j_cuevas713

1 minute ago, samagon said:

 

I don't know about co-working, but food halls, with as many new residents there are in downtown, it can sustain a whole lot more than just a 5th food hall.

I'm just glad more co-working spots are opening up. The more the better. Especially for creatives in this city.

1 hour ago, bobruss said:

 If they  can stick to that schedule, it will be a good pace to develop that large of a project.

I like the idea of it growing in stages. Give it a little time to feel things out.

Besides look how far along Regents Square is after 8 years.

I guess you're right. By the time I'm 80 everything will be finished lol

I just read that the entire project is a 5 to 8 year plan. I'm a little disappointed.

I thought this would never get off the ground. This is really huge for that corner of downtown. 

1 hour ago, Reece_DeRouen said:

I'm sorry. Where should I have posted this thread?

You're good man. Any mods know a better place for this topic? 

There were surveying the land this morning. 

Will the restraining order placed on the MMD have any affect on this project? 

1 hour ago, monarch said:

@j_cuevas713 we wholeheartedly AGREE with your very sentiments my pal.  however, if only AMAZON would have smiled down upon our fair city as well.  apparently, they must think that houston is the worst....

Well we still need to build POST HTX and TMC3 first for there to be a true takeoff in the tech industry, BUT we are so damn close and it's exciting. 

Houston is making big gains in the tech industry. So now we will have a medical research center, esports arena for gamers, and Post HTX for tech startups. This city is about to explode! We are literally the next big thing. So proud to be a Houstonian and support it through all the rough times. We're finally seeing the patience pay off. 

With the way they are explaining this location it just makes sense that this is going to become our SoMa SF. It's centrally located in an overall thriving area with solid infrastructure and the ability to draw some MAJOR tenants. I think the city will eventually name this our tech district which would be absolutely huge and a real game changer for this city. When a company like We Work opens offices in your city, it's because they see the potential for technology. We have to capitalize on this and keep our young talent in Houston. I work in animation and I've been waiting a very long time to see something like this happen. I just didn't know where and when it would happen. 

Damn I'd like to go but I'm also not in the RE industry. 

You guys are missing the biggest element with a company like Amazon. It's the cities ability to create an environment for tech startups. This city needs a tech district badly! Harvey has nothing to do with this. Hell they have a city like Miami on the list with less mass transit than us and they get hit yearly by hurricanes. It's the immense art and tech industry in those cities that's drawing Amazon, a tech company. Cities that are leading in innovation made the list. I'm glad Mayor Turner mentioned starting a Innovation District soon. We won't see any benefits from something like that for at least 5 years. Chicago was in the same boat 5 years ago and now they are a leading tech start up city. 

3 hours ago, Naviguessor said:

I think you're right J-c.  An effective, more affordable and probably less politically volatile than Rail/Light Rail system could really be applied well to Houston to Houston's layout and needs.  If Metro were to propose a Major BRT system, I would get behind it, and stop complaining about lack of rail (although I still think we'd need express rail lines to the airports). 

Completely agree. I think if anything, we should focus on rail to the airports and BRT for some of our major thoroughfares. It would be a quick shot in the arm for our public transit system. 

5 minutes ago, downtownian said:

 

The video mentions that there will be co-working (1:35) and a food hall (1:38). I feel like downtown is already saturated with these things.

 

We already have 4 food halls open / in planning stages and there is a 10 story WeWork coming to 708 Main...

You can't have enough. If you want downtown to grow and densify, these types of developments can't have just 1 or 2 locations. You need lot's of these types of meeting places for PEOPLE.

41 minutes ago, bobruss said:

I agree 100%. Its not the city planning department's place  to decide where things should be built in our system of no zoning. 

It's the developers job to choose what they feel is the appropriate location for their project.

The public has the opportunity to vote on the developers decision for location and whether the idea is worthwhile with their pocketbooks and their participation in these enterprises.

It's a shame that there isn't some kind of advisory board that could help these developers make better decisions.

Someone to play ideas off of.

In fairness to this site the burbs are where the majority of young people who would be more inclined to use this type of facility live.

And that's exactly MY point. I understand the planning department can't dictate where a developer wants to build, but much how the city can suggest, for example building closer to the street or parking in the back, why can't they offer an incentive of some kind to build closer or in a certain area?

2 minutes ago, CrockpotandGravel said:

The Post HTX video on Vimeo is no longer private (Lovett Commerical marked it private after Swamplot's report on the mixed use details with renderings)

The video is outdated and doesn't show the newer renderings from the brochure that was online last year. Outdated as it may be (I think it was from late 2016), it's similar to the newer renderings and depictions from Post HTX's leasing brochure and website design plans that hasn't been updated to show the renderings.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/201923389

I feel like this is where our tech startup district is going to be. I could be wrong, but this is one of the main reasons Houston lost the bid for Amazon. We need new ideas in this city. 

I'm pretty surprised this forum hasn't embraced this more. I'm really excited to have BRT in this city. Many of the great world cities use this service and San Francisco is building a couple of lines now. Chicago has the Central Loop BRT line that was finished recently. Knowing how much cheaper this is compared to rail, why not do the same down Richmond Ave or Washington Ave? Especially if it can easily be converted in the future. 

theboulevardproject.com

Why is this damn esports arena not closer to the city? Ridiculous how we want to bring entertainment to downtown yet every project is near a freeway intersection. Not saying this needs to be downtown but damn what runs thru our city planners heads? I feel like we shoot ourselves in the foot non stop. 

On 1/15/2018 at 9:00 AM, samagon said:

 

Unfortunately, when they do their freeway expansion (and if they do the cap) the cap will only extend as far as Lamar street. Furthermore, Polk street will no longer cross the freeway. 

 

This will not be a gateway to anywhere. If anything, the freeway expansion will serve to make this location even less desirable as it will be even more isolated from the east end than it is now.

I know that, my point is that there will be more foot traffic in the area because of the cap. I highly doubt that side of downtown is just going to become this desolate island all by itself. This side is already developing and coming in to it's own. A live music venue, a few apartments are in the area now, I believe First Baptist is renovating a building for a downtown location. 

1 hour ago, cspwal said:

 

It would be nice to get confirmation from Amazon if this is why, but if it is true - we need to work on our public transit (at least inside 610) to try to attract more businesses.

 

What do they mean by quality of life?  Is that code for "it gets hot in July and August"?

It's a stigma not a fact. Yeah in the past the quality of life wasn't great but now that's clearly not that case. Houston is growing in to a nice urban city that is changing for the better. As for mass transit, though it isn't regional transit, for the city I think our system is adequate. Once the BRT line is finished in Uptown and buses begin transferring people from there, there will be more connectivity within the inner city. I think Houston should have marketed the KBR site. 

On 1/15/2018 at 10:26 PM, corbs315 said:

Eh, interesting mix... https://www.chron.com/business/real-estate/article/Braun-Enterprises-signs-retailers-at-new-Midtown-12498772.php

 

 

 

 

I like it! That's actually a nice mix!

On 1/15/2018 at 10:07 AM, s3mh said:

There is more to "walkability" than "is it close enough to my house".  Walkability is also a question of whether a street lends itself to people parking in one spot and visiting multiple shops/restaurants.  If I park at Torchy's to get lunch and also need to get a gift at Big Blue Whale, I would not think twice about walking down there along 19th street.  It is fun to window shop and people watch to see who is out and about.  But, if I needed to get something at Penzey's, I would probably just drive over a two blocks because there is nothing interesting about walking along the sidewalk in front of a strip mall.  So, on a retail corridor like 11th or White Oak, the more you put retail fronting the street, the more likely you are going to have people want to walk up and down the street and visit multiple shops and restaurants.  The more it is just parking lots in front of strip centers, the more likely it is that people will just park where they need to shop and move on.    

You also get such a different perspective of Houston in general. You realize just how walkable Houston is. While not perfect, Houston def lends itself to pedestrians in some nice pockets. 

On 5/24/2017 at 5:27 PM, Ross said:

I don't go to places with parking in the back, it's too hard to tell if there's an open space. And this is too far away to walk to.

What? You're joking right? Lol

On 1/12/2018 at 10:08 PM, nate4l1f3 said:

Man I actually thought the food was good especially considering it’s a bar.  I liked the fact that it was an actual sports bar.   Not a lot of those in montrose. 

I def have to disagree. The food was average at best. And for a sports bar, Griffs (Grifs?) is the place to be in Montrose. Everytime I went to watch a Houston sports team that place seemed out of touch with what people wanted to see. One example is how all the TV's were on the Longhorn Network when a Texans game was on. That type of stuff. And you can't come close to comparing a solid sports bar like Christian's Tailgate to that place.

13 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

 

There is no way The Rustic could have afforded the land on either of those sites, or on the rail line. It is in a nonvisible location in the back of everything because that is where land is cheap enough for something like this. All the visible blocks have some sort of high rise as their highest and best use. We should be happy that a use was found for one of these back corner blocks other than parking. The Rustic is kind of a destination place that doesn't rely on casual passersby like a normal bar or restaurant.

I actually like how this place has the ability to help begin connecting DT and the East End. Once the freeway cap happens I doubt this location will seem "nonvisible." The fact it feels like a destination place is a good thing. And if this is a live venue for music then the location makes sense.