Jump to content

JJxvi

Full Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    732

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    6

 Content Type 

Everything posted by JJxvi

  1. JJxvi
    You are very mistaken. The Katy Freeway row expansion was not just the railroad ROW that already existed, and even in those areas where both railroad ROW and old katy road ROW existed, the highway ROW expanded even beyond those boundaries. Over 1000 homes and business were subject to eminent domain between beltway 8 and 610, which is the richest area abutting a highway in the city. In Spring Valley between Blalock and Bingle, I think two entire rows of single family homes are gone now. You can still see the blank area near the freeway where the homes used to be in an aerial on like google maps (see the park area where the culdesacs of Teresa Dr and Ben Hur Dr. end), but that land is just the northernmost line of homes. There was another line of homes demolished that would be way out into where the main lanes are now. Where the Katy feeder road is now was actually a residential street with neighborhood houses on the south edge and then the railroad beyond that before you got to the highway. I recommend you open google earth if you have it, turn on the road layer which shows where the modern roads are, and then take the imagery back to 1995 and just look at all of the stuff that freeway and its feeder road blasts through. The impact was very significant The NHHIP, I believe might have more significant total number of impacts, but I dont think it does when you're talking about just sections 1 and 2.
  2. JJxvi
    The "racial injustice" or "social justice" component of this is really just a dogwhistle that more effectively gets the attention of some of the current powers that be (especially those far away, like the federal government) than just general "we don't like freeways" on its own would. In sections 1 and 2, the project is happening where it is because the freeway already exists there, they aren't deciding to ram it through because of who lives there. Similar projects have already been completed in the last 30 years on highways that could be considered mostly blue collar white (northwest freeway) and both of the highways that run through the richest, whitest parts of town (west loop and katy freeway). Fighting to kill the entire project seems more counterproductive to me than fighting to fix specific problems.
  3. JJxvi
    Excellent
  4. JJxvi
    It definitely doesnt look like its enough for the whole thing, but I bet its more than 10%. It looks like there are a fairly good amount of embankment dirt being built up on the site, just because the reconstruction of Memorial Dr even way beyond where the hills begin look like its several feet lower than the current roadway/original elevation.
  5. JJxvi
    There is already decent size mound that has been sitting just north of the construction site (across Memorial Drive and the walking trail) that I think was saved from the reconstruction of the golf course.
  6. JJxvi
    The complete impossibility of connecting these two lines with Memorial Park annoys me.
  7. JJxvi
    Well, I can only speak for myself, but if that Barnes and Noble hadn't been built I wouldn't have even stepped foot in this shopping center at all for the last ten years. So I guess even if it supposedly did lose some aesthetic appeal, it gained a lot in utility from my perspective...
  8. JJxvi
    I will say that this center is one of a handful of historic Houston shopping centers that are gems, so I hope they dont screw it up.
  9. JJxvi
    Los Angeles is a much older city. It already had a population of 600,000-1,000,000 in the era where automobiles became ubiquitous, whereas Houston went through that era of its growth in the 1960's and 70s. I suspect that most of the inspiration of New Urbanism (especially that which has an American flavor) and things like main street theme park design, etc is all mostly just trying to replicate LA in 1915 or or 1925 or whatever.
  10. JJxvi
    So transit would end up running down both the North and West boundaries of Memorial Park with no access.
  11. JJxvi
    Pretty sure this actually did start as primarily a crusade against "affordable" housing.
  12. JJxvi
    Uh oh...
  13. JJxvi
    They likely say that those two fields aren't moving because those two fields are still in the same location on the master plan, one just has its orientation changed.
  14. JJxvi
    This exists within our state. In 2009, a new Texas A&M University-San Antonio was founded with eventual plans to reach an enrollement of 25,000+, and San Antonio is also served by the 35,000 student enrollment University of Texas at San Antonio.
  15. JJxvi
    Im sure that is a very big concern
  16. JJxvi
    Between Tidwell and Parker all of the ROW aquisition is on the opposite side, so none.
  17. JJxvi
    The best word for this immediate area going back 50 years is "dump" not "historic" in any sense. It was very 50s-60s era commercial industrial mix with a railroad spur right through the middle of it. The only thing memorable or consistent about the area that felt like they tied together were the two big water tanks, they were very similar to each other...they had a nice giant water tank-ey aesthetic that really tied everything up in a beautiful bow.
  18. JJxvi
    Personally I think it looks fine. I dont see what makes it any more or less stylish than like Broadstone Waterworks. I suspect based on that rendering that, like Broadstone, its going to use a significant amount of brick to match the Braun Waterworks shopping center, for example. So Im not sure the idea that they are just plopping down something generic here without any thought is borne out yet. Perhaps you have more information.
  19. JJxvi
    100% substance is boring, which ironically seems to be your problem with this building.
  20. JJxvi
    I find it shocking that s3mh thinks a new development in the Heights is a shit sandwich...
  21. JJxvi
    Really? It is only 1100 feet TOTAL from Jenson on the West to Meadow St on the East. Everywhere on this whole site plan you posted is less than 1/4 mile from anywhere else. This phase is only about 1/5 of a mile by 1/5 of a mile total.
  22. JJxvi
    double post
  23. JJxvi
    Rendering realistically shows the one guy who turned the wrong way down Shepherd.
  24. JJxvi
    The major difference is that they seem to have purchased a home on Dorothy St to use as an additional entrance/parking.
  25. JJxvi
    The main downside I guess is that through traffic on Heights/Waugh will now have a light to stop at.
×
×
  • Create New...