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Well, it looks like the this project is going full speed ahead, right into the clutches of poor urban planning. This post comes from the Antiplanner: The money quote came from Michael Morgan, a local developer who was partnering with Trammel Crow, which has built several mixed-use developments in Portland (not all of which have been successful), to plan a 24-acre development in Houston. But after due consideration, they scaled back and probably will not do a true mixed-use development, just some apartments next to a big-box store. After looking at other cities, says Morgan,

crap. with costco coming there is no chance of this thing being the dense development they promised. another vacuous parking lot. how can you possibly want another parking lot? we can only hope they do a parking garage to conserve space for other retail development. why didn't they put the costco some place else that already has a lot of concrete? how about 610 and 290? this news totally ruined my day. it'll be an even worse eyesore than the CVS in midtown.

Location: Southmore and Caroline I know, I know, it feels like I'm teasing the board, but posting the pics here are a bit of a headache for me. The renderings were printed out by Taniguchi and placed on 3 foam core boards. I'd have to go the Asia House office, ask permission, take pictures, reduce the resolution and then post. I'm a bit lazy about these things. I'll ask if they have .jpgs I can post. A few interesting things: 1. The current design has 5 garden areas, including a sculpture garden on the roof. 2. There is going to be a 300 seat theatre. 3. You'll be able to rent out certain space (theatre, meeting rooms, lobby) for functions. 4. They bought some land across the street for parking 5. You should be able to see the downtown skyline from the second floor. 6. The current plan has a small cafe. 7. The design is meant to provide a natural oasis in the middle of the city. Apparently, Taniguchi spent quite a bit of time on both visits to Houston thinking about the gardens. He is also pretty sensitive to the fact that there aren't any tall structures in the area. He made it clear that although he came with a model and some drawings, the design can still be changed depending upon Asia Society requirement changes and any new spark of inspiration between now and the summer.

A couple of days ago, I went to Taniguchi's unveiling of the model and the renderings show off the project in a better light than the posted image in the previous post. In fact, I don't think the picture in the previous post reflects the current design. It looks like things are progressing very well for the project. There are a good number of supporters for this thing. If we're lucky, it'll break ground this year. If you all want to see the current renderings, join Asia Society Texas. Better yet, join the organization I'm with, Asia Society Young Professionals. They've agreed to let the young professionals show the renderings at our next social (late May).

They have to do valet because there is basically no parking in the area... The food is reasonable. Owned by Marco Wiles (same guy as Da Marco's) Dolce Vita is meant to be a more casual place. They have pasta for $10 and pizza for not much more (yes, they're small). I spent $40 for two (no alcohol) and was pretty full. Before you slam a restaurant, give it a try. Some more of my thoughts on Da Marco's and Dolce Vita.

Congratulations and thank you for the pictures! Please keep them coming!