Andrew Ewert

Suddenly!

Man, I would love so much to buy this place and turn it into a loft-style hotel a la The Iron Horse in Milwaukee. Too bad I have $0 😆 Who wants to invest??

I'm not sure if it's a popular opinion, but 700 Louisiana has always been the defining iconic building in the skyline in my mind.

Do you mean the Frost Bank tower in Austin?

Hmmm, so this plan would require chopping a considerable amount off the front of the existing building, no? As it is, the building fronts directly onto the sidewalk, so there's no room for that whole parking lot. I do wish if they were determined to turn half of the structure into parking, that they did it in the back.

If this one materializes and Frankel's ever turns into anything, my little neck of the woods is gonna be hoppin!

You act like no one actually shops at that Fiesta...

It was all moving super quick and then... nothing.

Like I said, I'm not trying to respond directly to the discussion of any particular group that's raising concerns about this project. I was responding more to the general tone here that seems to be "economic progress is the only and ultimate purely good goal." You're right, there's never going to be a perfect solution when those sorts of opposing forces pop up. I'm not saying you get to that perfect alignment -- only that the eventual necessary compromises get made with the input from all stakeholders, including the people who live in the area. (Edit:) And, I would absolutely agree that anyone involving themselves in the process in bad faith is not helping anyone. I just don't think that such concerns are always inherently raised in bad faith.

As someone who grew up in Clear Lake, you'd better believe that if NASA started buying up every lot around my house to redevelop as they saw fit, that I and my neighbors would want some input in what that redevelopment looked like. Look, absolutely no one here is saying this project should be trash canned or even delayed in any way -- I'm personally really excited to see this area be revitalized. But come on, it is not at all unreasonable to ask for the people in an area affected by development to be included - yes, "included" - in the planning. I'm not speaking for the current proposed Third Ward CBA. I'm speaking for myself with the knowledge that business interests and community interests do not always perfectly align, and to treat them as anything but co-equal is a mistake.

There are certainly some asks which are more than justified - i.e. available and affordable groceries. Especially if Fiesta is going away.

I agree -- there are ways to have progress that are inclusive and sensitive of the needs of the neighborhood. I would hope the community organizers see the value of development and that the developers see the value of community.

Technically speaking, anything east of Main is historically Third Ward. But in practice, the descriptors of Midtown or Museum District have long since subsumed that area. Now that we think of Third Ward as being anything between 288 and 45, it does seem like quite a stretch.

Seems unlikely a Chick-fil-a would go there seeing as how there's one just down the street at I-45 and Wayside. But you never know.

It's estimated to be finished in 7 weeks? LOL