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largeTEXAS

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Posts posted by largeTEXAS

  1. On 5/16/2017 at 8:40 AM, H-Town Man said:

     

    Works for me. Have our cake and eat it too. I know the Sakowitz space was converted into offices - wonder what the ceiling heights are like, or if they remove any ceilings they added in and open it up a bit. Very unfamiliar with that part of the building, unfortunately.

    The ceilings are enormous. Maybe 25' or more. Can't wait to see it all shined up. The build out is going to be sick!

    • Like 5
  2. I don't understand this renovation at all. While the interior probably improved, the exterior is way worse! Still can't believe how horrible Studio Red's addition is to the building. So out of scale, such bad material choice. Add colorful LEDs to the mix and you have yourself and hot mess!

    • Like 3
  3.  

    37ed2beb692afbff2983831d83a69717.jpg

    the front entry just seems so very cheaply / moderately detailed.  i see no standout luxury here at all.... nothing but barren...

    not even an audi....

     

     

    I love it! Looks very downtown LA to me. Modern, Minimal, and beautiful. It's about time we start celebrating some of our Modernist heritage!

    • Like 3
  4. You need a significant catchment area of high income earners to justify the presence of high end retail. The addition of all of these new residential buildings (under construction or planned) is the first step in increasing the income potential of the area. Once that happens, the retailers can justify their presence in these areas. The City understands this...hence the downtown living initiative followed by the retail initiatives.

     

    Another overlooked element is the tourism element. By adding more hotel rooms, larger conventions, and more amenities downtown you are increasing your tourism population and many of these will come with disposable income. Disposable income that could be spent on this new concentrated retail district.

     

    For those that haven't been paying attention,,,this is all part of a methodical and tedious plan by our downtown leaders and it really started around 1999 with the construction of Minute Maid Park. It takes time bu tthe pieces are slowly  falling into place.

    Well said, shasta. Very slow process, but downtown leaders have been at it since '95/'96, so 20 years now. 

     

    Retail often follows residential (and it should), but it doesn't all the time. In rare instances, there's retail without residential. DT Houston is unique in this regard. When there was no residential whatsoever in DT Houston, it had a litany of retail, specifically high-end retail: Sakowitz, Palais Royal, Norton-Ditto, Neiman Marcus, Foley's/Macy's, etc. But we all agree, it's time for retail, including high-end, to make a triumphant return to DT Houston. It's a matter of leadership, but some Haifers believe the Dallas Street project is bringing it back. We'll see.

    Numerous efforts by the Downtown District have focused on retail. After numerous starts and stops and failed attempts, though, they finally realized residential was the key, thus the Downtown Living Initiative was created.

     

    Back when Sakowitz, Foley's, Woolworths, etc. were located downtown, Houston was a much more centralized city with downtown being the center of everything, including retail activity. In the '50s and '60s, the 'burbs in Houston (and the rest of the country) really began taking over. Shopping centers such as Westbury Square ('62) were built, then the Galleria ('72), etc., thus decentralizing Houston's shopping scene. Downtown emptied and became mostly a business center with almost no retail.

     

    It took a generation or two for people to want to move back into central cities. SoHo and TriBeCa in the early '70s were, arguably, the first "reverse flight" neighborhoods to populate in the country. Early on in its gentrification, SoHo was just a bunch of cool buildings with a bunch of wacky artists. No retail. Eventually that changed and we know what it's become. Of course, Houston is a little late to this trend, but it's catching on. With Midtown, Montrose, EaDo, the 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and 6th Wards gentrifying and developing...and now downtown attracting residential, retail will finally happen. This time it will be sustainable.

     

    It's an exciting time for Houston. More "luxury" residential will mean more and better retail; more and better retail will mean more luxury residential. Over the next few years you'll start seeing some great retail open downtown. Everything the HDMD has done and is doing will attract retail. They should keep the gas on until the 3rd Whole Foods and 2nd Cartier open up downtown, but, I'd argue, the focus should start shifting towards creating affordable housing. That's the next big frontier in the central city. 

    • Like 1
  5. Downtown luxury living has come a long way, but without a major retail district (Macy's, Nordstrom, maybe Saks, and relative/requisite high-street shops), future development will hit an impasse/roadblock. That's where DT Houston drops the ball, and the DT leadership doesn't understand that. DT Houston is on the threshold of greatness, but will miss it without adequate retail. DT residents are forced to have to leave DT to go elsewhere to Macy's for houseware/bedding/clothes, or Nordstrom for upscale, or luxury, or just regular everyday high-street shopping (J. Crew, Gap, HM, CVS, Grocery, ATT, Verizon, TMOBILE, etc). Major retail is a DT necessity that it does not offer its residents...which is severely hindering its full potential. It's really quite simple...we understand it, DT leaders can't seem to get-it-together. The first developer that understands this and brings it will reap a colossal windfall, and DT luxury high-rises will begin to flourish even further.

     

    You don't know what you're talking about. 

    • Like 2
  6. Bravo. I almost choked and threw up.

    The homeless bathe in the water, but besides that, the white pipes, weathered creepy parking entrances, it's a mess.

     

     

    Which...is neither Tranquil, nor a Park.

     

    Discuss...

     

    I thought I'd never say anything like this, but, in the case of "Tranquility Park," I think that site would actually be better utilized as a residential tower or mixed use building. City Hall's park is close to being wonderful. Only problem is, it's only partially surrounded by activity. For urban parks to be truly wonderful, I think, they need to have great design and they need to be almost completely surrounded by users that need a green space. Otherwise, homeless are just going to hang out there.

     

    I'm also never a fan of parks separated by streets. In this 17-block area, I think downtown should focus on making City Hall Park, Jones Plaza, the plaza in front of Wortham, and Buffalo Bayou and the connections from the street to it the best parks they can be. Do a PPP and sell the air rights over the garage under Tranquility and that little corner extension of Tranquility that faces the back of Bayou Place. Use the money and create even more impressive public spaces in the district; then make sure those green spaces are surrounded by active uses - the theaters (obviously), retail, residents, office users, etc. 

    • Like 3
  7. There's no GFR?

     

    Correct, no GFR. Camden refused. For years the Midtown Redevelopment Authority and Management District, public officials, and stakeholders urged/begged them to build retail in this project. Camden refused. So, the Redevelopment Authority had to redesign the park so that there was retail right in front of and adjacent to Camden, but in stand-alone buildings separate from Camden. This way they at least appear to be connected. Camden does retail in projects all over the country, except in Houston, their home base. 

    • Like 9
  8. I dunno. Going down Milam I am talking about the garages north and south of this development.

    Preston doesn't seem like a very busy street to me. It has been handling narrowing to two lanes for the Hines market square development. I don't know if it would be an easy sell. Many people like the regular grid of downtown and hate closing off streets. If it was up to me I would close both Preston and Congress and narrow both Milam and Travis then I woulds get my square finally

     

     

    Yeah. Kim Son is the garage north, and the Chron is the garage south.

    You are absolutely right about people not wanting the downtown grid to be messed up. It functions well. We don't want to screw that up (though I question the total number of cars going past Market Square on Preston. Like you said, Preston is handling the lane closures just fine).. So how about a Midway-GreenStreet esque mid-block cross walk to connect the two blocks of park? You would still get all the benefits of expanded park space for all the new residents, to having park frontage on 3 more blocks (instead of just 1) for better development opportunities. Idk, it was an early morning idea since nothing is going on with International Tower.

     

    Don't mess with the grid. Buffalo Bayou Park will be that asset for downtown. When the downtown portion is complete, residents downtown, especially ones close to Market Square, will be walking distance to one of the biggest and most expansive parks in the region. 

    • Like 3
  9. maybe next...??? WHY IS THIS GUY RUNNING HOUSTON FIRST?!? they'll have a hard time accomplishing anything visionary so long as that guy is at the helm.. he is supposed to be a leader of one of downtowns larger government run organizations, supporting the revitalization of downtown. and even he won't move forward with his project?? ugh..

     

     

    I wish they would release the incentives from this project and offer to another developer who will build and not hold the remaining units for the DLI hostage.

     

    Says a lot about our city that this guy's heading the organization that's "leading the effort to promote Houston as one of the great cities of the world." Guess parking lots, projects that reject mixed use and literally block important parks from fully developing, and subpar apartment complexes are what some feel makes Houston one of the great cities of the world. 

    • Like 5
  10. I wonder if they could do a similar incentive for retail - something like a sales tax break on all groceries or dry-goods sold. (Yes I realize the grocery basics don't have sales tax but prepared frozen food does, toilet paper, etc - things that Phoenicia doesn't have anyway)

    There have been retail and restaurant incentives in place since about 2005. OKRA, Batanga, Oxheart, Honeymoon, Little Dipper, El Big Bad, etc used them to get open. Only soft good retailer I know of that used the retail incentive was the Tipping Point, which has now closed. American Apparel was set to receive incentives about 10 years ago before the landlord of the Sakowitz building pulled the deal from them.

    • Like 2
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