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HoustonIsHome

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Everything posted by HoustonIsHome

  1. HoustonIsHome
    This ^^^ My Dad for example. He lives in Sugarland. Absolutely hates driving to downtown. But would work downtown in a heartbeat if the other option was to commute or move to or near The Woodlands. Moving from another city to a suburban location in Houston is ok I guess. There are always good affordable housing stock that workers would move to. But like the poster said, moving established workers from a central area to a more polarized location of the metro is extremely lame. How would you like an extra 45 minutes added to your commute?
  2. HoustonIsHome
    I always envisioned Midtown to be a more midrise area than hirises. Looks like there will be corridors but mainly envisioned a sea of 10 to 25 floor buildings
  3. HoustonIsHome
    I'm not concerned about skylines merging. Midtown is a pretty large area and merging might take decades. Especially if developers keep building midrises and low rises along major corridors in prime areas Such as the Mega block. What interest me is the Tale of Two cities that is East and West of Main in midtown. East of Caroline has quite a few single family and lower density residences. I highly doubt that that area will change much in the next 30 years or so. That is quite fine as the neighborhood feel in that area appeals to me. So that leaves the area west of Caroline. I think Caroline to Bagby is going to be the area to watch out for the higher density hirises that we will be talking about for the next couple of decades. Major thoroughfares run through this area ( Main, Fannin, Travis, Louisiana, Smith, Bagby, San Jacinto, etc) yet this is the are that seems more derelict with more empty lots or unused buildings. I'm just hoping that this development will kick start more projects or revitalize developments along Fannin, San Jacinto and Caroline in Midtown. For a community college that large, HCC to me is rather sleepy. I think it can be an asset that makes that area more lively. I remember how the Main Campus of UH was pretty much the same but that is changing so I have hopes for HCC. Especially if they work closely with the proposed Tech District.
  4. HoustonIsHome
    I think more often than not developers would still build with excessively large parking areas; but it's nice to have the option not to.
  5. HoustonIsHome
    They could always dig an over flow channel that runs southerly and flood Sugarland instead of Houston Would the berms have to be that high of your holding the water in the ground instead of above? Wouldn't it be better to mitigate flooding by having the detention basin deeper in the ground anyway than having high berms? Wouldn't letting the water slowing steep into the Ground help? Unless we have back to back extreme rain events before the level in the lakes decrease, a temp lake may help. I dunno the current set up is no longer working. Extreme rain events send to be a yearly occurrence so I dunno maybe it's fine to get creative. Aerial views of this thing during Harvey is crazy: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wired.com/story/houston-dams-probable-maximum-flood-vs-500-year-flood/amp What would they do with all the excavated dirt? Houston Hills? I'm thinking that for most of the year the water levels in the lake would be a lot lower than we are all imagining. How deep would it go before it gets too cost prohibitive? How much volume would it increase by if it was dug. Talks of a 3rd reservoir have been carrying a $500M price tag. $2.5B was just approved for flood mitigation projects
  6. HoustonIsHome
    It's this your going to block the view from the pool on top of Market Sq tower?
  7. HoustonIsHome
    I think leadership that pushes ideas like the Innovation Corridor and the Downtown Residential Innitiative will help with this. Downtown had grown so much despite Oil Giant after Oil Giant moving out to the burbs. I have always wanted to see a large entertainment draw in midtown and more educational facilities. It would be nice if St Joseph's gets revitalized and some of the TMC institutions set up shop around that area. My friend was in the Mid Main area last and was commenting on how he likes the feel in that area. Mid Main understands the benefits of the rail stop and built with an attempt at improving the activity in the area inside and out. The Aussie development kiss to be doing the same. Campo had an even bigger opportunity having the stop and the park and squandered it. I was expecting a hybrid of Discovery Green and Main Street square at the super block but it seems instead we are getting the same old dead Campo development
  8. HoustonIsHome
    Concerning the Blvd project if it is executed as planned and including the Post oak line then yeah. Otherwise the buildings alone does not justify calling it The best BLVD. Reporter that is childish.
  9. HoustonIsHome
    In looks only. Not really in feel. Too much car traffic. Maybe if they ever get the Post Oak and University line running; continuous spacious side walks on both sides and well landscape. Otherwise it will be nice to gaze upon from a far but not so pleasant to be out on. Clean up Main street square, throw in some stores and restaurants and it will easily feel better than Post Oak. I know we all love Architecture on here but the most beautifully frosted cake may still taste like crap.
  10. HoustonIsHome
    That garage is part of Houston history and has architectural value. It should be protected for it's value in demonstrating an era in History that Houston dominated and this garage in particular is a perfect representation of that era. Just kidding This thing is super ugly. I wish there was a word that describes a building so jarring to the viewing the area that it seems to be an affliction to the eye.
  11. HoustonIsHome
    I actually don't mind Randall in midtown. My grief with the superblock project was that it was a super block and it got squandered. The Aussie took 3 separate blocks and proposed a district. It's like they wanted the super block to match the Camden Travis development instead of a development geared to the future of the area they developed to what was there years before.
  12. HoustonIsHome
    Really? That's my point again. Disney is located in proximity to many municipalities but it's not in the middle of the 4th largest municipality in the country and along a a heavy economic stretch that is the Fannin South to UHD. Like I said it is a convenient patch for parking but it is such a poor use considering how the area has blossomed. Looking at pictures of the area when the astrodome was built, the area was very out of the city in looks. I have a feeling though that the treed areas and industrial sites south of the Astroworld plot will be developed more before that location is used for something other than parking. Justification? See downtown Houston
  13. HoustonIsHome
    It looks so. It looks like the podium and 2 towers are north of the current construction and separated by a promenade with a food truck. Does that count as ground floor retail? Anyway this looks really good. They should have been in charge of developing the property across the street. A couple towers well integrated with the park would have looked so much better
  14. HoustonIsHome
    I'm loving it
  15. HoustonIsHome
    Indispensable? What did they do before this was a parking lot? What do other cities without an abandoned theme park do for parking? This thing is the most convenient and cheap option but it is far from indispensable. NRG is on the rail line. The more urban (expensive) solution would be parking structures near the rail line. But with cheaper parking so close to the park if these structures are built they won't be utilized unless Astroworld parking is no longer available. BTW, there is quite a lot of developable land south of 610. Lots of industrial sites and virgin land. Heck NRG can stand to convert some of the surface parking to garage. I know that the norm for football is vast lots for parking. But this sport complex is in the middle of the city. It's not like Gillette in foxboro or Hard Rock in Miami Gardens. The better examples are Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Both are in a more urban location with a lot less surface parking. There are lots of potential around NRG but little incentive
  16. HoustonIsHome
    Y'all are missing the point. The point is not locating the terminal at the center of population. The point is locating the terminal at the epicenter of transit so that they have immediate access to the rest of the metro. Park and Ride buses all head down town. Metro rail branches from downtown. The bus network webs from downtown. Someone mentioned that they can just build a rail to downtown. But what if you are not heading that way? If in am going to westchase I would be highly irritated taking a rail 20 minutes east just bro hop on a bus to head back west. Now you guys will say well we can build a line from the terminal going to westchase. Ok so you are taking about a new route to down town and a new route to westchase but what if I'm going to greenspoint? Build a new route there too? The woodlands? Clear lake? I guess we are going to build a new transit system to connect this new hub? Doubt it. The terminal is never going to be as great as you think it will be for anyone not intending to drive, get picked up, or take a cab. This Post location is good because the transportation hub is already built in
  17. HoustonIsHome
    Can I ask the anti greyhound crowd a question? What do you think makes the greyhound station a must move but the Megabus station is ok? Greyhound does not create the problem and removal will not cure the problem. The problem is the homeless people way of life thrives on pedestrian traffic. The key to disperse the homeless gathering is not to decrease pedestrian activity but to increase. Take away the spot with the most activity and they will simply move to the next most activity which might be your front door. We need to increase pedestrian visibility throughout midtown instead of becoming more and more insular. It is laughable that you think that you get rid of greyhound and all of a sudden the homeless will disappear. Create more active areas in midtown and I assure you the homeless people will be spread out among these areas. A greater threat to your Utopia are those churches and charities. The benefits that are provided by greyhound is nothing compared to that provided by the numerous churches and charities in the area. I would rather the churches move any day instead of the greyhound which is a great amenity. I have seen the homeless massings move throughout the years, but not disappear. There is nothing about greyhound in particular that creates the homeless problem. The problem will get better when the homeless have more areas that they can gather and if the charities themselves disperse. Fill River oaks with charities and pretty soon u will be championing the demolition of the River Oaks mall even tho it is not the cause of the problem.
  18. HoustonIsHome
    Let's face it; mass transit like bullet trains work best if it is in conjunction with other transit options. The biggest mistake they will make is not stopping downtown. That 290 terminal is nice in paper but less practical than a downtown location. The web of public transit from downtown is so fast it's just unimaginable that the terminal won't be in the thick of all of that. There is a reason why the word Central usually preceded the word Station in many terminal names. NASA tourist numbers were never good because it is not convenient to get to via PT. Getting to downtown from most areas is easy. Getting to 610 and 290 is never easy. Not even by car. The Post office site with Greyhound, MegaBus, light rail and Metro buses connections would be an awesome development for Houston. Imagine you are in Dallas heading to Houston for a football game. It would be nice if you could hop on DART, zip down to Houston, hop on the Red line at UHD down to the Stadium. Another thing we should consider is impression. Stepping off a train in downtown and soaking up your first experience with Houston is a lot different than first experience being a less attractive area out of the way area. Coming in from Hobby has improved but still it's horrible. Coming from IAH isn't much better either. The bus goes through greenspoint and then through billboard corridor down 45. But my biggest worry is accessability.
  19. HoustonIsHome
    That's why Houston is struggling to build up density. We have a building surrounded on all sides with empty lots and the one building onsight has interest because it's different and hold done nostalgia for many Houstonians and y'all wanna flatten. I could understand if this was not structurally sound and the area is running out of space but there is nothing around this thing. And soon too be more nothing once 59 construction gets on the way and I hear it tear it down. At least if they restore the store fronts there will be some appeal from the train. The vast majority of new buildings have little ground floor appeal. Even attractive buildings such as 609 main. An attractive mixed material midrise ( think Aris) can go up on the parking lot north of this building. They can continue the theme across the street to the east with similar materials. This lot is huge and could accommodate another large midrise on top of parking. Then the same can be done for the fiesta site. Or something completely different as a building on the middle lot would totally obsucure the Sears building. Anyway these three sites can accommodate 5 hilcorp sized buildings. That's a lot of space. I don't know why can't we retain a little bit of nostalgia
  20. HoustonIsHome
    If I lived downtown I would not need a supervisor anything. We are used to the suburban style Walmarts do we are used to buying 48 rolls of toilet paper a bucket of laundry soap, 4 chickens, a pig, half a cow, a Bail of peanut butter, 4 gallons of milk, a barrel of ice cream. In a more urban lifestyle more frequent visits to the store would be easier so there would be no need to buy in bulk so the stores would not need to stock a lot of the bigger items. A smaller but well stocked store is what is needed. It's a shame that mom and pop stores can no longer survive in today's markets
  21. HoustonIsHome
    I don't mind taking the wind out the sails of new residential if it means new office. Imo the crappiest new office building looks better than just about all the new residential except maybe Aris. And let's be honest. With our track record it's surprising that buildings like 600 Jefferson was given a facelift instead of a demolition. It's nice having cheaper options but a building the size of Exxon sitting empty is a huge strain on vacancy rates and a reboot back to office dont help the prospects for new office construction. I would place more faith in rapid spikes in increase in demand for residential than a large spike in demand for office. Unless the flight to cheaper areas reverses or the city comes up with more ideas such as the innovation corridor idea then downtown growth in office isn't going to be all that exciting. Here's to $9/ a gallon gas
  22. HoustonIsHome
    I'm hoping for a cool crown too. Something not too eccentric but modern. As far as vacancy I'm hoping some of the older buildings can be repurposed to residential ala Texaco/Star. Htown I'm with you on the Texas street pedestrian thoroughfare. Love The Rice verandah idea. As for the buildings south of the Enron buildings all 6 or so should be converted to residential. That includes the Exxon, Continental, KBR, 500 Jefferson, 600 Jefferson/ 1801 Smith, 701 Jefferson Garage, Hell on Earth.... Would be nice if all of them were converted to residential. That should be more than 4M SQ alone.
  23. HoustonIsHome
    used to take greyhound almost every weekend when I was in school along the corridor from San Antonio to New Orleans. San Antonio's station is downtown caddy corner from Travis Mark and St Marks Church. The park is incessantly filled with homeless because they are fed there but the Greyhound is transient free. Lafayette's is in the middle of town by the post office and again no Homeless problem. Baton Rouge's is next to a halfway house and again very unlike Houston's. New Orlean's is a hub for both greyhound and Mega bus in addition to Amtrak and local buses and street cars. It is in between the Super Dome and the CBD. Again no big homeless problem. I have said a zillion times it's not the greyhound giving the area a bad name but rather it's circumstances giving greyhound a bad name. 1. There are countless programs geered to the poor, homeless or addicted in the area. Greyhound is just a hangout. Move greyhound and they will simply find a new hangout. 2. There are many churches in a half mile area that feed the homeless under Pierce. Move the greyhound and the homeless will still be fed under the Pierce. 3. People released from Huntsville are released there. Many have no where to go and simply stay. Moving the Greyhound may help in this case but it may not as these people get fed, and helped with services in the area so even though they may be dropped off at another location, like pigeons they will still zoom in where the food is being doled. Wheeler station is just the same. Daily food drop offs, churches in the area and that employment service just creates a system to grow these homeless camps. In fact half I see many of the patrons of the greyhound area commuting from that homeless camp near Fiesta.
  24. HoustonIsHome
    Well I'm not certain that he stayed here. Legend gets twisted over time. But I do know that they hung out at Root Square
  25. HoustonIsHome
    This is why I am sad to lose the fiesta. Wish they can create room for it in a future building before they demolish the current fiesta building. Kinda like a transition to a new store. Fiesta is quite different from whole foods and appreciate the option
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