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toxtethogrady

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Everything posted by toxtethogrady

  1. If you've ever seen the Ballston section of Arlington, VA, you'll know that buildings like this are a dime a dozen. Only the brick is tan.
  2. The reason it's not gaga time is the name of hotel hasn't been announced (and I'd take another Valencia Group Hotel as a substitute), so it's not even certain this will happen or that it will be a W. And the four stories does indeed look like a typo; kind of hard to cram 300 hotel rooms in four floors. But four star is a downgrade from five stars. I also think Houston needs to start turning up its nose at some of these newbies. W didn't see fit to bring in a hotel to Houston back in 2007 when they built one in Dallas? Screw them. Ritz Carlton? We're way beyond that. Bloomingdale's never opened in the Galleria when they had the chance? Tough luck - we want Raffles City or Harrod's now. Roche Bobois still not interested? There are better furniture designers who are. We're the most important city in Texas, and if you high-end retailers don't get it, we don't want you.
  3. Actually, Target's kind of in the way. I wonder if they can be bribed to find another site in the vicinity (Much like MIcro Center was).
  4. Meanwhile, a differing opinion: Houston may benefit from lower oil prices. The sweet spot is between $55 and $90 a barrel. Chevron Phillips is planning a second major expansion at Bayport, and they need cheap oil... http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2014/11/why-lower-oil-prices-are-good-for-houston/
  5. This is actually the time when the GHP is supposed to distinguish itself, by marketing Houston to businesses in other parts of the country (or the world) that are looking to expand. There is enough momentum in the petroleum industry to attract players from other places to the Houston area, but it's a harder sell to attract non-petroleum manufacturers, wholesale trade and service enterprises. Houston has a port and a medical center, both of which should be selling points for businesses looking to expand. And all the new petrochemical plants should support secondary manufacturing of products made with the plastics and related materials being produced. There could be opportunities. And the overheated market for land and construction materials may get a chance to cool down.
  6. It does not look like they're going to modify the existing streets. Highrises on the site might be nice, especially residential, but we need to avoid the Jersey-City-across-the-Hudson-from-Manhattan look and feel.
  7. That's not too bad a slippage. A lot of projects in this town are experiencing delays, possibly due to the permitting process being slow, possibly due to labor shortages, possibly due to materials shortages. I don't think it implies cold feet. Hines tends to be deliberate in its project starts.
  8. And check-in is still on the top floor? We'll have to see if the design has changed. That was the coolest part of the original proposal.
  9. The Chronic says they did. Off and running; in 3 to 6 months we can look for a crane.
  10. It's a layout that's got elements of that proposed Saudi Consulate, with a little MATCH mixed in. But it works.
  11. I didn't say the French look was necessarily the best (I'd go for the Dutch look, but that requires a canal. ) But there are options. Houston seems to favor the rowhouse, especially if it has industrial elements. Color would also be nice. For some reason everyone thinks that would bring down property values.
  12. Blah! I would expect to see something like that in suburban DC, not Houston. Lofty ambitions brought down to Earth by escalating costs.
  13. Groceries will definitely be sought - whether bodegas or something on the order of HEB. There's a food desert in a corridor from 288 through downtown up through the Northside, and with home prices increasing in those neighborhoods, the stores should see plenty of demand.
  14. That will be gone before you know it. Someone will make a bid, and it will be move-out time.
  15. It sounds like it will be someone's hotel, though not necessarily a W. Another Sorella would be a good addition.
  16. Well, it's not in the "15 month" category, so that suggests it's higher up the priority list. That said, this town is spitting out 40-story proposals right and left. I'm waiting for the first one that goes 60 stories.
  17. With luck they will discover the English "black earth" graves that are located under the old Cenikor parking lot.
  18. Northern Virginia did a good job with I-66, the Dulles Toll Road and the Beltway in terms of using trees for screening, placing climbing vegetation on the noise walls and actively trying to hide concrete. In addition, there appear to be restrictions that prevent billboards on any of the main highways between Fairfax County and the Potomac. It all looks good, and the GW Parkway (which the Feds maintain) looks great.
  19. They will also pump up the employment figures for engineers for some time, too.
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