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phillip_white

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Posts posted by phillip_white

    Knowles-Rowland House - 1615 Gray St.

    in Going Up!

    Posted

    20 hours ago, hindesky said:

    The Planning Commission approved the variance request. Multiple people spoke for it including Council Women Carolyn Evans Shabazz from District D. The one and only person speaking against it was a representative of the proposed project at 1500 Gray who has a vested interest in opposing it.

    Good to know that the developers of 1500 Gray are still alive after all this time. I might actually feel sorry for them if they had already built the highrise that was initially proposed.

    • Like 4

    Archbishop Fiorenza Plaza - 1111 Pierce Street (Former 1911 Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart)

    in Downtown

    Posted

    5 hours ago, mfastx said:

    Another surface parking lot downtown. Hooray! 

    This one is inherently worse than others because there is no incentive to develop and no property taxes collected by the County or Downtown TIRZ. A development agreement with Downtown Houston for underground parking and street level park or event space seemed like a no-brainer to me; it would have also been the perfect tie-in for a bridge to the potential Pierce Elevated Park. But perhaps with the recently completed Trebly Park so close, there was no appetite for another long-term lease agreement for greenspace.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    Dollar Tree At 1000 Elgin St.

    in Midtown

    Posted

    I don't know what y'all are talking about. I stopped by last weekend to check it out and the lady cashier said I looked like Fabio. Do I look like Fabio? No. Will I go back for more compliments? Signs point to yes.

    90s phone GIF

    • Haha 8

    Port Of Galveston Developments

    in Galveston and the Gulf Islands

    Posted

    3 hours ago, ChannelTwoNews said:

    Port of Galveston, MSC Cruises reach deal for 4th cruise terminal - Houston Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

    "The Port of Galveston's fourth cruise terminal complex will get underway soon thanks to a deal with Switzerland-based MSC Cruises.

    The agreement between the Galveston Wharves and MSC, which has been in the works since at least 2022, was signed this week. The project is slated to begin in early 2024 and be complete in time for the MSC Seascape to homeport at the new terminal in November 2025, Galveston Wharves said Feb. 6."

    The remainder of the article:

    MSC's 20-year operating agreement for the terminal includes four five-year extension options. The company will have a set cruise schedule at the terminal, but the port can negotiate with other cruise lines to use the facility when it's available.

    The port will develop the $100 million cruise terminal, $42 million parking garage, internal roadway and other improvements using port cash reserves and revenue bonds. Located at Pier 16, the project includes converting an existing cargo warehouse into the 165,000-square-foot cruise terminal.

    In November, the Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees approved a $5.3 million engineering and architecture services contract for Miami-based Bermello Ajamil & Partners Inc. The full scope of work includes designing the terminal building, a parking garage, marine structure improvements and a passenger boarding bridge. BA also will design civil improvements such as surface parking, access roads and utilities.

    The 20-year strategic master plan that the board approved in 2019 originally projected the fourth cruise terminal would not be needed until 2031. However, the project is getting underway years earlier than expected — and less than two years after the third terminal opened — because Del Monte Fresh Produce Co., a longtime cargo tenant, outgrew its Port of Galveston facilities.

    "We are happy to see that Del Monte was able to relocate 30 miles to the south in Freeport, thus retaining its regional economic impact," Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director and CEO, said in the Feb. 6 announcement. "We leveraged this opportunity based on the unprecedented popularity of the cruise industry and our optimal location in the central part of the United States."

    Galveston will be MSC's fourth homeport in the U.S., joining those in Miami; Port Canaveral, Florida; and New York City. MSC Cruises is the world’s third-largest cruise brand, per the Port of Galveston, and the MSC Seascape is the newest vessel in the company's Seaside class of ships, which were designed specifically for Caribbean cruising and feature enlarged and enhanced outdoor spaces. Launched in 2022, MSC Seascape can accommodate 5,632 passengers and 1,648 crew members.

    With the additional capacity from the new terminal, the Port of Galveston is expected to be the eighth-largest cruise port globally, Rees said.

    "That MSC chose Galveston as its newest home port is a tribute to our strong and growing cruise market," Rees said. "Our popularity is reflected in the growth of our passenger counts and sailings."

    Nationwide, Galveston is the fourth-busiest port for cruises, based on its record 1.49 million cruise passengers in 2023, up 43% from 2022. For 2024, the port has scheduled 388 sailings, which could carry 1.6 million cruise passengers, Rees said.

    Adding a fourth cruise terminal is expected to create 925 jobs for the local economy, $58.6 million in income, $177 million in revenue, $21 million in onshore spending by passengers and crew, and $5 million in state and local taxes, Galveston Wharves said previously.

    In 2022, the cruise business had a huge impact on the local economy, according to a port-commissioned study by Martin and Associates. The industry created 3,489 local jobs, $567.8 million in local business revenue, $19.7 million in state and local tax revenue, $1.9 million in business revenue per cruise vessel and $73.5 million in onshore spending by passengers and crew. Direct benefits to the city of Galveston included an estimated $900,000 port payment for total passenger movements, $370,000 in sales tax from port parking revenue and a $180,000 guaranteed port payment.

    In addition to opening its third cruise terminal, the Port of Galveston also has welcomed several new ships in the past few years. Most recently, Carnival Jubilee and Norwegian Prima arrived in Galveston in December.

    • Like 2

    Rich's At 2401 San Jacinto St.

    in Midtown

    Posted

    On 12/2/2022 at 3:52 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

    Replacing nightclub Space at 2401 San Jacinto St is Privacy. It's a bar and lounge from the group behind Ratio, located at 2301 Main St, Suite 200.

    I think it will be more of a hookah bar and nightclub. Food is served at Ratio, but I don't know if Privacy will include a dining aspect.


    https://www.instagram.com/privacyloungehtx
     

     

    On 10/20/2023 at 4:34 PM, phillip_white said:

    Just noticed that the club at 2402 Austin St. has vacated. Any chance that Privacy intends to take that space instead? Much more likely location for a lounge.

     

    On 1/30/24, Privacy Holdings LLC filed TABC applications for MB, FB, & LH at 2402 Austin St.

    • Like 1

    Capitol Lofts At 711 Main St.

    in Downtown

    Posted

    Without getting too deep into this, I would agree that vibe dining is a current trend (or fad assuming it quickly tapers off). Gimmick would fall more along the lines of all the bars that advertise themselves as speakeasies, which is antithetical to the whole idea of a speakeasy yet drives their business.

    • Like 3

    Greyhound Bus Station At 2121 Main St.

    in Midtown

    Posted

    Not sure if it's just the rain, but the homeless population was significantly reduced when I drove by yesterday evening. There were less than five people under the El Expreso awning. The rest of the area was completely empty.

    It's crazy how much potential is available at this location. Three full blocks (Greyhound, gas station, and the MRA-owned block) and two partial blocks (McDonald's and El Expreso) all waiting for someone else to develop first.

    Blaming Spider-Man GIF

    • Like 3
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