speed limit by 10 - 20 mph. Beyond that, it's not at all unusual to drive down the length of one of the side streets without encountering another car. Taking the logic of some to its conclusion, we therefore don't need those streets.
    5 points
  26. I was out for a walk along St. Emmanuel on Sunday and decided to walk into Lustre Pearl when I noticed people peeking from the rooftop. Based on a discussion with the bartender, Lustre Pearl is open. They are pretty much working with a blank slate, so I am interested to see how they will fit into the East Downtown neighborhood and the Houston bar scene in general. They are currently doing drink service only. They plan to serve food in the near future once they have developed their menu. They have a vision to bring in a mix of events and entertainment: trivia, DJ's, live music, drag brunch, etc. I unfortunately did not take any photos. The space is huge! Where the Austin locations are more vintage rustic, the East Downtown location is industrial rustic. The interior on the first level was wonderfully done. Plenty of bar, lounge, and high top seating on the first level. Plenty of standing room on both levels. The rooftop is beautifully done. It has a great view of the Downtown skyline. From what I can tell, there was not a lot of noise bleeding from the surrounding bars with outdoor spaces, such as Truck Yard and Sunset, and vice versa. Looking forward to making this a regular stop in the neighborhood.
    5 points
  27. I had lunch on Navigation on Saturday. Wow! What a transformation. The street was brimming with pedestrians. The surrounding developments almost makes the area unrecognizable. Really great to see…
    5 points
  28. New, expansive construction walls are up for the forthcoming "Jack's Cafe" at Houston Zoo. A look at the current work on-site:
    5 points
  29. Every time I'm disappointed with the rate of development in Midtown, I try to remind myself of what it looked like when I lived in Houston in the 90's. Mostly one-story abandoned commerical buildings, surface parking lots, and a struggling Little Saigon neighborhood. The development of West Gray between Bagby and Cushing was just getting started, and very few people could envision what it became. Anyone who thinks pedestrian-oriented development can't work in Houston should visit that area.
    5 points
  30. Michelin Man in a Space Suit? Love the artwork!
    5 points
  31. thought this was a great and interesting article...Houston (especially Galleria area) has the strongest hotel performance in the nation so far for 2024! https://www.costar.com/article/1687611980/houston-hotel-performance-strongest-in-galleria-submarket-home-to-texass-largest-shopping-mall
    5 points
  32. I have a friend who is lead on the Rice property master plan and yes it will be a game changer. The east side of the village all the way to the Shepherd school of music is going to be a whole new ballgame. So to speak. That's all I can say
    5 points
  33. there are a few points to consider. 1. many of the bikes lanes do not connect together, which makes them roads to nowhere. I can safely cycle down Lawndale from Telephone road to Forest Hill drive, but without any real connections from there, I have to then navigate shared spaces with cars, and that's not healthy for my ability to live a long healthy life. and sure, I can drop into the bayou path on Brays, but that hardly gets me anywhere I want to go, unless I want to go to a park. 2. the amount of money spent on bike infrastructure compared to vehicle infrastructure is pretty similar to use of vehicles compared to bikes. 3. the negative impact for vehicles on roads like 11th, or Lawndale with safe alternatives to vehicles provided is seconds in their overall commute. 4. you aren't using the term road diet because you came up with it, you are using the term because someone else used it, and you haven't been told differently. it isn't a road diet. traffic engineers did studies to see the volume of cars using the road and determined that the amount of ROW being dedicated to vehicles was higher than necessary, so they aren't reducing lanes in an effort to reduce the vehicular travel on those streets (what you would commonly associate with the term diet), they sized the vehicle lanes appropriately for the current volume of cars. in turn, they used the surplus ROW to accommodate safely allowing for other forms of travel. so no, road diet isn't an appropriate term at all. right sizing the vehicular lanes for the volume of cars, and providing safety improvements for other road users is very much more appropriate, or if you just want to write something shorter, maybe just say safety improvements. what people who are against these changes are effectively saying is that the safety of others isn't worth the 15 seconds they have to sacrifice to accommodate them, and that the 1627 crashes with pedestrians and 209 deaths in those collisions is acceptable trade for your convenience. is that who you want to be?
    5 points
  34. No, no, no, no. You have one leg for the gas pedal and one for the brake pedal in a car, where God intended people to travel. 🤣🤣🤣
    5 points
  35. If you're worried about more people driving down your street, I appreciate that - I feel the same way about mine. But if there's not any evidence to support that side streets become more dangerous as a result of lowering car speeds and increasing pedestrian infrastructure, then it's not a relevant argument. And it still has baked in assumptions that there are a fixed amount of cars on the road and all these projects do is divert them elsewhere and that there's no way to change people's transportation decisions. If more people chose to walk or bike down my street instead of drive because of infrastructure design, that makes me and my family safer. If there is something showing that there is another negative side effect of these projects besides driver inconvenience, I'm happy to learn more. Side note, it comes across as disingenuous to characterize it as simplistic thinking when "taking pleasure in pedestrian deaths" wasn't ever an argument anyone made.
    4 points
  36. Legs are for cyclists and pedestrians
    4 points
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