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Big E

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Everything posted by Big E

  1. Big E
    Seriously, it should not have taken them this long to review this project. The stoppage was BS to begin with, but there is no reason this should have taken another year.
  2. Big E
    If I remember correctly, the federal government is only allowing some preliminary work to be done on parts of Section 3. But no major construction is forthcoming, nor will there be much, is any, right of way acquisition, until the federal government finally gets out of the way.
  3. Big E
    To be expected with all the delays and the rising costs of key materials.
  4. Big E
    I don't think this development was ever going to be successful as it was designed. Something more along the lines of Miami's Brickell City Centre, with a far more mixed use development and taller towers, would have been more successful. A project like this would have only worked in that kind of a mixed use context. Trying to be a dour, drab, traditional mall, except outdoors (and exposed to the elements), was probably never going to work downtown, especially with the retail mix they were going for. Even as a place to eat, most people in the area probably went to Houston's tunnel system, a food hall, or Houston Center, for that.
  5. Big E
    Companies go where the money is. Downtown is not a hopping retail environment, hence why Greenstreet struggled. On the other hand, City Centre has been very successful, and is already an established retail center. The idea is a no brainer, and the only place I even see this concept going besides here is Uptown.
  6. Big E
    News flash to both of you gentlemen. When most of these freeways were first being developed and built, neighborhoods like the Galleria area and Sharpstown were also undeveloped or developing suburbs. Those skyscrapers and the Galleria didn't exist when the loop was put in, it was farmland. Sharpstown was still developing when the right of way was taken for the Southwest Freeway. The Beltway's right of way was mostly through farmland, except when it came to Jersey Village, which did exist at the time, and, as Samagon pointed out, the freeway was diverted around that town, which is why it has that weird notch in it. Ever wonder why Houston's freeways are so straight? Its because they were traveling through farmland and undeveloped land, except the parts closest to downtown
  7. Big E
    That first link doesn't go anywhere, so I don't know what you are linking to. As for the second, I read the article and found this quote: TxDOT is outright conceding that they are using the freeways as ad-hoc detention ponds. They know they will flood. They accept it as better than the alternative, due to the city's numerous drainage issues. The third link is a link to comments to public meetings. I don't know what that supposed to accomplish, since those comments come from all kinds of people, with all kinds of goals, interests, and fears, who have no knowledge of engineering. At least one comment actually opposes raising a depressed freeway above the ground because they fear that it will force flooding into surrounding areas:
  8. Big E
    Yes, that is the explicit goal. Look, the people who build these freeways aren't stupid. They know they will flood, they know the local water table, the know how close to sea level any particular area of Houston is. They take all that into account. When major rains or tropical events happen, those freeways are closed traffic. Most of the deaths that happen when someone drives into a flooded freeway is due to people ignoring warning signs and blockades, like that infamous case of that young woman who drove her SUV into a flooded exit ramp and drowned. She drove around a barricade and workers warning her against it to do so. All in all, most flood deaths of people who die in their cars is due to people trying to drive through flood waters in the first place. This is never advisable for anyone, in any circumstance.
  9. Big E
    TxDOT are well aware of this, as is everyone else involved in the project. Sunken freeways in Houston are designed to flood, on purpose. They are basic extra reservoirs that can be used to hold excess amounts of water during large rain events. They build them like that for that very reason.
  10. Big E
    East Houston near the ports and refineries? A field in the middle of South Houston somewhere. Or maybe they can knock down the apartments in Gulfton and put it there. And if the residents complain, tell them they can stay and be guaranteed three square meals and a cot to sleep on, but won't be able to leave whenever they want.
  11. Big E
    Which is precisely why those who are acting against the project are trying to do it now. They want to syphon what political will there is behind this project in order to stop it. It will only hurt Houston in the long run, as the money earmarked will get spent elsewhere.
  12. Big E
    I've often find myself obsessing over the idea of moving the sheriff's office, jails, inmate intake, county administration building and courthouses out of downtown and into some new civic center complex (and yes, I know that Houston already technically has a neighborhood called Civic Center; they can move city hall too and keep the building itself as historic). That area is susceptible to flooding anyway (as Harvey showed, disrupting court operations for over a year), and the city of Houston already wants to build a new public safety facility to house the city court, HPD Headquarters, and the Central Precinct. The city and county have already combined their prisoner intake and jail facilities, not sure why they haven't put their heads together to move the facilities to a more palatable location. That...might not actually be a bad idea. The only problem is that the level of development might forgo moving there. South and East Houston/Harris County are comparatively under developed in comparison.
  13. Big E
    There's also that large site that's right behind the Astoria...
  14. Big E
    Except its not being shared as a "fun little fact". Its being shared it as some kind of gotcha and using it to make a point and since its being shared to make a point in the first place, its only natural to scrutinize that point to see if it makes any sense.
  15. Big E
    I mean, they could easily split parts of the cap between development and parkland/plazas. This cap will be long and wide, with plenty of room for both. It doesn't have to be an either/or decision.
  16. Big E
    I have a hard time thinking of anything west of those train tracks as River Oaks, though apparently anything north of Afton Oaks and East of the loop is.
  17. Big E
    Doubt they want a lot of hotels near the homeless.
  18. Big E
    Shhhhh....Don't tell him. I actually fail to see how that's a bad thing? Part of the reason suburban sprawl is what is, is because the states and federal governments have long been subsidizing its growth. Actually forcing developers to pay for their developments seems like it might actually go a long way to slowing that trend. The answer is obvious. We'll take the money because it is our tax dollars too, just like Texas has always taken earmarked dollars, just like every other state. People may heehaw about the billions of dollars in spending that will almost certainly be waisted but they'll take the money all the same and heehaw about it later. And yet the city still functions as it should and millions still move here, tens of thousands more coming every year. One wonders why if infrastructure was really that bad.
  19. Big E
    Yeah, this does nothing for me. It feels like an ill thought out sop to those who claim that the NHHIP doesn't have enough transit. I'd rather they tear down the structure, sell the land, and put the money towards the freeway caps.
  20. Big E
    If anything, this shows how much we don't need more extensive city planning. Developers are doing this because there is a demand for these kinds of spaces and this kind of development. The city didn't have to do jack, and its reaping the benefits. And better the city didn't do anything, because it would only mess up and do things to make these kinds of developments (or other kinds of developments that aren't like this) impossible, like in so many other cities.
  21. Big E
    We all got to remember that Covid is still a thing, and Covid had led to decreased transit ridership nationwide, and is putting transit agencies in the red. I don't expect much to be done transportation wise, for the foreseeable future other than what has already been started. Federal money from that infrastructure bill will help get things off the ground, but we all know how much red tape comes with any kind of federal money.
  22. Big E
    I wouldn't consider the Camden twin a "tower" really. Camden is a midrise, maybe a small high rise at best. Its twin probably will be designed the same. I would put the Marquette building in the same boat really, but at 24 stories, I would definitely put that in high rise territory. Since the original post asked for "towers", I focused on the tallest buildings, the actual skyscrapers.
  23. Big E
    One Market Square is still, technically, proposed, just looking for a major tenant. I think Hines is handling that one, so with Texas Tower done, that's probably their next major project. 6 Houston Center is still proposed, as of now. That 50 story Chevron Tower is still technically proposed, but its been on the backburner for years. If Chevron ever finally moves out of California, maybe it will happen. And finally there's the W Hotel proposed to be built above the Partnership Tower. I also think there may be a proposal to redevelop the Bayou Music Center, including multiple towers, but don't know how far along that actually is.
  24. Big E
    Yeah, this picture surprises me. I thought they had failed to acquire that little piece of parking lot, and had acquired the lot to the west of that one, next to that residential building whose name escapes me at the moment. Looks to me like they are just repaving it and expanding the sidewalk, like the Houston Center did. In fact, if you look at the pick, you can see little cars still using the road. Its just that the sidewalk has been expanded and a lane has been lost.
  25. Big E
    I apologize to anyone here who may have voted for this schmuck, but Ken Paxton is an idiot. My only question is who's paying him off to get involved at this point? Or who benefits from his involvement? Because the only reason I can see him getting involved here is because it benefits somebody he's attached to (or in the pocket of) to stop this railroad. Its the age old question of politics: who benefits? Not him. Not the state. Not Dallas or Houston. So who benefits? His legal argument would, taken at a face value, make it impossible for any brand new railroad to be built in Texas, which was almost certainly not the actual point of the law. And even more distressingly, why the hell did the Texas Supreme Court even bother reopening this open and shut case? Edit: Oh, and check this out, in case you needed any more proof this guy is a slimeball. https://www.gadsdentimes.com/story/news/politics/2020/11/13/ken-paxton-texas-attorney-general-sued-allegedly-abusing-office/6278836002/
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