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jermh

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jermh last won the day on November 25 2020

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  1. Years ago, I lived across the street on "The Gale" side of the complex. It was nice and quiet and didn't have flood or power issues during Hurricane Harvey. Amenities and finishes were the same as most older garden-style apartments, and rent was affordable then (I have no clue what it is now). The complex has a private pedestrian gate that dumps into the Central Market parking lot, maybe 15-20 feet from the store entrance. I loved being able to walk over daily to grab whatever we would cook for dinner, though Central Market prices can add up. I wish there were a real grocery downtown for that exact reason. There's an 82 bus stop in front of Central Market, so you could live there more or less car-free if you worked Downtown or went out somewhere in Montrose or Midtown via the bus.
  2. I don't think this place will be busy enough to last for several reasons. I think it's bizarre that such similar concepts have opened so close to each other on Main. I expected it to be much more crowded than it has been since it opened (almost a full year after they remodeled the space). It's mostly empty every time I walk by it. I don't see how Bungalow, Taste, and Victory won't cannibalize each other's business. They appear to have similar higher-priced menus and the same vibes and are operating within a few blocks of each other. However, what do I know? I'm just a guy walking past these restaurants to go to dive bars and parks, and I'm not a restaurant operations expert. The other thing is they've also managed to piss off the HOA / Owners / Residents at the Capitol Lofts in the month or so since they've been officially open. Three employees recently entered the lofts via the shared fire escape egress, checked for unlocked doors, and tried to gain access to units. They found one unlocked, but the owner was home and caught them in the act. Victory fired the three employees, and the Lofts made changes to prevent it from happening again. But this incident, paired with the bass you can hear in the lobby, on lower floors, and faintly on the upper ones, isn't helping make them super popular with the neighbors. I'm happy something is in the operating space to keep the overnight campers from gathering in front of the building, leaving trash, and using it as a toilet, but this is already off to a rocky start.
  3. https://maps.app.goo.gl/j7aarJ8F3RQVRknSA It looks like the other side of 12 Greenway but looking toward the Galleria.
  4. I toured the building at the AIA Houston Soar to High Heights: Niels Esperson Building event today, and they talked a bit about this. They said it's challenging because the fire escapes must be enclosed for residential. It sounded like an expensive hurdle, but they still are entertained by the idea. Attached are a few cellphone shots from the tour. A really interesting thing was the HVAC system in the basement, which is from the 1930s. It functions similarly to a swamp cooler and the recent addition of a heat exchanger that connects the building to the Downtown chill water cooling loop. PXL_20231116_005253621.mp4
  5. From Bovine and Barley to "Vinyls" and Crosleys. It'll be interesting to see if a decent amount of square footage is dedicated to records, or if they're just going to have a shelf of Taylor Swift and Tyler the Creator albums for sale to sell the concept. Snark aside, a well done concept that combines something like Sig's Lagoon and Double Trouble could actually be cool in that location.
  6. Looks like the Brava retail space closest to Prarie will be a Crisp & Green.
  7. https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/houston/2023/03/22/446987/houston-city-council-approves-permanent-outdoor-dining-options-for-downtown-restaurants/ The More Space: Main Street program was started in November 2020 to help businesses navigate the pandemic by blocking off portions of Main Street between Commerce and Rusk Street – stretching seven blocks – to expand dining services onto unused road space. Officials said the program has been very successful with helping businesses increase revenue, safety, and retain customer and employee retention, even after the pandemic.
  8. With More Space: Main Street set to expire "March 31, 2023 or until the end of all COVID protocols", I'm curious if the city will renew/continue it. Has anyone herd anything or have any information? Even though it makes deliveries difficult to my building, I really hope they continue the program. It's great to have the extra sidewalk space and not have to worry about cars on those blocks of Main.
  9. Does anyone know if the More Space: Main Street program is going to be extended again this year? The website says it "will last until March 31, 2023, or until the end of all COVID protocols". I hope it gets extended or they make it permanent.
  10. I'm just speculating, but if you build it, they will come to an extent. There's always flight to higher-quality / new buildings. It's not exactly highrise projects in demand. It's residential projects that are transit-oriented and near parks and other walkable places. The more people realize you can structure your life to be less car-centric, the more people here will do it. I'd much rather have things closer to me and allocate more of my money to housing instead of transportation costs than have a yard in the burbs, but I have no plans to have children, so my view is biased. Highrises/midrise buildings are just the vehicles to deliver dense housing near stuff at current land prices. If someone has access to Co-Star they could look lease-up / occupancy trends in newer Class A highrise apartments and determine if demand is still strong to give a less speculative answer to your question.
  11. From the bridge near UHD over Buffalo / White Oak Bayou Timelapse video of the sunrise.
  12. Came across the Preservation Houston video mentioned above on youtube.
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