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X.R.

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Everything posted by X.R.

  1. By the time we hit two mil vaccinations in Houston and we get thumbs up to start lowering our guard, so early summer probably, this part of Montrose is going to be demonstrably different, with this and the other projects and the new pocket park. And this place will be close to opening up, given its current pace. All the while having an open-air design which alleviates some COVID-concerns. Fantastic timing and design. Thanks for the pics @hindesky I'm predicting this part of Montrose to be BUSY.
  2. Ummm wow, did we know this was happening: https://www.hermannpark.org/plans-projects/the-commons-at-hermann-park/ ? That part of the park is my favorite, no one is there and its an excellent spot to take kids or to go chill. Its been our COVID go-to. Which apparently the Park doesn't like, lol: While this sizeable portion of the Park includes a natural point of entry into the Park, it is currently under-utilized and virtually ignored by the public, creating congestion and over-utilization in other parts of the Park. Architect Marlon Blackwell will be designing all of the structures and landscape architects Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) will help us transform this under-developed area into an inviting gateway and lively community asset. Edit: if you follow those links, seems like the Park spent serious money on some talent with some great creds when it comes to more modern design that involves green spaces/eco spaces within buildings.
  3. Talking to my commercial real estate clients, apartment developments stabilizes property values in the surrounding areas because you know what that land will be used for and it will probably remain so for a while. A 10-20 story luxury apartment complex will have a good lifespan. Also, depending on the development there may be additional boons like improved curbs, drainage, trees/greenery, lighting, refreshing of CenterPoint wiring, etc. Those all increase property values. Then there is the buying power of those individuals entering that area, and if its a large enough complex the purchasing power can stabilize surrounding businesses. Thus, less empty storefronts. Negative externalities like street parking issues and noise and such also happens but usually not to the extent that it offsets the potentially positive additions.
  4. Hope I don't get killed for this: this exact building was the one, maybe 8 or so years ago, that really turned me off from this part of downtown once I started working in and around DT. The building seemed cold from the street level and theres a ton of concrete in the patio/front area around the art piece and also by the office building across the street with nothing to break up the monotony and coldness of the concrete ( a few trees didn't help). I always found it strange that someone was like, yeah, this is great. That rendering posted by @adr is 100x better. Also, wearing a suit in that part of downtown will be juuuuust a bit easier. If every downtown building just put in a bit more green/trees, doesn't even have to be as robust as this, I think you'd see a bit more activity top-side
  5. That Chevron's gas prices are ghastly. That stretch of San Felipe is wild. It starts with a tiny gas station then goes high-rise going up, already built high rise, another high rise, this site, one of the busiest targets in town, mid-rise apartments, thennnnn suburban-style residential. If anyone doubted what the galeria-area/uptown will become, whats happening on San Felipe should show let everyone know that things are getting super dense. When I take the back roads home, I fee like its kind of apparent the influence this has on the surrounding areas, including the apartment by that central market on westheimer and the apartments going up across from roka akur. Just an incredible amount of development.
  6. They've been burying a ton of stuff lately, but I am unsure if they are will be burying the power lines. I was talking to one of the Centerpoint guys out there, he said they were out there to bury the transformer, and that Centerpoint will be doing other work in the area, which included replacing polies and cleaning up wiring. Which is why there are centerpoint poles sitting in the ditches all around the site.
  7. That was fast, holy shit. It takes them forever to pave a road, but putting in beams and such take a few months. The power of local business interests, lol.
  8. COVID created winners and losers, and a lot of that comes down to cash flow management and debt allocation. A lot, a lot of businesses were spending in pursuit of revenue, and COVID caught the ones who were stretched thin with their pants down. Even in hospitality, some private equity groups are making a killing buying these kinds of assets. The sudden-ness of the closing means they probably weren't financially liquid enough to survive the tough time, but this will most likely be sold to some PE company and continue to be what it was. So, no fretting. Can't let all those renovations go to waste!
  9. My favorite thing about @hindesky's picture on January 2 is that it does show a very lovely, and I would almost say unusually shaped, building. The exposed beams creating a bit of continuity from the ground floor up, the brilliant shade of the glass, and way they integrate the podium to the residential portion through the spine of the building and... "PAY MACHINE INSIDE LOT ONLY, DO NOT PAY ATTENDANT." Houston in a nutshell. 😇🧐🤭
  10. God, what an asshole. If developers like this get in trouble in areas where people do fight them, do they get in trouble with the local representatives and such? For example, would it make it harder for this dude to develop in the city again? The flippant way that he was like "yeah, I'll do that" when the person told him about blocking the street, the stop sign, the messed up lot, and the road issues is ridiculous.
  11. Unsure about the agency, but maybe no swing because of liability reasons (breaks and someone is hurt, for example)? I would imagine swings requires upkeep, which requires some amount of vigilance to make sure someone checks on it every once in a while. That might not happen to the degree that would make some lawyer happy so she/he said "Do you really wanted X amount of potential liability for a park you're only spending X on?" 🤷‍♂️
  12. A lot of this historical discussion about Houston and it being primarily driven, development-wise, by business interests, and the utilization of land outside the city for these corporate campuses, is covered in Prophetic City: Houston on the Cusp of a Changing America by Stephen L. Klineberg. Its a great book, I never knew the origins of Houston or why it developed the way it did. One of the primary points of the book is that Houston was always a town where business interests came first, and it just so happened that for various times in Houston's history, the interests of the city also aligned with it. I primarily picked it up because I was inspired by discussions like these on HAIF.
  13. Anyone know if they will be planting trees and stuff in the median/on the exits? I liked that 288 had some green once you passed 610, and some of the newer bridges had trees underneath them in the mockups.
  14. What does that mean? That they are taking samples or something else?
  15. On one of the pods, they mentioned they run the largest parking lot and the biggest transportation from a parking lot to the workplace in North America. This is supposed to curb some of that, I can't imagine that is sustainable for the type of growth they have in mind. Also, parking in/around the med center is/was getting expensive for alot of health practices and their employees.
  16. Are we sure this isn't a clerical error? They maybe meant to say $335,171.44? Some smaller apartment building are cheaper than 33 million, aren't they? If its 33 million, they have to be adding a substantial amount of space somehow to the Fiesta.
  17. No. Austin's charm, even up until like 15 years ago is that it was the biggest "little town" in Texas. It still had that feel. Most of the chiefs and assistant chiefs in the govt are conservatives, so nah, there's no liberal influence there. Alot of people who work in govt are "open minded" but I mean you work for a republican governor, senate, and house so your not really spreading your "open mindedness" anywhere. They are a massive employer though, and if you want a feel for the culture, the liquor store in the capital has empty shelves on fridays, lol. Its a bit depressing. UT is whatever, their primary influence is the kids driving retail and booze sales in the city. The "weird" in Austin was created by older Texans, both vets and non-vets, who enjoyed being outside/farming/ranching while still smoking some weed and drinking too much. Think more Willie Nelson, less douchy new england style ultra-liberal student. Add me to the category of hoping that the City jumps on this and gives HPE whatever they want to create some kind of presence near Rice's development or downtown. To let HPE move here and then just bury itself into Spring would be kind of an L.
  18. Yeah, I know people halfway through this thing said they were reserving judgment and I think we can now safely say that this building is a LOOKER. By itself, the rooftop and the lights are eye catching, but placed amongst the trees and the backdrop of the other buildings its even more stark (in a good way). Now I just cross my fingers that landscaping is done well.
  19. Sorta sad to see it go, I had some weird but funny stuff happen to me at that store. As an actual place to do all my grocery shopping it was... OK. Convenience I'd give that Kroger a 10/10, but for actual food stuffs I preferred the fiesta on 59. I know people love that old Kroger but in the last year or so I'd gotten some sorta crappy produce like apples and garlic and avocados that were mostly over-ripe/going bad. Meat kinda sucks, is a bit expensive too. Buuuut, its convenient and not crowded so I go/went there often. This plus that other lot with the half price and mattress firm...if someone bought the whole thing they could make a very cohesive development that would become the place that Montrose revolves around. I hope a grocer stays in this area, an Aldi would be perfect. Affordable and usually a small footprint.
  20. I guess we haven't been taking pictures of it, but the glassell social stairs and that roof have had construction going on for a few months now. I liked running up the stairs and pretending I was rocky, but a few months ago the guard said it was temp closed. So I'm sure when we get back up there, something HAS to be different given all the time. And yeah, it was real, real hot up there in July/August.
  21. One can only hope. Growing up in and around the area, and then seeing this placed there without ridiculous fanfare and what not is something I don't think I could have imagined. Its too nice, but maybe thats the point. Now these people can take their kids somewhere nice that is closer to home and doesn't require you to navigate all this traffic to get to a park and then parking fees or signs you don't understand. On the flip side, it expands potential Houston tourism/arts to its southern-most point (within the loop) and with it all the negative externalities some may prescribe to that. Like you said, Lawndale to Hobby (I'd argue to Almeda Mall) is getting busier now but before it felt like we were forgotten/left behind. A blip on everyone's radar as they went home to Clear Lake or Pasadena. I hope the Botanical Garden is doing outreach to the local communities letting them know all the rules and prices.
  22. I've been wondering this: is there an advantage over using steel vs concrete/wood? I've seen your question in other threads and just wondered since no onw has really answered it.
  23. The easement on the West side...perfectly solves the issue of linking Hermann/Third Ward/UH to Memorial Park/Galleria. Its almost too good. I'm assuming this map is correct as it came from the 2014 article about this:
  24. Its almost spoilers to see the 3rd floor ceilings now, its that interesting. It seems like the light changes a bit depending on the viewing angle? Or is that the camera? If it does change, that would be so cool. Also, all that modern/avant-garde art in the last picture @rgarza is intriguing, especially that yellow cylindrical container with the canvas on top 🧐
  25. Any update for Q2/Q3? With all the new rooms potentially coming online, I was wondering if there were more up-to-date official numbers counting the amount of housing in the pipeline.
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