UtterlyUrban

On 8/31/2020 at 10:14 PM, H-Town Man said:

 

This is a shame, after we'd finally taken off for the first time in decades. Although I guess looking on the bright side it is lucky we did take off before the pandemic hit, because people will remember what was possible downtown and will come back looking for it in the future. If a pandemic had hit back in 2017 or so, all those new apartments would be empty and the downtown renaissance would have been stillborn.

 

On a different note, I was in Denver a couple weeks ago and their downtown is doing just fine. 16th Street had plenty of people walking along and sitting at restaurants, the wine bars on Larimer Square had plenty of people, and the free trolley on 16th was mostly full at night. Houston's got a long way to go.

 

Haven’t been on this board in a while.  Relocated from Houston Downtown to Denver downtown in May 2020.  I will say this:  Denver downtown (Post-Covid)  is MUCH more lively than Houston (pre--Covid) ever was.    However, Denver downtown is also only a fraction of its former self. Maybe 30-40% of what it was pre-Covid.  Some generational and  iconic entertainment venues have closed in Denver.  Still a lively scene compared to the best of houston (pre-Covid) but not as lively as years past.

office workers in downtown Denver are trickling back and are increasingly on the streets.  I am told that downtown Denver hosted 140,000 office workers each day.  I am also told that it seems to be only about 20% of that now.  The saving grace for Denver seems to be that about 15,000 -18,000 people live downtown (in about the same footprint as downtown houston) and it keeps things “lively”, especially when you add the amount of folks who come downtown from the ‘burbs to recreate .....

8 hours ago, Luminare said:

 

Last I checked, Thanos isn't running the city. You can't just snap your fingers and then it will immediately be a vibrant place. Just like putting LRT or BRT won't immediately spring the city to life or putting new pavers and lighting. Improved infrastructure, historically, does lead to improved results over time. The city, so far, has a proven track record of not only putting their money where their mouth is, but maintaining focus and pushing what they want. People didn't think the incentives for residential were going to work, yet with time Downtown has become a living hub again. Houston Center is getting a revival. Older buildings are reinvigorating their lobbies. Its happening. If you can't stand to be patient then try snapping your fingers and see if you get the immediate results you crave. 

Is 3 years immediate?

ok, let’s say it is.

when will it no longer be immediate?  5 years, 10 years or 35 years?

The entire point of redoing Dallas at huge expense was to bring retail.  I happily engaged in some of the neighborhood meetings to listen and learn from the design ideas for the street.  All those great renderings of shopping and pedestrians along Dallas.  Exciting stuff.  Nothing yet though.

within 2 miles of downtown there is a large and affluent growing resident population.  But still no dry goods retail, yet.

there has been huge investment in downtown...... to turn it into a destination/recreation/event hub.  It worked!  Lots of restaurants  and bars.  No dry goods retail.

100,000 commuters come to 1 square mile every day and, no dry goods retail.

hundreds of thousands of conventioneers come every year on top of that.  No dry goods retail.

On your non-immediate time table, when can we call the investment in Dallas street .... the published purpose of the street redo was to attract dry goods retailers..... a success or failure?  5 years? 10? Or 35?  

On 6/16/2019 at 11:38 PM, j_cuevas713 said:

We really just need some retail to line West Dallas St. And by retail I mean dry goods. That will really tie in the neighborhood. 

This is precisely what the city promised that the 10s of millions of dollars that they spent on that street improvements 3 years ago would do.  Didn’t work.  Has there been a single retail business open fronting along Dallas since construction ended 2 years ago?  Maybe, but I can’t think of one.   Remember those renderings the city trotted out showing a vibrant retail district?  Remember the “plan” created for the city by a bunch of developers that said, essentially, “gee, if the city spends a whole bunch of cash on upgrades to this street, it can be a great retail environment”.

 So far, it’s money down the new storm drains under Dallas street.  Maybe that will change.  Or maybe not.

On 5/24/2019 at 10:10 AM, Twinsanity02 said:

Surprised. With the proximity to the bayou, the theater district, market square park, numerous restaurants, walking distance to the rail, bayou walking paths, and stunning views of the skyline I would think something more than this would be developed. Surprised.

I agree.

the developers here have a jewel and it has the potential to reshape downtown for the next 5 decades.  It needs vision and it needs willpower.  It doesn’t need a sea of parking and a buzzy grass roof (how’s that working out at greenstreet?).  It needs passion.  Frankly, it needs Hines.

I hope that they re-open all the  “bricked-in retail display windows”.   I would be terrific to visually open the building to the sidewalk in that manner.  

2 hours ago, CaptainJilliams said:

 

I don't want to speak for @UtterlyUrban, but I think I may know what he means.

 

In the past 2-3 years since I've lived in Houston, and again, this is just my personal experience (no real way to quantify anything), I've noticed an increased aggression in panhandlers in my most recent ventures downtown. Now I'm not sure if it's just desperation, mental health issues, withdrawal from drugs or all of the above, but I've been called out by people on the streets asking if I can give them money. No conversation starters, no small talk, just straight to the point. It's uncomfortable and it's difficult when you have to navigate strategically around them as you walk through town. You could look at this situation, again, as a norm in most major cities, in fact we probably have it easy down here. But with a growing downtown population, many of whom have families, I'm sure many of them do not look favorably on the situation when those who are homeless congregate in areas of high activity (Market Square, Minute Maid Park, Main Street, etc.)

 

Also, the tent cities keep shifting locations after each city clean-up, and recently they've moved to more visible locations.

Generally correct.  The addicts (again, using my preferred nomenclature:  they are not homeless.....they are addicts) are both more prevalent downtown AND far more aggressive.  I have been yelled at, cursed at, and  called a racist, and a pig,  by addicts for simply saying a polite  “no” to their aggressive request for money to buy “food” (a euphemism for “my drug of choice”).  I have seen entire families(mom, Dad, small kids) verbally accosted by the addicts.

Want an image?  imagine this:  a middle aged woman of Hispanic ethnicity getting off a bus wearing a uniform that would imply that she works at a chain restaurant.  She was going to work.  She also had a completely withered arm (birth defect?) and walked with a pronounced limp.  But, she was going to work to support herself and her family.  Then the addict started to harass her, scream at her .....  call her terrible things....when she said ‘no’ to his request for “money for food”  She was visibly shaken.  I hustled over to her, told the ADDICT to beat it and helped the woman across the street.  She was thankful.

downtown is my neighborhood.  I live here.  Turner has fixed zip in my neighborhood.  Any bets what would happen if the 100 addicts that populate the streets of downtown where magically transported to the residential streets of Turners neighborhood to set up their tents, do their drugs, harass hardworking women for money, and ask all the pedestrians/residents in Turners neighborhood for money too every time they walked outside?

hint:  turner would figure out a way to fix the problem if it existed in HIS neighborhood.  But, it doesn’t.  So, it only gets worse in downtown. Turner won’t get my vote.

On 5/21/2019 at 10:50 AM, Reefmonkey said:

It definitely seems better to me. I moved into Midtown in January 2000, lived there until April 2004. Any time day or night I wanted to walk from my apartment into Downtown, I had to pass under the Pierce Elevated and all the homeless camps. Turning all that into fenced parking lots some time after I moved was an obvious solution, one that was about 30 years overdue.

I am glad that you feel that midtown is better.  

I have lived in downtown for 5 years and I can say that it is significantly worse today than 5 years ago.

The sidewalk/planter box situation is terrible.  I cannot fathom why a brand new building would be built this way.

Wow, that “skypark” will be a great feature for tenants.  Smart idea and it is likely helping lease the place.

did I read somewhere that this building is getting close to “fully leased”?

@ zaphood.

You and I will need to disagree.  I see things one way, you another.  

that said, you asked for a source regarding the empty beds at shelters.  

Here is is one source:  https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Cold-facts-about-being-homeless-12495069.php. If the beds aren’t full on the coldest night of the year, then hint; there is always a bed.  Further, I have volunteered at or donated to various charities that serve the homeless, the mentally ill, and the addicts (3 distinct groups of folks).  The managers/directors of the charities I have been involved with again suggest that (paraphrasing) “nobody is turned away and beds go empty”.  Close personal friends of mine who also volunteer at other charities indicate the same thing..... empty beds.....

oh, and Turner as inept as his tailoring.  I will find a Democrat or Republican that I can support.

There are empty beds in facilities all over town every day.  These facilities all share one thing in common:  they have rules.  These rules include “no drugs or alcohol, curfews, and attendance to programs that get you keen, straight, and working.”

‘There are vanishingly few “homeless people” on the streets of Houston.  There are a LOT of addicts and mentally ill.  We need to stop using the Euphemism “homeless”  and start calling the problem what it is “addicts and  mentally ill.’  Once we change the language, we can address solutions. 

there are two sad truths:

1.  The mentally ill likely cannot help themselves and are not suited for many of the the programs that we have in place.  They need a much different suite of help.

2. The addicts literally don’t care to avail themselves of the beds that are available because, well.... those rules just are not for them.......

therefore, we have built a system of help around “helping the homeless.”  And, for the few folks out there who have hit a rough spot in their lives, but are not addicts or insane, and simply need help (lost a job, unexpected bill, violence, etc) the system works well.  The charities spring into action and, folks come out the other end healed, blessed, and productive.

We don’t have a system for addicts and mentally ill.  If we change the dialogue, if we change the language,  maybe we can change the solutions to fit the problem: drug addiction and mental illness.

oh, and Turner is utterly useless.  I will not vote for him as he is unable or unwilling to deal with this problem.  Total hack.  And, yes, somebody should tell the Mayor that the suits he wears (“regulars” when he should be wearing “shorts”) make him look as silly as his inept policies on the drug addicts and mentally ill.  If zoot suits were still in fashion, he might look passable.  Hint:  they aren’t and he doesn’t.

Additional “convenience stores” selling beer, wine, cigs, and junk food are not needed IMO.  

14 minutes ago, mattyt36 said:

 

Why exactly does it matter if blocks south of 45 are called “Downtown” or “Midtown”?

 

Plenty of suburbanites call the entire Inner Loop “Downtown.”

Ask a Manhattanite this question ......

2 hours ago, BeerNut said:

Link to Choice Hotels booking page.

CAMBRIA HOTEL HOUSTON DOWNTOWN CONVENTION CENTER

The site allowed me to try to “book” as early as August 1st..... so, they are not kidding....... opening in August.....

‘’the rates are good  too.... “only” $166 per night.....  

On 4/23/2019 at 9:37 AM, Houston19514 said:

 

According to the article linked below, the tower "is expected to deliver in June."

https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/office/skanska-taps-law-firm-as-new-tenant-at-capital-tower-96156

Great news, if accurate!

On 4/23/2019 at 12:25 PM, jermh said:

There is a sign in front of the Bank of America location in the lobby at 700 Louisiana that says they are permanently closing at 2 pm on June 7th, and opening the new location June 10th. I'd bet the building has to be finished by the 10th.

GREAT!

When is the building scheduled to take first tenants?  Anybody know?

On 4/2/2019 at 4:08 PM, rechlin said:

 

 

 

 

 

A total flurfhole with amazing potential.

thanks for posting.

20 hours ago, ekdrm2d1 said:

Looks like a tree!

5 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

Anyone know what the monthly maintenance fees are like in a high rise condo building? I just don’t think the math works out in Houston. Have been reading profiles such as these for 2 decades and it’s always people in their mid-50s after kids leave. And they also seem to always be realtors.

 

The only high rise that seemed to make no brainer economic sense to me based on numbers presented was that one in EaDo with the micro units. 

 

Otherwise high rise rentals here seemed to be price (relatively) affordably. Do the developers assume the building flipping to a condo down the road? Are there any examples of high rise rentals flipping to condos here?

High rise condo fees can range widely based on the age of the building, etc.  

a yardstick only: $0.75 psf is a good placeholder.  That yardstick is absolutely wrong in virtually every case.  Some buildings will be a buck.  Others half a buck.  Newer buildings tend to be cheaper than older ones.  Buildings with a ton of amenities will be much more expensive than those that don’t.  Highrises are more than mid-rises.  So, all that said....... 1500 sqft hig rise will be “around” $1000 per month for the HOA.  

The HAR app will let you look at various buildings around town and get a sense of HOA cost PSF.

For the last year, Downtown is starting to feel like a neighborhood.

10 hours ago, august948 said:

 

Interesting...so the ruling is that TCR isn't a railroad and therefore isn't entitled to the legal preferences for acquiring land.  So...what if they build a mile of track and put a locomotive on it?

They should buy the one next to the baseball stadium.

choooo-chooo.  Instant railroad.

Great news indeed!

i am always amazed though how a 7 month project to build an enhance kids playground can cost $12m.........  really? 

20 hours ago, Triton said:

 

Could you imagine something like this when driving down Montrose? I'm excited now.

 

 

..or this...

 

 

 

I will readily admit that I don’t have any creative vision.

that said, both of these buildings are, to me, ugly.  And, the one with the yellow “cranes” on the top is beyond ugly, it’s hideous.  Between the Fed Reserve building and this, Allen Parkway with be quite “interesting”.

others mileage will vary.

I didn't realize that the proposed park doesn’t extend  south of the GRB.  The freeway is still elevated in this section?   Is this the currently proposed plan or something from a while ago?

Drove by the other day.  Kids sitting inside the building in that “common area”  working on some paperwork.  Really good to see the site come to life again, especially with young creatives!