HTOWN LIVE

Surface parking lots in Downtown Houston are quickly vanishing. Most major metros have too many CBD surface lots. The difference is that no other city is booming like Houston, and our lots are going bye-bye very fast. 50 years ago, pedestrian vitality and Downtown's comprehensive retail scene was booming...all the great retailers were there. The mayor's Dallas Street Retail Corridor Project is neither difficult nor a challenge, rather a masterful plan...a plan to restore world class retail to Downtown Houston, again.

Perhaps, but that's just semantics...150K/250K...you say potato, I say potato. To the contrary, many Downtown employees ARE Fortune 500 employees (rank-and-file, executive and highly-paid) as many Fortune 500 corporations have their world headquarters in Downtown Houston. Moreover, it gets busier by the day.At the end of the day, the market is there...it's clear what they're trying to do with this project, and Houston's CBD can definitely support it. Downtown needs it...let's hope they're successful.

Historically, Downtown Houston is a proven retail market. Before Uptown/Galleria ever existed, all the big retailers...Foley's (later Macy's), Battlestein's, Palais Royal, Neiman Marcus, Sakowitz, etc., were all Downtown. The Galleria and Northwest Mall lured them all away over the last 50 years (with the old/tired Macy's being the last and most recent to fold), but today millions more live in Houston as the city booms, especially Downtown. It's really a no-brainer. The mayor and her Retail Task Force are smart to bring in Bloomingdale's and a relocated Macy's, and others to the Dallas Street Retail Corridor Project. Her initiative is very similar to Michigan Avenue in Downtown Chicago. And when you factor this plus GreenStreets, it's a home run and gives Downtown Houston the world class retail it desperately needs and deserves. Houston will have world class retail Downtown and Uptown...two different exciting retail experiences. With tens of thousands of new residents filling these luxury developments, legions of Downtown city/state/federal government workers there daily, hundreds of thousands of Fortune 500 corporate employees filling the towers every day, and an expanded convention district with numerous new hotels bringing millions more people Downtown each year, a quality retail district is imperative.

Bloomingdale's Main Street (Main at Dallas) is planned as one of the anchors for Mayor Parker's proposed Dallas Street Retail Corridor Project. A smaller relocated Macy's will also go up along Dallas Street, as well as a third big box anchor. All three, plus additional shops, will line Dallas Street from Main to Discovery Green. An announcement will be made after Hotel Alessandra breaks ground.

I believe there are plans to transform the old Sakowitz building into a luxurious 260,000 sqft. flagship Bloomingdale's: Bloomingdale's Main Street

Thank goodness, as well it should. Earlier, someone pretending to be a moderator "went off" on a rant about a comment regarding development off Richmond/Kirby. They cursed me, called me a fool…just “went off” on several commenters, and was Off-Topic saying nothing about development at Richmond/Kirby. Anyway, good comment, and glad things are on track along Richmond and Kirby. Houston’s definitely on track: full speed ahead…ain’t no stopping us now.

Yes, it’s modeled after the international terminals at the booming Atlanta and Dallas airports, which connect to the city-wide world class mass transit/rail systems in those cities. The politicians and communities there worked intelligently together in unity (as they should). I can’t imagine why Houston won’t go accordingly. What’s stopping it? It’s the city with no limits.