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mattyt36

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Everything posted by mattyt36

  1. mattyt36
    Well it’s not a reminder for me as I didn’t know 🙃 … do tell! Or is there a thread here that has it?
  2. mattyt36
    Indeed, much of that relocation language is straight from federal requirements that already exist. The added stuff (e.g., "personal relocation specialist") seems more for optics.
  3. mattyt36
    Well this happened, albeit in The Woodlands. Alexandria Real Estate Equities developing life sciences campus in The Woodlands - Houston Business Journal (bizjournals.com) Not as good as the road to the airport--Run Way!
  4. mattyt36
    Well, I am not in this industry but from what I have read Alexandria Real Estate Equities is the top tier developer that you want for projects like these, and a vote of confidence in the Houston biotech industry's long-term prospects (the only other markets they are in are Boston, SF, San Diego, DC, NYC, Seattle, and the Research Triangle). I'm just disappointed it is located in The Woodlands, but I suppose it's less of a site-location decision as redeveloping an existing facility.
  5. mattyt36
    It's in the article . . . Houston I-45 expansion project back on with new construction timeline (houstonchronicle.com) The FHWA told TxDOT to halt development of the project as it reviewed concerns raised by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and others that the outreach to some minority communities was insufficient and violated civil rights laws by harming some Black and Latino neighborhoods. [. . .] As of now, the project, which remakes the entire downtown freeway system, remains listed to start work in 2024 on segments south of downtown where Interstate 69 and Texas 288 meet. Much of that, however, depends on what changes are needed and when the federal pause is formally lifted. "We are having productive conversations with FHWA and are making progress towards a resolution with them," TxDOT spokeswoman Raquelle Lewis said. "That said, until our agreement with them is signed we are not able to offer a timeframe."
  6. mattyt36
    That was my read as well. IMO the opposition was so misguided and half-baked on this, although I know people will disagree. It was just about stopping the project, with no feasible alternatives presented. Unlike the County, Turner advocated for the project in general with certain changes and steered clear of the ridiculous grandstanding (e.g., converting Lofts at the Ballpark to affordable housing), which is an approach that makes more sense. I still would love to know who funded and organized the opposition--my sense is it was not "grassroots" as was presented.
  7. mattyt36
    Well now I'm confused as Adrian Garcia was quoted in the Chronicle article, but the County is not a party to the MoU and is the entity taking legal action. I'd assume that lawsuit would need to be dropped for work to proceed. Is there a separate MoU with the County? edited--I guess this implies there is a separate County-TxDOT MoU: City of Houston, Harris County And TxDOT Announce New Memorandum of Understanding For The North Houston Highway Improvement Project (houstontx.gov)
  8. mattyt36
    Must've been a long press conference. Usually for these things I'd expect a canned press release ready to go coinciding with the press conference. The following seems to be the substance of the agreement: After spending months at loggerheads, but working on some consensus, the Texas Department of Transportation committed to a handful of concessions, such as increasing the money it will pay the Houston Housing Authority for relocation and development of affordable housing, and assurances to design the project as much within the current freeway footprint as possible. The project also connects trails for running and biking, adds air monitoring in certain areas, adds features aimed at encouraging transit use and commits to stormwater design changes sought by the Harris County Flood Control District. Within the agreement, TxDOT leaves open some of the design of segments north of the central business district and additional sound barriers if neighborhoods want them. TxDOT, in writing, also said it would increase funding for connecting local bike lanes and paths to nearby bayou trails.
  9. mattyt36
    If only that were a valid comparison (granted, I know that's never stopped you before). Sure would be nice to know the details!
  10. mattyt36
    I heard that this involved some announcement of an MoU between the City, County, and State to allow the NHHIP to proceed. Unfortunately, we don't have great news organizations that can write up a brief summary in an hour (or the Mayor's Office to issue a press release concurrently)--maybe they'll get to it by the end of the week. https://twitter.com/SylvesterTurner/status/1604891838074290177?s=20&t=hqhJJSIAAsBBZTY_IqeaIA
  11. mattyt36
    Just so we're all clear on what you mean by this . . . can you, er, tell us exactly what you what mean by this?
  12. mattyt36
    Cruise ship meets UFO
  13. mattyt36
    Thanks, I thought the adjacent building (former Battlestein's) was sold, not the actual hotel, so it wasn't owned by the hotel anymore. But, then again, maybe I dreamt it.
  14. mattyt36
    I could've sworn I read on here that the building (former Battlestein's) was sold by whoever owns the JW Marriott, but I can't seem to find the thread, so maybe I dreamt it.
  15. mattyt36
    Is it fair to characterize Whitmire as the traditional "consensus" candidate for 2023 and Hollins as more aligned with the Hidalgo/more "progressive" style of politics, sort of like Boykins and Lovell represented more "liberal" choices in the 2019 general election? I didn't realize Amanda Edwards launched her campaign back in March, and I assume she'd be in the latter bucket, too: Amanda Edwards for Houston Mayor
  16. mattyt36
    C'mon, buddy, if anything all of my observations point to the fact that we're probably pretty similar, with the likely exception of politics and that you seem a pretty black-and-white kind of guy (with all the attendant traits). A little more "type A," if you will (similar to our buddy editor)!!! In fact, I believe you at one time even intimated to me as much! Regardless, I shall always love your passion and high standards! Germane to this topic, how about we move the Dome to the Theater District or downtown where it should've been in the first place?! That's "man on the moon" kind of thinking right there!
  17. mattyt36
    Yet, we were talking about the Dome. The referendum was contemporaneous. Look, you may have way more faith in the electorate than I do. My best guess says no more than 25% know what the County Judge does, nevertheless the nuances of public finance and how revenue bonds get paid back. (And may I be the one to point out you're still talking about while in quite the tizzy?)
  18. mattyt36
    You have a really strange way of presenting things. x2 There was indeed plenty of wailing and gnashing going on, even at the County and the Sports Authority, which in the end helped keep them from defaulting. It's not like it was a foregone conclusion.
  19. mattyt36
    Just because people from out of town are paying shouldn't mean that you can just go and plop on more financial obligations on them--IMO that's not good policy, especially if you're trying to develop an inbound tourism and convention market. Our hotel tax rates are (or were, at one time) among the highest in the country. This is from 2014, but you get the point--as the subtitle says "Who'd have thought Honolulu would be cheaper than Houston?": Booking a Hotel? These Cities Have the Highest Hotel Taxes -- Consumer Reports (And also to remind you and everyone . . . the Sports Authority (like a lot of issuers) had a pretty rough time at it for a good while with all the variable rate debt post financial crisis.)
  20. mattyt36
    Indeed. Or else it would really be a strange thing to say in such a presentation. Again, I'm not complaining or questioning the wisdom of such support--I'm just wondering to what degree. Maybe it was peanuts, but the video highlights were presumably about things Central Houston, etc. did in 2022, and POST officially opened in 2021. This to me would imply some sort of operating subsidy/grant/tax abatement.
  21. mattyt36
    I hear you and am entirely with you, but let's not forget a redevelopment proposal went to voters in 2013 and it failed 53%-47%. Granted, it's up to the County (or someone!) to propose something else, and incorporate as much private funding as possible, but public funding will still be critical and I'm not sure it's the guaranteed political winner you think it is given other funding needs. The referendum was for $217 million, and it was within a decade of building 3 new stadia--MMP (in 2000) for $250 million, NRG (in 2002) for $350 million, and Toyota (in 2003) for $235 million. When the bonds are paid off for MMP, Toyota, and NRG, there should theoretically be more financial capacity that should make taxpayers indifferent from a financial perspective. That should be coming in the next 10 years, so the planning should be happening in earnest now (along with whatever reinvestment is needed for the other stadia).
  22. mattyt36
    What else would you infer from "financially supported"?
  23. mattyt36
    And here I thought it was where Discovery Green was, in front of the GRB. OH WELL. I do know it was run by HAS, or at least was at one time, and was called the Houston CBD Heliport. Google is of no help! (Incidentally, was the MMP area still a railyard even in the 1980s?)
  24. mattyt36
    Well, obviously it is a matter of preference and it's not like the high rises elsewhere are empty. I just stated I don't know who would want to live in one as a primary residence (especially as a condo, not a rental as the high-rise condos definitely aren't cheap, and I'd think that whoever can afford one of those in a building with the amenities you describe probably doesn't have any problem getting a burning dishwasher repaired in a house) and still have to drive everywhere. But that's ME and my personal opinion, and I'll be the first to tell you that I fully acknowledge not everyone is like me. (For instance, I have never set fire to a single dishwasher.)
  25. mattyt36
    In re the living in a high rise that doesn't have a lot of walking options, I am talking more about the high rises located outside of downtown. Living in downtown Houston is of course nothing like living in River North, Chicago, but there are objectively a lot of things to walk to--certainly could be better, but one could spend the weekend, no issue, without a need to get into one's vehicle (assuming they grocery shop during the week, but even then there is at least a CVS and a Phoenicia). But Marathon Tower and other residential high rises (I mean, even the Allen), not anywhere near the same level of options.
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