Jump to content

capnmcbarnacle

Full Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    330

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

 Content Type 

Everything posted by capnmcbarnacle

  1. capnmcbarnacle
    Looks like this one is underway. They are currently taking down the oaks on the east side of the property line and are preparing the smaller oaks to be moved. The large grove on the northwest corner has been surrounded by protective fencing.
  2. capnmcbarnacle
    FWIW, I heard that the final decisions on the offices you mentioned, Bakersfield, Covington, and Pittsburgh (i.e., the extent of eventually moving part of those operations to Houston and obviating the necessity of new construction there), is what delayed the Houston tower, and that the Houston tower will be appropriately funded once those decisions are made. It's worth noting that Chevron is moving forward with its Midland campus (uh-oh, a campus!), presumably because their future presence and needs have been well-settled.
  3. capnmcbarnacle
    I'm sure they got these numbers from various appraisers and expert witnesses who put a number on the loss of market value. Both sides got the chance to present testimony from their own expert witnesses and the jury got to decide who they believed. There is nothing too surprising about this verdict. If you are the guy next door, is having a 20 story building over your backyard a nuisance? I see how the jury would think it is, and it's easy to get an appraiser to give an opinion on a loss in value if it gets built. It's also clear the jury thought other people were too far away to be effected and gave them nothing. That being said, I'd be very surprised if the judge permanently enjoins this project. The residents will get compensated for the loss of use and enjoyment of their property and Buckhead will build their building.
  4. capnmcbarnacle
    I'm guessing they bought the adjacent lot to accommodate future growth. As a general rule (taking land costs out of the equation) would it be cheaper to build one 44 story tower, or two 22 story towers?
  5. capnmcbarnacle
    I'm sure the developer would agree with you, hindsight being 20/20, but this place was torn down in the summer of 2007 and whatever financing they had to move forward vanished. That whole liquidity crisis/Lehman collapse/Dow at 6500/recession event put the brakes on lots of things. At least this "eyesore" was a nice open field instead of a rusting hulk of steel a la High Street on Westheimer. The fact that this one is still going forward, and that they have gone forward with the Sovereign, backs up what these developers have always said -- they have had this property for a long time and are committed to it long term in the future. In the list of ambitious projects from 2006-2008, BLVD Place is one of the few that resembles its pre-recession self. Time will tell on Regent, but the signs point to them sticking to the original vision. I'd rather they do that, at the expense of a vacant lot for six years, than throw something up like High Street.
  6. capnmcbarnacle
    You know, the tenants could access the tunnels by spending 30 seconds above ground, walking across the street, and entering the tunnels from the the old Gulf Building. I know it's crazy, but walking through that lobby never gets old.
  7. capnmcbarnacle
    This remodel will expand the existing structure pretty significantly -- it won't be recognizable. Expect the patio to border the sidwalk in front -- should be a nice size. Will go well along with El Real and Royal Oak for bringing the patio life out to the street and sidewalk.
  8. capnmcbarnacle
    This snippet from the WSJ... "Final investment decision for the project, designed by HOK, is expected in the second quarter of 2014. Groundbreaking will follow final investment decision, and occupancy is anticipated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2016." How many times does the first public rendering turn out to be the one we see built? What are the odds this rendering changes between now and "final investment decision?"
  9. capnmcbarnacle
    I was pleased to hear about this until I heard it was the same people that brought us the Embassy Suites. I hope they don't find a way to ruin the views from Discovery Green from another direction.
  10. capnmcbarnacle
    I'm not so sure. Hillcorp is not a huge company with a need tons of space, obviously, but they made a killing the last few years and have billions to spend. Between deep pockets and working with Hines, I bet we could see something cool. Maybe not something that impacts the skyline, but a cool building nonetheless. I'll take 25 stories of awesome over 50 stories of blah.
  11. capnmcbarnacle
    Why do I feel like I've seen this rendering before...
  12. capnmcbarnacle
    Chevron picked up the parking garage across the street as part of their long term plans. http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2013/03/chevron-buys-downtown-property/
  13. capnmcbarnacle
    Good question. I have been really, really hot in those cities in the summertime, and I've also had to put on a jacket at night on occasion. So I decided to look up the data and compare. No doubt those places get their share of brutal days, but the intensity and duration of the summer are different. I'm posting the average High/Low that I found.(rounded up or down). Their June, August and September is more like our April and October. Their July is like our May. If it never got worse than May around here, I bet we'd see a lot more walking. NYC April 61/44 May 71/53 June 81/63 July 85/68 August 83/66 September 77/60 October 67/51 Houston April 79/61 May 86/68 June 91/74 July 94/75 August 95/75 September 90/72 October 82/62
  14. capnmcbarnacle
    Quite a few of those are already over at The Galleria, so it would be quite an exodus...
  15. capnmcbarnacle
    FWIW, crews have been onsite drilling different locations on the property for the last couple days -- soil samples maybe?
  16. capnmcbarnacle
    And don't forget "materials native to the state." Loosely translated, this means Limestone and Prairie Grasses. Possibly some cacti and maybe a mesquite tree. It will provide an authentic Texas look, as imagined by a San Diego developer and Chicago landscape architect. But maybe, just maybe, they'll surprise us with Thurber bricks and Trumpet vines.
  17. capnmcbarnacle
    Near R.O. and Upper Kirby seems to be developer speak for parts east, i.e. Montrose. What about the parcel on Westheimer and Hazard across from Firkin and Phoenix and Lanier ? I don't think its much smaller than the parcel the Belle Meade was built on. Also -- the strip center on Alabama across from the theater that has Ruchi's and Roeders. I believe a number of those lots have been purchased to be packaged for sale as a large parcel -- could be a possiblity.
  18. capnmcbarnacle
    This article in today's NYT discusses UBS's apparent regret in leaving Manhattan for a suburban campus 15 years ago. I'm not comparing Manhattan to Houston as far as recruting talent, but it is interesing how tastes change. I have wondered if Exxon is a little late into the suburban corporate campus game. Anyway, thought the forum might find this interesting... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/nyregion/ubs-may-move-back-to-manhattan-from-stamford.html?_r=1&hp
  19. capnmcbarnacle
    I saw those renderings of people sitting outside, enjoying the weather, and had to wonder -- will they have a tunnel system just like they do downtown?
  20. capnmcbarnacle
    From today's WSJ: "Jeffers added that the company has not made a decision on the fate of its iconic downtown Houston skyscraper, which was built in the 1960's and houses the city's storied Petroleum Club."
  21. capnmcbarnacle
    So I'm guessing that this is going to take up the space where Charlie's Diner was.... I am on the "this is going to be awesome" side of things. http://www.29-95.com/restaurants/story/chris-shepherd-launch-underbelly-next-hay-merchant
  22. capnmcbarnacle
    The connection is that West Alabama was reconfigured as part of the 527 and 59 reconstruction project 5-6 years ago. When 527 was shut down, the plan was to route all downtown traffic from 59 onto Shepherd, and then to Richmond, Alabama, and Westheimer for a couple of years. People freaked, and they at least added the Main St. exit and some other modifications. Alabama went from a 2 lane road with middle turn lane to a 3 lane contraflow street. TxDot and the city assured everyone that the changes were temporary, and all the realignments would be returned to their original condition after 527 reopened. Years later, they have never been changed back. So I think what Sidegate is saying is that the temporary reconfiguration of Alabama (which is now permanent) has contributed to more traffic and higher speeds along Alabama and that having two westbound lanes of traffic create a greater opportunity for accidents than when there was only one lane in each direction.
  23. capnmcbarnacle
    I work right here and didn't want this thing changed. I have to admit now that it is a huge improvement. I think they nailed this one. And for all the hand-wringing about the 9/11 Memorial, it's basically a fountain -- and a cool one at that -- with a plaque in the ground saying it is dedicated to victims of 9/11. And there's nothing wrong with putting a fountain in a public space as a memorial, or dedicating it to someone. I don't hear anyone clamoring about removing the Gus Wortham water ball on Allen Parkway or the Mecom Fountain at Hermann Park -- but I'm sure I will.
  24. capnmcbarnacle
    I think the family made a donation to the park's renovation and asked for a small memorial to victims of 9/11 and this is what happened. I agree that parks are no place for rememberances or tributes. Just think of all the stuff littering Sam Houston Park, Tranquility Park, Hermann Park, or Market Square. We ought to tear out the memorial to the sailors killed on the USS Houston, as well as the WWI monument, the Confederate monuments, the Texas revolution monuments, that sappy WWII memorial in the Heights, the cornball Ghandi memorial in Hermann Park, Dick Dowling's statue, Sam Houston on his horse, the stupid Holocaust museum, and those dumb monuments to the crew of the Challenger and Columbia. I too go to the parks around time to get away from it all, and I don't need some downer monuments reminding me of all the tradgey in the world, or monuments or tributes to some sap that laid his life down for me in some politically questionable way. Out of sight, out of mind is what I say. The greatest thing we could do as a society is just forget that all of this stuff ever happened and start fresh.
  25. capnmcbarnacle
    I am with you on this. I have walked all around the Shepherd Plaza Area a million times and there are so many curb cuts in the sidewalk that you have to walk with your head on a swivel to avoid people backing out of the strip centers and pulling into the same. There is already an office building at Shepherd and 59 and when I visualize walking from there to JCI or God Forbid Freebirds, I just think hot, sunny, loud, exhaust, trying not to get hit. Don't forget there is also a Subway, Joel's Classical Shop, a camera store, and a number of modeling spas which make it an ideal area for an office worker who wants to take a walk on his lunch hour and get a hummer while he gets is violin and camera fixed. I don't know, maybe Shepherd has it after all.
×
×
  • Create New...