bachanon

'tis true. it would be interesting though, to see who owns the most land in the tamina community. i drove around the area recently and there isn't much land for sale. my bet is that it has quietly been bought up for future development. i guess we could check the tax rolls. it is unfortunate that the water/sewer issue has not been worked out sooner. is it the city of oak ridge that sunk this most recent deal or "greedy" forces within the tamina community? i read an article that certain parties wanted undue control or funds and ultimately lost government funds due to the bickering.

not to burst a bubble or anything, but many automobile commercials are local or regional. a camero commercial in houston will not be the same camero commercial in atlanta. i doubt the commercials with houston as a backdrop are more than that. many of the voice overs identify texas or houston specifically as you're seeing houston as a back drop.

OUCH!!! Video is fun.

dear well meaning pineda, why in the shadow of the woodlands ? the article has nothing to do with the woodlands at all. tamina's water and sewer issues were specifically involving the city of oak ridge north and montgomery county. i realize you have a beef with the woodlands; i don't see how tamina's issues are related. p.s. i enjoy your posts. keep 'em coming.

this week i'm listening to: The Shaman, Deep Forest, Depeche Mode, Squirrel Nut Zipper, Everything But The Girl, Green Day, Good Charlotte, Chopin, Annie Lenox, Johnny Cash. BTW, the Annie Lenox/Sting concert was AMAZING!!!! at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in September. Up and coming significant (IMHO) musical performances and/or performances with live music: Cirque du Soleil - Varekai (Jan-Feb), Les Miserables (Jan or Feb).

the opening post on this thread calls the "picture of a model" of the austin city hall a rendering. a rendering is a drawing or more specifically a cad drawing. correct me if i'm wrong. the austin city hall appears to be an attempt at "organic" architecture but the model looks like a 1960s or 1970s era precast concrete behemoth. blech! is this already built? i might feel differently if i experienced it in person. architecture takes on a completely new dimension in human scale.

what are "mouthbreathers"?

it's garish! the water feature should have had stores opening up to it instead of having their backs to it.

wow 2112, i want to be mexican-american! the more i learn about our mexican immigrants and their families the more i appreciate them. there are real, genuine, solid qualities found in the mexican-american community that are lacking in other pockets of american culture. although i usually avoid threads like these, your post inspired me. thanks for sharing about your family.

deb, many of the conversations of late lack the depth and thought that we had before the crash. it seems that some of the more informative posters became tired of lame one liner commentary that didn't contribute to many of the discussions. many people may still be lurking around waiting for the good stuff to return. there was a sense of agreeable disagreement on issues that were well thought out and thought provoking. (you had some very interesting posts i remember). it seems that many posters couldn't grasp that sort of friendly debate without seeing red. i've contemplated repeating (attempting anyway) past threads; however, i think that future "meaty" postings will have to occur organically.

The new Federal Reserve Bank building was designed by Michael Graves. PGAL has some part in it as well.

if affluence and level of education are a factor, the majority of zip codes with the greatest wealth and education in the greater houston area are outside of the loop. bellaire, memorial, champions, the woodlands, magnolia. the latest census showed that four woodlands/magnolia area zip codes were in the top ten wealthiest and highest educated households in the greater houston area. bellaire, champions and memorial also fall into this top ten category. the info was cited in a HBJ list some months ago.

what a suburban thought dbigtex, "continuity of architectural style..."? ..."a 'real' neighborhood"? come on, i thought it was diversity, old and new, contrasting structures that created a 'real' urban fabric. actually, i agree somewhat. the statement you made seems to contradict what many people love about being in an urban environment. i do prefer that an architect consider the neighborhood before designing; however, i'm really sick of red brick here in suburbia.

this is the best idea i've heard yet for the post office location. if you haven't already, i'd suggest parking at the downtown post office and go up to the garden/patio area that faces downtown. it's a commanding view of our monumental skyline, unmarred by the pierce, i-45, 59, etc.

this project would greatly enhance the annual livestock and rodeo for out of town guests. in addition, the car shows and tech shows, etc. that occur at reliant center would benefit. proximity to the rail line certainly aids it's viability.

one of the reasons that moderate income housing becomes so difficult in an urban environment is because investors require a quick turn around on their money. there are situations around the country where architects, urban planners and affordable housing fans are finding investors willing to have longer investment periods with lower rates of return. these things are rare but it could be the future for urban affordable housing.

Pei Wei - once a month Tortuga's - once a month Luby's - every week Saltgrass - once a month Rockfish Grill - once a month Infrequent favorites: La Jaliscience (sp?) Van Loc Mark's 59 Diner Sweet Tomatos P.F.Chang's

i would love to see a big book seller like borders or barnes and noble develop a main street parcel which connects to the tunnels below; a multi-level store with sales floors below and at street level. if security is an issue, close the tunnel level entrances when the tunnel schedule requires

did anyone doubt that this would occur? shirley delibero and lee brown were no spendthrifts. under lanier we had an emergency fund and metro had more money than it used, now both the city and metro are in the red. we will be paying for their excesses for years. and no, i don't blame light rail.

an alamo drafthouse would do well on washington avenue near dunlavy or waugh. having one downtown would require being a part of a larger mixed use development.

grogan's mill in the woodlands, we are a fifteen minute walk from town center and the woodlands waterway. this large sculpture called "dreamer" is located at the intersection of w. panther creek and woodlands parkway.

downtown proper would have been better after 7pm on a friday. also, the n. main area is ripe for development. there have been investors buying up property in this area between i-45 & i-10 for years. the light rail northern extension will pass through this area and there are street and beautification projects in the planning stages.

the obvious (corny, if you will) is what makes a good tourist destination. as i mentioned before the demise of our beloved site, a design incorporating molecular, cellular, organic elements such as a nanotube type structure would (yes, a 1400 foot nanotube), by the right design team, be a statement of ourselves, current, universal, etc. the nanotube is simply an example; maybe a dna strand 120 stories tall. you get the picture. of course, i prefer the inverted conical structure with the offset sphere three quarters of the way up facing main street from the north.

the inverted cone is precisely what i was thinking; however, the sphere would be more than 60% up the side of the cone (preferably 80%, depending on the pitch of the cone and structural stability), making it kinda float there.

understand, urbanerd, that the waterway and lake woodlands are flood control elements. the meandering concrete walls are there for a reason. the government requires that for a certain amount of pavement a certain amount of runoff acreage is required. check out how walmart and lowes accomplish this; they dig a hole in the ground and fence it in in the back of the store. they could be creating ponds or gardens, or even preserving natural vegetation in low lying areas to achieve this. the woodlands development took these ideals into consideration in 1972 and developed around the future flood and wetland needs of this area. any development near the waterway will not be at water level anytime soon.