toxtethogrady

I feel a little stunned. Just a couple days ago this was a go, and now dead. Damn

Yeah, the eyes say "go", but the wallet says "no". You just can't trust those developers.

Well, the HBJ is breathlessly announcing an "Exclusive!" on this one that we've known about for months. They're still saying Q1 start next year, opening 2016.

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/blog/breaking-ground/2014/10/exclusive-new-spec-office-building-slated-for.html

***

and we don't have that zaza-zu.

Well, the second Hotel ZaZa appears to be on a slow track, but we still have the first.

It's Houston vs San Francisco, baby; let no one doubt our mojo.

Groundbreaking is for sometime this Fall, so there may not be a delay at all.

The permit (well, permits) just got listed in HBJ.   

Houston appears to be affected by two different market forces. First, the market has suffered at least a couple of noticeable busts in the early '80s and again in 2001, and all the developers swear they're never going to make that mistake again. Second, Houston has seen an awful lot of little-to-midsize projects - 100 to 300 rooms per hotel and plenty of offerings in the $100-200 a night category. The Marriott Marquis had to be solicited. The downtown residences had to be incentivized. New York and Chicago (and to some extent San Francisco and Miami) have no choice but to build upward; they don't have the room. Houston has the room, so 19 million sf of new office space is getting built in 15-30 story increments all over town. This is why I don't see another supertall anytime soon.

World class development just isn't going to happen as long as there are too many opportunities for developers to make money building smaller projects.

There's a big splashy ad in today's HBJ for this property. Now 17 stories and 430,000 sf. The incredible shrinking office building.

I feel the earth move...

With all that happening on the avenue, developers should be making ground level space for retail all along Rusk. It would change the character of the street.

It would be a record-breaker for a property sale in this town. Everything else to date has set a record.

If they're trying for some LEED points, it may be a cistern.

Why all the skeptisim around this building? All signs point to this going up. Seems like there are quite a few on this board who seem to think this is not a done deal.

The building is funded, so it will be going up.

Swamplot posted the renderings, thus breaking the HBJ barrier.

Could be shortage of materials. Or labor. Or both. Who knows?

but hopefully the train will get trenched one day.

I will be dead before then.

If that render is correct, that first floor is awfully tall...

A bit related --

I went looking for a previous thread on the High School for Health Professions after seeing the following item in the HBJ. WHR, which seems to have done quite a few medical and educational projects (and just got acquired) is designing it:

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/blog/2014/10/new-health-care-high-school-to-rise-in-houstons.html

As is typical of HBJ, their pictures can't be displayed elsewhere...

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/blog/2014/10/new-health-care-high-school-to-rise-in-houstons.html?s=image_gallery

Word from the realty report is Hines is asking $50 a sf for this one.

You have no idea what they're burying.

And in related news, someone in town might have Ebola.

I don't ever remember that lake being there. Must have been the trees. Everything is so lush and green - like Kuala Lumpur.

I've long thought UH should by Christus St Joseph and just take that over.

Christus is a big organization in its own right, I don't think they are strapped or looking to sell. The holy fathers in Denver would not agree to it.

I'm willing to bet it will be in the Med Center - maybe even on Yellowstone.

That's insane.

That's Venice.

Freeway architecture at its worst.

 

The glass/prettier side with the garage hidden faces the highway. The concrete/stucco blank walled garage and boring 1970s institutional hospital side faces the Montrose neighborhood behind it.

 

Maybe they'll great creative and cover the Montrose facing side with murals, a la Mexico City.   

What Super Bowls? There are rumors SxSW is getting too big for Austin and is looking for additional space...not necessarily in Austin.