ssullivan

I don't think it's directly under the Pierce. That would be quite difficult to build, especially considering the high roof that's necessary to accomodate fire trucks. I saw a ladder truck pass under the Pierce on Louisiana a few weeks ago and there was not much clearance between the top of the truck and the bottom of the bridge. To build under the Pierce would require the freeway to be high enough that the fire station's roof structure would be able to fit between the top of the trucks and the bottom of the freeway, and still allow enough clearance for access to the top of the trucks while they're parked inside. I just don't see how that's possible. I think the reporter is wrong in saying it's "under the Pierce Elevated."

He was. He's been gone for a while and Nancy Sarnoff replaced him. She used to be over at the HBJ. I don't know what the story was on this but since the Chronicle changed editors there's been some turnover of reporters the last couple of years.

Kirby & North Braeswood. I will be very interested in this new Camden property. Although I just moved and love where I am, in a couple of years it may be a place I seriously consider, given its location. Since moving into town from Westchase, I've become less and less car-dependent, and if I end up working downtown or in the medical center, housing on directly on the rail line would be extremely attractive to me. Not that it takes that long to take the bus to the rail line for me now, but being that much closer would be great. I really do think this project will be highly successful. This is the first new residential/retail/office development being built directly at a MetroRail stop. I hope it will be a catalyst for further development on the many vacant lots surrounding it.

There's also the possibility that these rental units might eventually be converted to condos, which would stabilize the turnover problem. This has happened here before -- the Renaissance at River Oaks (I think that's the name) on Shepherd just south of San Felipe were rentals owned by Gables when I moved to Houston in 2000. A year or so later they converted to condos. The same thing is happening downtown right now with the St. Germain. I'm not totally opposed to apartment development, as long as they're well built, which many of the newer properties are, and the management keeps the property up well enough that rents don't start a downward trend. That's when problems start. And I think KinkaidAlum is right. If the rest of the neighborhood around stays stable and people don't perceive a problem with living near one of these complexes, it shouldn't be an issue. I know in my neighborhood, which is situated between Old Braeswood and Braeswood Place, the introduction of apartment complexes to the area ago hasn't been a major problem. There are a couple of complexes here that were built in the 1960s and they are not like what's in the Gulfton Ghetto -- they are still well maintained and occupied by professional people with good jobs. The neighborhood is much more than a few apartment complexes, and I think the comparisons to the Gulfton area are wrong. That neighborhood had nothing but apartments... thousands and thousands and thousands of them. Each of those complexes was much larger in the number of units than any of the ones being built in Midtown. And what was nearby? Not much except for Sharpstown, which never was an expensive, upper end neighborhood, even when it was new. Take a look at the original houses in Sharpstown and around Gulfton versus those in other neighborhoods built at the same time and they are much smaller, with more wood and less brick. I have a hard time seeing townhomes selling in the upper 200s to low 300s turning into a ghetto in the next 20 years. And, maybe apartments priced in a range where young professionals who aren't ready to purchase a home but want to live near downtown it's what's necessary to achieve the kind of critical mass in the area that will spur more high end retail and restaurant development. And keep in mind that not everyone in an apartment is there because they can't afford a house. Some of us don't want a large house and yard to take care of and may be just fine with apartment or condo life for many years to come.

The superblock on Main at McGowen has Camden signs on it as well advertising a mixed use development coming soon. And the rendering above clearly shows the median on Main St. and the light rail tracks.

This has been mentioned in a couple of other posts on here, but this is the first sign that construction will be starting very soon.

I'm an almost daily rider, and have ridden the line at all times of day. It doesn't matter if it's rush hour, mid day, or evening, the trains are usually at least 75% full. With over 30,000 weekday passengers, that's 30,000 cars not on the streets in the Main St. corridor. Sure, some of those people would be on buses if not on the train. But that would mean a few hundred more daily bus trips in that corridor. Like it or not, the rail system is efficiently moving a lot of people around every day of the week, and providing a reasonable alternative to driving for those who live and work near it.

I think they also had a fire (maybe two) during some of the early construction phases.

Actually, many of the people moving to Midtown and Downtown are the children of the baby boomers. It's not just empty nesters moving there. As for your comments on the light rail system, it has helped congestion. Maybe not on the freeways, but along the Main St. corridor and in the Medical Center, it has improved the situation. There are far fewer buses in that corridor, and many people living in the area have abandoned their cars for some trips. I'm one of them. It takes me just as long, and costs more money, to drive downtown, find a parking place, and pay for it, as it does to take MetroRail, with a short transfer on the 4 Beechnut bus to connect to/from the TMC Transit Center. Most people in the inner city don't use the freeways to get to downtown because many times they're impractical. We're often forced to use surface streets to get around. And the rail line competes very effectively with driving in that situation. Yes, the light rail hasn't done anything to solve traffic in the suburbs and areas outside 610 yet. And once the system has been expanded to places like Greenspoint/IAH, and out Westpark (which will be primarily a commuter, park and ride route), it may not take mass numbers of people out of their cars off the freeways. But as the city grows, every new rider who gets on the rail system for his/her commute is a person not in a car on a freeway. It may not make congestion better, but it certainly provides a method to prevent it from getting worse.

Nit Noi, Thai Cottage (there are also locations on Weslayan at Richmond and in the Clear Lake area), and Patu in Rice Village are my favorites. Haven't tried the Golden Room but have always heard good things about it. Same thing with Bangkok Place.

Same here. And the fact that it's targeted to retailers who will be open on nights and weekends.

The diner was still there on the afternoon of Friday, October 29.

Interesting article (although hard to read). I never knew there was a mall project like that on Main St. Whatever happened with this project? What is in that location now? I can't seem to remember which buildings are referred to in the article. By the way, the article is actually from the Post, not the Chronicle as the heading on this thread says.

Thanks for the great pictures of downtown Seattle's retail district. It would be wonderful if we had that downtown here, and maybe some day we will. But keep in mind, some of those stores are of such a specialized nature that they will only open one or two locations in a metro area. With well-established high end retail already in The Galleria, Highland Village, and to a lesser extent Town & Country Village, getting some of those places downtown might be difficult. But it's not impossible. But even if our downtown never has Versace, Louis Vuitton, and other stores of that nature, it would be nice to see some mid-range (but not cheap like Payless Shoes) clothing retailers that reach a wider audience. Keep in mind that downtown retail is demand-driven. The higher demand there is for this type of development retailers perceive, the more likely they are to invest in stores downtown. This demand is something that every single person on this forum who wants to see more downtown retail can have a part in. I personally try to frequent downtown retailers whenever possible; just yesterday on my way home from downtown I stopped in CVS (yes I know how many people here feel about that store) to pick up some items I needed before hopping on the train back home. I try to make purchases at the downtown Foley's whenever possible, and I have shopped at the Shops at Houston Center when I can. Saying you want more downtown retail and then not utilizing the retailers that are there when possible isn't helping create more retail businesses downtown. Do what you can to support the businesses that are already there. It will not only secure their future and keep them downtown, but it will also encourage more development as other retailers see the success of those who took a chance and were downtown early on in the redevelopment process.

I've heard many stories before about that place, including how an upstairs dining room that isn't used often frequently has all of its chairs and tables moved around when closing time comes, even though nobody has been up there. Employees will put the furniture back in order and by closing time the next evening the room will be a mess again. Supposedly a ghost is often seen in one of the restrooms and some employees refuse to go into that restroom.

I've often wondered why Simon never renovated Galleria III with the rest of the mall a year or two ago. I'm glad it's finally happening, as that section of the mall was in horrible shape, and the renovations to the rest of the mall just made Galleria III look that much worse in comparison. Now if Macy's will just do a renovation to their store. Maybe it's just me, but I find the interior of that store to be so unappealing I can't stand shopping in there.

Another advantage for Netflix - as of November 1, prices are going down several dollars! I just saw this when logging into my account. The standard, 3 at a time plan is going to be $17.99, a $4 reduction in the current price, and $2 cheaper than the plan was before the price increase this summer.

I'll add another point to ricco's excellent post on the advantages of a subway line. The longest a train on the Red Line can be is two cars, due to the length of the downtown blocks. Longer trains would block intersections when the train stops. However, with a subway line, three car trains can be operated as demand increases. And of course there's the increased speed between stops in the subway. As for the flooding issue, let's not forget that much of the existing downtown tunnel system was not flooded during Allison. Yes there were problems, but the majority of the tunnels were not affected. And nobody's screaming "don't build it becuase it will flood!" whenever a downtown developer announces that they are building a new tunnel segment.

Well I'm glad to hear the subway proposals are still alive, because there was a Chronicle article not too long ago that said otherwise (I'll see if I can find it in the archives and post it). I think that's a much better plan than the surface line, as it will provide better connections to places like the GRB, City Hall, and Main St. Square. And, it could connect the existing downtown tunnels to the transit system.

My mistake. I wasn't thinking late last night when I wrote that. I meant Walker. The proposed location of the line, if built underground, is down Walker.

The downtown connector rail line has been proposed as a subway under Crawford St. (my preference) or a surface line on Capitol. Last I heard Capitol was winning out because of the expense of a subway line, but someone else may know something more. I still prefer the subway option, because it provided the easiest connection to the Main St. line, as well as stations under City Hall and the George R. Brown, and it would be closer to those locations than a line on Capitol.

Even better, give us a "big dig" like Boston got with I-95 putting it in a tunnel completely out of sight. But realistically, that's not going to happen. I think the Pierce Elevated it here to stay, unfortunately.

Trains coming south from the Northline Transit Center (the planned terminus of the first extension) not be able to continue onto the existing Main St. line as currently planned and complete their trip at the Fannin South Park and Ride. People going between the north side and Medical Center will have to transfer trains. And, with a new technology, that means probably another expensive train barn and maintenance facility will have to be built, or major modifications will have to be made to the train barn at Fannin South, along with a connector line between it and the "new technology" lines. That just adds to the cost of extending the system.

The curved streets were built when the George R. Brown was under construction. Those streets originally continued on straight but were rerouted to help route traffic around the convention center, since it cut off several blocks. As for why nothing was ever done with some of this land, I don't know. Crescent has owned much of that land for years now. Some of it had been developed into a park-like setting but much was left undeveloped. I'm glad the city made this purchase, as it will keep the space open and green. As long as Crescent owned it there was the chance that it would be developed into a building or parking garage.

Here's the write-up on this from the Houston Business Journal: City acquires land for downtown park Jenna Colley Houston Business Journal The City of Houston plans to groom a 13-acre park in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center to serve as downtown Houston's cultural core. While speaking at Central Houston Inc.'s annual meeting Tuesday, Mayor Bill White announced that the city has acquired 5.29 acres from Crescent Real Estate Equities Ltd. to complete the municipalities' ownership of the "Superblock." That zone includes space in front of the convention center and a block immediately to the west - all of which will be made into the urban park slated for opening in late 2007. The new central park will require more than $35 million in private contributions, according to the mayor's office. "Great cities preserve land for public plazas, parks and gathering places for the future," said White. "We now have an opportunity - probably our last opportunity as a city - to create a place like that for us in Houston's central core. A new major park will be an enduring legacy for our efforts to improve Houston's quality of life." Eighty-percent or more of incremental funds required to complete the acquisition and development of the park will be raised from private sources. Design and development will be accomplished through a private/public partnership. White currently is working with a number of interested individuals and organizations to secure the private funding required for site acquisition, design and construction. The schedule calls for site acquisition to be complete by the end of 2004, pending Houston City Council approval of the project and agreement with those private funders. Design is scheduled to begin in 2005, and construction will commence in 2006. A main driver behind the park is its impact on attracting high-quality, mixed-use urban development, with residential, retail and uses that complement the convention center and sports facilities. "Real estate experts believe that the park will sharply accelerate responsible growth within the city, strengthening the tax base of the city and county and school district, and allowing the taxpayers to recoup this public investment," said White. None of the city's contributions will be funded through property taxes.