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shasta

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  1. shasta
    Does anyone have: 1) photos of old Union Station and downtown during the time it was running, and 2) photos, a map, or info showing the old street car/ light rail system located all up downtown and up to the Heights and Montrose?
  2. shasta
    Condos?- Don't forget the Edge in midtown that's all condos
  3. shasta
    The suburban building wasn't even the design. Go to the next page to see the design. Does anyone know what lot this will be on.....kind of odd that they are breaking ground in this economy (if the are). Maybe they met all of their minimum financial requirements just before the slowdown so that's good news for downtown!
  4. shasta

    METRORail Green Line

    shasta replied to a topic in Transit

    So you don't want to be downtown, midtown, museum district, hermann park, rice u, med center, reliant park, UH, TSU, greenway, uptown and the countless other areas the rail will connect? Why are you even commenting on a Houston forum if you don't want to visit any of the places that make Houston 'Houston'? This rail isn't only for you Niche, its also for the future generations of Houstonians who will find it a value as the areas I just mentioned develop around them.
  5. shasta
    Anyone know who the architects/ urban planners are for this project?
  6. shasta
    Strickin...go away with your unreadable nonsense. I was at discovery Green on Sunday at it was was packed with people enjoying themselves. The park has been a gem of a gift to Houstonians since its days of early planning. I have been following the area VERY closely since the park opened and I've never seen it more alive. I'm talking about bus loads of elemntary school children on a normal Tuesday afternoon, families on the weekends, festival goers, concert goers, crowds from the nearby Astros/Rockers and concerts and tourists from the neighboring hotels. None of this would have never happened wiithout an extreme desire from the city to transform that part of downtown with a MIX of venues and developments. As far as your other comments- many types of developmnets are in the planning stages for that area- hotels, stadiums, residential, more rail transit, retail, etc. they are all pieces of a larger puzzle. For someone who likes to complain go find that picture of the area form the late 70's and then compare it to what we have now and report back.
  7. shasta
    I thought Guadalajara was set to open in late December. I walked by it yesterday and it was no where near being being ready to add the finishes even. When is this one opening and when is Mia Bella? That side of downtown needs restaurants. Hopefully, the extra foot traffic that will help the retailers.
  8. shasta
    I found it very interesting that they picked a site right in the middle of what is destined to become yuppieville. That is a great location though...I was really rooting for a renovation and rehab of that old deco influenced warehouse before they leveled it.
  9. shasta
    The intersection near where the bridge will be built is surrounded by apartment complexes that have spurred new development, including a nearby Islamic community center funded by the Aga Khan Foundation that some civic leaders expect to be an architectural wonder. I've seen this one mentioned a few times and the above is from the Houston Chronicle article . Does anyone have any further information or renderings on this one? Whatever the final design, I hope its woven into the urban fabric the area is deperately trying to create with the Fingers site, Regent Square, Archstone, new bridge, and the other proposals in close proximity to this location.
  10. shasta
    Does this project have an official website?
  11. shasta
    My biggest concern when I heard they would be building a residential tower downtown was the target price range. Of course I'm all for residential but I'm worried that if they overprice the units it will attract the type of people who won't acvtively contribute to downtown. I was hoping for just slightly more expensive than MidTown because those are working professionals and they will visit the park, the pavilions, the sports venues, main street etc. When you increase the rents you enter a group of people who are wealthy...true, but this may be a second residence to their weekend home in the surburbs. Or possiblythey make too much do identify with the working professional class which is what downtown will need to increase the momentum. Can you imagine someone making 500,000 a year as the average urban street contributer?
  12. shasta
    How about an Italian bakery and coffee shop? Wouldn't it be nice to pick up a cannoli, a cappuccino or some gelato downtown?
  13. shasta
    This building should have the freedom to be a very innovative or radical design for a number of reasons. 1) It is representing the 'art of dance' which could inspire the art or architecture of the building. Most buildings for the arts are a little more symbolic (museums. theaters, performance venues). The more symbolic the better if the Houston Ballet wants to promote itself as one of the countries best. 2) The ballet is steering the ship since they are the main tenant on this project. Which means they don't have to worry about loosing potential tenants because they pushed the envelope a little too far with the design because they are the majority. Compare this with a speculative office building. 3) This building should reflect the synergy of the theater district and not be a sterile building at the street level. 4) The rendering we've seen. That rendering screams 'bank building' or 'medical offices' but definitely not THE HOUSTON BALLET. The need a connection with the two. 5) They could even break the mold and look to partner up with a developer and design a mix use building with retail or residential units. It has the potential to be a very interesting and creative project. I'm sure they need housing for some of the performers who aren't from Houston....just a thought OK, I'm sure there are more reasons but I can't think of any right now but of course the amount of funds they raise and secure (or don't raise) will trump of any of this reasoning. Let's hope the don't skimp on the design.
  14. shasta
    Plus that rendering looks like it is from around 1984...surely they can come up with something more urban than a building that you'd expect to see in a suburban business park.
  15. shasta
    I sent them an email a week or two back but I never received a response.
  16. shasta
    Not knowing the specifics of this project but...... the architect probably designed the retail as 'spec shell space' with square footage requirements per the developer. Depending on how the marketing went on this one all of the shell retail may not be leased at time of the residential opening. The developer isn't going to wait for the retailers because the apartments equal net profit per month for the rent for the developer. Typically, the developer leases the retail space and then the retailer 'designs' and builds out the space as a tenant improvement. It all depends on when the tenants (retailers) sign an agreement and then how long it takes for their design team to design and buildout the space. I'm not sure about all but I'm sure the Pavilions have had tenants signed up pretty early on so they can design and built out their space around the same time. An example would be the House of Blues...... so they have their design team working on the shell' space they acquired from the developer. It's just how the developer decides to go about it. The Pavilions didn't have a residential portion so they could wait a little longer to get commitments on the retail before breaking ground.
  17. shasta
    I think people are overlooking the simple fact of what the city (and only the city is trying to achieve long term. They should be commended. They are making an INVESTMENT in the heart of the city (downtown). They feel that if they make an investment and build a park, offer tax incentives to projects they agree with, expand the convention, build stadiums, hotels, etc. that it will be an INVESTMENT that will pay off for them in the future. How? Well they are banking that by doing this 'planning' they will be able to recoup their investment by the increased tax potential for neighboring projects. Example- spend money to build and maintain Discovery Green.........One Park Place is built (increased tax revenue)......Discovery Tower is built (increased tax revenue).....and the city is happy because they got the residential component near the park they were hoping for. Retail is another part of the puzzle that they were looking to attract and they got it....and it probably will spawn further development. The city proved they know what they were doing when no private developer would build a convention center HOTEL downtown...SO THEY DID IT. Now they made so much in profits that they are looking to flip that hotel and build another thus strengthening their Convention District. The city is fine with what they are doing...see the big picture people. Who else makes a huge investment back into the city??
  18. shasta
    yeah...I've had out of town relatives also comment on how clean the city is
  19. shasta
    Hopefully, Hines is reading the posts about its building getting bashed and is reconsidering the program, scope, and the design for this one. Houston deserves better than the sterile, unwelcoming skyscrapers we got from profit hording developers in the 70's and 80's. This is a new Houston and the architecture, both from the skyline and from the connectivity at the street, should reflect that. Of course you can make a profit but try to be sensitive to the complexities that make a project a success. Understanding the lot and the character of the surrounding buildings is a first step. Sometimes I wonder if Hines has anyone with even a remote understanding in Architecture working for them. An adviser ...anyone?
  20. shasta
    Historically speaking, the intersection of Texas and Main IS the best availaible lot in downtown.
  21. shasta
    I think it is a HUGE loss for the city to have a building here without a residential component. This is a VERY significant lot and we've already had two proposals or schemes the last 5 years- one called for a condo tower and the other called for a striking mix- use tower (residential/ hotel/ office) . The location is near one of the strong nucleus of downtown (Texas and Main) which includes the historic Rice and other residential buildings with close proximity to dining options, the theater district, Market Square, and of course the rail. I almost say it's a crime for HINES to replace a residential vision that at least two developers had dreamed about with a 30 story, sterile looking, ho-hum glass, office building. I mean -Is this Greenspoint??? They could have at least put Main Place here if this was their plan. Why not build this building on the other side of Main to take up some of the surface lots? While I'm all for infill and making downtown more dense- It has to make sense and contribute to the bigger picture and add to the 'city building' standard we should all hold developers to. This building doesn't do that and this lot is too valuable- I hope this one doesn't go through because I'm holding out for something more significant.
  22. shasta
    What happened to the 60 story 'city center' design for that site??
  23. shasta
    Honestly, I would rather see 5 20 story buildings built downtown as part of a 'neighborhood' instead of 1 100 story building built in isolation. Wasn't the late 70's and early 80's about building these tall grand skyscrapers that added nothing at the street level? I'm so glad Houston has matured past this type of thinking and is actually now more concerned with building a city. Let cities like Dubai chase their tails.
  24. shasta
    When is this thing scheduled to start construction?
  25. shasta
    I wonder if Yogurberry is similar to the Pinkberry chain of yogurt you find out in Los Angeles.
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