alternativemike

On April 12, 2016 at 6:01 AM, HoustonIsHome said:

Those town homes look hideous and cheaply made. 

And going for $2350 a month - 3 br 3 bath - http://www.har.com/u/250EE615

 

How long until the price drops? Any bets?

On December 29, 2015 at 9:13 AM, corbs315 said:

Here's the site yesterday (I work at 1MC across the street)

 

Whoever bought into those 3 tow homes are going to have a big wall or some hotel windows to stare into pretty soon - that suckssssssss...

I wish I could get that Miyako sign off the top of the building! One side of that would make a really cool (and REALLY big) wall piece.

The Houston Cycle....

Wow. That original plan dissolved drastically. Talk about being watered down...

According to this article, of the buildings 355 units a third of them have been leased out. The article also contains some some pictures of the units.

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2015/01/09/sneak-peek-inside-hanover-post-oak-apartment-tower.html

It looks pretty nice! I shop at that Whole Foods all the time now - wish I could live there

My only gripe is it will block the twin epidermic needles

That's my gripe as well - I have a good view from the south out of my living room window

12/3

 

 

As cool as the “reconstruction” looks – I’m still a bit disappointed that none of the awesome Mid-Century elements will be left exposed.

This is all awesome news to hear. Can't wait for this to be finished!

Has anyone noticed that the gas station/used car lot on the corner of S. Braeswood and Kirby has closed? Maybe the property sold? The used cars for sale that were there are gone, the place appears to have closed up, and driving by this afternoon I saw they have begun to remove the fuel pumps. Is this being demolished and included in the Millennium Kirby footprint? If so, I say good move on their part 

First picture is in the middle of a high-density neighborhood near downtown Seattle, surrounded by residential high-rises and offices, along a light rail line. None of these descriptions apply to the Grocer's Supply site.

 

The nearest equivalent neighborhood in Houston is Midtown, where something very similar to that picture is getting built.

 

I'm from Seattle originally and recognized that development the instant I saw the picture you posted - it's in the Denny Triangle/South Lake Union area! It's crazy for me to think how much that area has changed! 

 

Much like Houston, the area it sits is an area that was very different even just 10 years ago - transitioning from a somewhat blighted area of the city filled with warehouses and vacant lots to a fast growing neighborhood of apartments, retail, biotech companies and even the new headquarters for Amazon. I like to think Midtown could transition into something similar. Both have many elements in common, such as prime location and light rail connection.

I wonder if ultimately they will give up and scale it down into some sort of mediocre faux Mediterranean 3-4 story town home community. I can already envision it - "Ashby Commons" or "Ashby Place" or "Ashby Landing" or "Ashby Cove" - Luxury living in the heart of the city -  starting in the low $950k's!

 

Because let's face it - nothing screams HOUSTON these days quite like overpriced townhomes enclosed with gated access - instilling a nice cozy sense of privacy, security and control

Market Square area is on the up and up! That area is going to look so different 3 years from now...

I live close to this and work even closer - if even a fraction of this is what's planned or developed on that site, it will be a huge addition to the area. This could be a real gamechanger.

What are the odds that the Houston Airport System and Metro might work together to extend the Southeast Light Rail line to Hobby? I imagine the payoff to connect a smaller airport like Hobby to downtown and other locations might not be enough to justify the cost.

It would be fantastic if they were to do that or to IAH. One great example of light rail connection to the airport I can think of is in my hometown - Seattle. They finished the Central Link light rail line in 2009. It connects SeaTac International Airport to downtown Seattle. Much like the Southeast Line here, it serves many lower income neighborhoods as well. Much of the line runs at street level like ours here, with some portions elevated and some underground. I've used it many times on trips there and it's very convenient.

We actually lived in the Pittsburg Plate Glass building on the south side of the Wagon Works, and I can tell you our view to the west was incredible especially at sunset. Sure we did have a jail one block west but big deal. We had the top floor of the building and fifty feet of eight foot windows to the west.

 

Wow, living there must have been amazing! I have always wanted to live in a loft space like that. Houston has been notorious for having an "out with the old, in with the new" attitude when it comes to construction - neglecting old buildings and opting to demolish verses preserve. I hope we can continue to refurbish more of these old buildings that still exist for offices, lofts, etc.

I live around the corner from this and I have to say that this development would have been much better if they had secured the property of the gas station/carwash/used car lot on the corner of S. Braeswood and Kirby, as well as the Xpress Lube and CVS properties. They would have had the entire stretch of Kirby between S. Braeswood and S. Main, giving it prime frontage on all 3 streets. Also, access to the Braes Bayou trail is less than a block from there. I think the gas station lot is for sale (or at least there is a sign out front) but maybe soil remediation would have proved to be to costly to the developer for something like that.

Favrot Tower demolition as of yesterday 6/3

 

 

I noticed about two weeks ago that a crane had appeared behind the Texas Orthopedic Hospital in the Texas Medical Center at Greenbriar and S. Main. This past week, they began to add some steel beams to the top of the existing 3 story building - building some steel framework about 2 stories tall. Driving by today, I snapped a few pics.

 

 

 

 

Doing a quick Google search, I managed to find a small bit of info, including some interior and an exterior renderings.

 

http://www.behance.net/gallery/13794267/Texas-Orthopedic-Hospital

 

 

Sounds like they are doing a 2 story vertical expansion onto their existing building. I really couldn't find any other details besides that. Anyone know any additional details?

 

"Cheaper", will almost always be the answer. 

 

I think cheaper indeed. It looks like the original plan has been scaled back. The number of inpatient beds being added has dropped from the original announcement in 2007 -

 

"up to 700 beds in potentially 1.5 million square feet of space for inpatient care"

 

to the announcement last week -

 

"capacity for 390 beds, including 102 intensive care beds, expanded operating suites, hybrid suites and a dedicated cardiology floor with 14 interventional catheterization labs"

 

While the new design of the inpatient tower does look kind of retro and cool, it's kind of a bummer that the original design by KPF has been scrapped completely. It would have been consistent with the new research building just down the block and flow with the curve of the street. So, if the original KPF plan has been scrapped - has Methodist changed the architecture firm they are working with on this? Maybe to WHR (who designed their Outpatient Center on Fannin)?

Good question! I'm assuming this has either been scrapped or put on indefinite hold, since this was a pre-economic slowdown project - but with the Houston market booming like crazy the last few years, maybe this project will see the light of day?

Sorry, this is my first actual post, but I have been a fan and follower of HAIF for sometime now. The inpatient plans and renderings have changed dramatically, according to the article in the Houston Business Journal last week. It looks like the Mary Gibbs Jones building is there to stay, while Favrot Tower, the green space and small parking garage next to Mary Gibbs Jones on Bertner will be going away.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/blog/breaking-ground/2014/05/houston-methodist-reveals-plans-for-new-woodlands.html?page=2

 

Additionally, demolition of the Favrot Tower Apartments has already begun. I wasn't sure what for exactly until I saw the article last week. Here are a few pictures from February when they began to install the scaffolding to the building.

 

 

 

I work nearby and have been walking by almost daily the past few months - watching the demolition progress as they take it down floor by floor. I don't have any pictures at the moment but I will be sure to post some once I have a chance this week. So far, the building looks to be more than halfway demolished.

I think a Chase bank is going in at the NE corner. There is a sign, but I think it's slightly covered in bushes. As for that giant plot of land on the SW corner, I'm still waiting for something to be done there. That's a big prime piece of land and probably won't stay empty for much longer

I had a feeling this was the location. I work at MD Anderson and park in the garage located directly across from here. I took some pics yesterday of the site from the top of the garage - they are already clearing the site and have closed Wyndale Street to reconstruct it.