bachanon

it's interesting to consider what would happen to the galleria if houston's downtown retail goes upscale. two upscale centers of retail perhaps? does it matter, in general, if upscale retail focus moves downtown from the galleria? exciting none the less.

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>The Woodlands ready to roll out trolleys Vehicles to offer mobility option on waterway</span> By BETH KUHLES Chronicle Correspondent RESOURCES TROLLEY FACTS

was that the old sakowitz store on main? i've seen this too.

dbigtex, i simply said that the battlefield in the war on terror has not been here on our soil since 9/11. i did not say, nor do i think, that iraq was responsible for 9/11.

c'mon midtown people. cheer up! i live in the woodlands and i'm excited about midtown and downtown. i'm living vicariously through you! since i was a kid in conroe, i've been fascinated with houston's central core, it's history, it's architecture, it's people. some of the most exciting things i remember from childhood, growing up, to now have occurred inside the loop. my first circus at the coliseum, my first broadway show at the music hall, my first symphony at jones hall, my first rock concert at the summit, 30th birthday at la strada, mo mong/zimms/farrago last weekend. i could go on and on. my parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles all have memories of a bustling downtown scene "way back when" and even as a kid i wondered why it changed and how it might return. my entire life i've waited for what's happening now. i can't wait for "critical mass" to begin to occur in hotspots around midtown and downtown. however, it takes time, it takes people (like HAIF), it especially takes all of you who live there and buy groceries there and establish the warm blooded presence necessary for investors to get projects going. don't give up. don't lose patience. spend! i realize that being there everyday can make change seem REALLY slow, but what is happening is occurring quickly in the grand scheme of things. ok, maybe not as quickly as the woodlands. ;) what is happening in houston is long term permanent change for the better (IMHO), that's a lot more difficult and culturally significant (again IMHO) than a corporate "master plan". if you guys get discouraged and move out, then it WILL take forever or worse, be impossible. anyhoo, i'll get off the box. be encouraged guys, it's all good.....and getting better!

i read some time ago in an AIA magazine about a parking garage being planned with mechanical devices like you described dbigtex. i imagine the upkeep for that sort of machinery would require regular maintenance costs. i believe the garage they described was for long term parking rather than daily as well. also, i read about a garage facade somewhere with programmable light panels that could create one solid color or any combination of colors, in any pattern moving or still, etc. the garage, being in an urban area, had only one street side face. i agree that some discussion on this subject is necessary. i'm reminded of a discussion we had on the former site about the possibility of a city/downtown "design review committee", a committee whose opinion would be required on all building permits. if one existed, we wouldn't have to rely on the design tastes (errr, non taste) of a builder/developer. without something of this nature, i can't see how parking garages could improve in our near future, unfortunately.

Locals, merchants to participate in hometown parade The Woodlands will celebrate the opening of its newest old-fashioned shopping area, Market Street, with a hometown parade. Though many businesses in Market Street are already open, such as H-E-B The Woodlands Market, Borders Books and TD Waterhouse Bank, several more will time their openings to coincide with the grand opening of Market Street. The Hometown Parade will take place Nov. 13 at 9 a.m. and will feature Olympic medalist and Woodlands native Laura Wilkinson as Grand Marshal. There will also be floats, bands, local organizations and shop employees marching and displaying floats according to Gina Faist, activities coordinator for Market Street. "We hope there is a great turnout," she said. "It's really turned into a hometown parade as well as a tenant parade." The culmination of the event will be a gigantic ribbon-cutting ceremony in which more than 500 feet of ribbon surrounding Central Park in the middle of the shopping center will be cut simultaneously by up to 600 local dignitaries and people instrumental in getting Market Street off the ground. "It's going to be the largest ribbon cutting in Texas, and maybe in the country," Faist said. "We haven't found one bigger yet." The parade route will encircle the park on North and South Market Street. The route will be about one-third of a mile. Several businesses will take this opportunity to celebrate their own Grand Openings, and will be giving away prizes, having sidewalk sales or new-store specials. Market Street will give away prizes every hour as well. In addition, several businesses will participate in the parade with fun floats or costumes. "Chipotle is going to have a burrito float," Faist said. She said Market Street will be unlike any other shopping venue because it will incorporate yearlong entertainment into the shopping experience. There will be a stage set up for outdoor performances, and street performers will stroll along the sidewalks, mingling with window shoppers and visitors. The shopping area is modeled after an old-fashioned Main Street or downtown district complete with train depots, charming public art and vintage-styled store fronts. It is meant to be a laid-back atmosphere where shoppers can meander from store to store while listening to relaxing music, surrounded by lush landscaping. "It's a piece of nostalgia -- the way a town center used to be," said Market Street manager Harold Dull in a released statement. "When you consider what is here, with more stores to come in the spring of 2005, you really get the sense that there is something for everyone." New stores opening include Z Gallerie, Bombay & Co. and Aaron Brothers for housewares and home furnishings; Luke's Locker for fitness buffs; Beauty First, Bella Rinova Salon & Spa and Aveda for people who need pampering; and Caf

Budget approved for 'The Woodlands living room' By: BURTON SPEAKMAN, HCN/Courier staff 11/03/2004 The Town Center Improvement District Board will finance the creation of a new public area on The Woodlands Waterway. Waterway Square will be east of The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center and south of Cinemark Tinseltown 17 on the Waterway. The Woodlands Land Development Company donated .7 acres of land to the TCID for the project and will construct the park. The $4,343,164 project will be paid for through TCID sales tax and hotel occupancy tax. It will include a two-story fountain, a water wall designed to appear like a waterfall, a pop-up fountain for children and a covered area that can be used for performances. TCID Chairman Bob Kinnear said the project is scheduled to be completed in early 2006. "We've been looking at plans for this area for years, and it has progressively got better and better," Kinnear said. "We would most likely buy the finished product." The park will be the final piece of the ambiance TCID is trying to accomplish. Waterway Square is meant to be the main town square on the Waterway, said Thomas D'Alesandro, president and CEO of The Woodlands Operating Company. The goal is to make the public square animated through use, he said. Other town squares along the Waterway have all been built above the level of the water. It will offer people a place on the Waterway to rest or watch other people, he said. "It will be The Woodlands living room," D'Alesandro said. Original plans included a new parking garage and some art projects at the park, TCID President Frank Robinson said. However, The Woodlands Land Development Company now is developing plans to expand the parking garage at the Waterway Marriott with two additional floors. It also is planning two additional garages that will accompany commercial development in the area between Waterway Square, Cinemark Tinseltown 17 and The Woodlands Mall expansion, Robinson said. Before these commercial areas are developed, they will be flat-surface parking, he said. Kinnear said much of the commercial space around the public area will become restaurants and offices. It will benefit Town Center by creating new jobs in the professional, retail and restaurant industries, Robinson said. "It's increasing our tax base," he said. When this project is finished along with the planned development surrounding it, there will be a livable downtown area in Town Center, he said. "This development will have an impact on everything around it," Robinson said. Burton Speakman may be reached at bspeakman@mail.hcnonline.net.

let the buyer beware. it's really too bad that people can be swayed by builder's model homes so much that they don't notice a railroad track or airport nearby. (mapquest anyone?) it's the same with people buying near the pavilion in the woodlands or near the freeway and then complaining about the noise. it cracks me up. they should've done the research before buying. now, when they push the grand parkway through spring and existing neighborhoods, people will have reason to demand noise reduction consideration.

iraq wasn't a terrorist haven? much of the country's population are breathing a sigh of relief from decades of abuse and terror from a madman. the dictatorship of saddam hussein wasn't a terrorist regime? it is only in fallujah and certain "strongholds" that the people are suffering from being in a war zone. the majority of the populace are better of now i didn't say that ALL terrorists were in iraq. i said that "terrorists are making their way" to take a stand in iraq. this is fact. the soldiers are witness to it.

weren't there less requirements on what we could do with the funds because we "didn't" have federal money? would we actually have had MORE money or matching funds up to a certain amount? inquiring minds want to know...

in the grand scheme of things, from planning to budgeting, why oh why didn't this section get placed at ground level? every one knows that these under passes flood. perhaps "in the grand scheme of things" it doesn't occur enough to justify the extra cost? i still wish it weren't so.

it's unfortunate, velvetj, that you feel any "thinking" person couldn't possibly believe that iraq was a threat to us, or that we are safer. so far, the battlefield is not here and has not been since 9/11. terrorists are making their way to iraq to have their "shot" at one of us. our family members and friends in the armed forces have made the battlefield elsewhere in order that we live in peace. i would rather not lose one more friend in iraq, i would rather not spend billions of dollars on war; however, the soldiers i've met do not feel they/we are there in vain and feel that the purpose we are there outweighs the costs. perhaps there are some in our current administration who see "nation-building" as the only way to future peace, maybe they are right, i don't know.

i don't believe he's against a good urban core. i think he's taking an objective look at people's behavior and commenting on it. his comments provide insight on what could become a new kind of urban core not seen in other metropolitan areas. (see my last comment).

they're consolidating their research and development in the woodlands as well. they will be renovating a genetic research facility vacated by valentis. the ceo, peter huntsman, already resides in the woodlands.

express bus or train service to/from the airports. light rail connecting downtown and galleria. a natatorium. continued planting and maintenance of existing greenspace.

awesome interview. it would be great to hear more. this guy is on target about our self image as a city. houston has the ingenuity and the gusto to reverse this trend (suburban being where the quality of life is). REAL family housing near the city core that's affordable will make all the difference. the near north side and the east side (of downtown) could be our answer. let the empty nesters and the young professionals have downtown; let the hipsters and artists have midtown; families will only want to visit these places anyway. being close to the amenities (stadiums, theatres, restaurants) with "floorspace" (3-2) and safety is what is needed. schools and retail will follow. good design, conscious investors can make it happen.

exxon/mobil chemical headquarters are on the katy freeway. exxon/mobil corporation, exploration and production operations are on 800 Bell downtown houston. moving2houston, the following are links to key community information portals. the community associations can give a better idea about the woodlands than the main page aimed at sales. interfaith (and the trees) are what makes the woodlands different from other master planned communities. http://www.thewoodlandsassociations.org/ http://www.thewoodlands.com/ http://www.thewoodlands.net/ (for residents: events, schools, news, etc.) http://www.woodlandsinterfaith.org/ (core values that founded the woodlands originated here) http://www.town-center.com/ if you are an empty nester there are several homes in the 300s being built right in the middle of town center. beware of these if you like it quiet, however. you'll have your choice of townhomes, patio homes, golf course/lake homes, lofts and garden homes elsewhere in this 27,000 acre community. yes, there is a commute to houston; however, it's completely worth it (IMHO). the woodlands has won numerous awards nationally and internationally for environmentally conscious planning. it's a great place to be.

October 1, 2004 Go Behind-the Scenes and Learn The Story Of The Woodlands A new book from the Urban Land Institute

i read that there were more than 30k people considering a move downtown over the next several years and that speculators are betting on 10k new downtown residents in just a few years. with that said, moderate income housing is a must. midrise residences with more floorspace and less "luxury amenities". ground floor retail (of course) and close proximity to the light rail line are also important. moderate income housing needs to be more affordable than 150K.

thank you , thank you, firstngoal. in a city where private development reigns (which i support) it's wonderful that this park is in the works. it's easy to list ideas for a perfect park; however, it's not easy to get the city to create a downtown park. the idea for park bench sponsorship is ideal. let's not wallow in imperfections. i'm happy it's being done. my biggest concern is the development around the park. please, please please, developers.......first story cafes and/or stores opening out towards the park!!!

after reading everyone's posts on this issue, i've come to realize that high speed transit to the airport would only serve the people who travel the most. unless business and leisure travelers' spending justifies a megamillion dollar high speed transit system to IAH, i must relent that other practical considerations be met first.

come on mr. editor, (why do i always seem to take up for mr. delay when all i want is a little objectivity?) tom delay realizes that it's a real downer to spend 50 minutes on a light rail line to IAH. the current bus travel time is 60 minutes. why spend millions on a light rail line to IAH. personally, i want high speed. we are SPACE city and should think of ourselves as such. we are an enormous city geographically.

certainly prostitutes and women who dress like them shop at the galleria. the original thread made me think someone was privy to new stores going in at the galleria. other than the fox sports cafe/bar, does anyone have any news?

regardless of the intentions of mr. delay. the legislature has in it's power the ability to redraw the lines under the circumstances in which it has occurred. the courts want to look closer to make sure that it is not specifically partisan. simply because it came out mostly republican (in a mostly republican state) does not mean the legislative reasons for redistricting are specifically partisan. i realize it sounds like a free ride for mr. delay but the law is written to be interpreted by the courts (not plain). simply because the redistricting is going to be reviewed does not make it criminal or suspect. hate tom delay if you will, but consider these issues when people you agree with are in power and doing the same. i agree with subdude's assertion that a non-political entity should be drawing the boundaries.