kdog08

If you click the link and watch the video, phase 1 is just one of the buildings. 

^^I got this from the first page. The overall plan has changed since then but I couldn't find another illustration. There are some industrial spaces built up on the east side along Murphy Rd but I don't think it's part of the overall project anymore. There is a major apartment complex in the middle that is almost done and is pretty close to the illustration. All the retail is along the western side of the project along the 59 feeder road. 

Houston could be catching some tail winds if/when life science research gets a boost in funding or a shot in the arm due to effects of Covid. I hope our local  legislators and public/private advocates rise to the challenge/opportunity. 

I grew up in this area, closer to Houston than Sugar Land. I think this is great for the area as I don't see a  City Centre like project developing.

I drove along Post Oak this weekend and it's going to be a very tight squeeze for those buses, definitely will have to trim those trees again. Other than that, I liked the setup with the platforms in the middle and how Post Oak got upgraded. 

On 8/5/2019 at 9:39 AM, H-Town Man said:

 

We were discussing whether ground floor retail could be successful in a building; my point was that there is still demand for retail. This was in the context of Camden McGowen Station, where park land was gobbled up for pad sites for retail that should have been under the building. There is a whole discussion above the post you responded to that gives context.

 

It seems the comment of yours that I replied to was about the general trend of GFR. Fair game dude.  I generally agree with you, but there's still plenty of space left for non restaurant/bar retail to develop as density increases. 

On 8/1/2019 at 2:27 PM, H-Town Man said:

 

I think this is a good article but most relevant for areas that function as shopping districts equivalent to open-air malls. What we are hoping for in places like Midtown is restaurants and neighborhood services, stuff like nail salons, health/wellness products, barbers & styling, cell phone providers, etc. The thousands of residents moving in there will need some of that, and in the long run, you will get the apparel back, it just has to go through a paradigm shift. But this does serve as a cautionary lessen for people hoping that the downtown shopping corridor on Main Street is going to come back anytime soon.

 

There's still plenty of room for all that retail. 

Direct Energy To Relocate Headquarters To Downtown Office Tower

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/office/direct-energy-to-relocate-headquarters-to-downtown-office-tower-97743?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

Quote

Renovation plans for 2 Houston Center have garnered the attention of a major energy company.  Direct Energy signed a 106K SF office lease to occupy floors six and seven at 909 Fannin St. in Downtown Houston. This marks the largest office deal at 2 Houston Center to date, according to a press release. The company, which has 930 employees in Houston, will relocate its headquarters from Greenway Plaza in April 2021...

Gensler To Relocate Office To 2 Houston Center
Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/office/gensler-to-relocate-office-to-2-houston-center-97796?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

Quote

Gensler is moving into new Downtown Houston office digs after 46 years in Pennzoil Place. The international design firm will occupy two floors in 2 Houston Center, a property being renovated at 909 Fannin St. Gensler will relocate its 288 employees later this year. “Downtown Houston is and has always been our home,” Gensler co-Managing Director Stephanie Burritt said in a release. “Our employees have enjoyed being surrounded and inspired by Houston’s unique urban fabric, and we want to continue that energy by bringing it into our new space.” Gensler's Houston office is responsible for designing several major Downtown projects, such as The Houston Ballet, The George R. Brown Master Plan, 1000 Main, Hess Tower, Capitol Tower and the rehabilitation of the Theater District Parking following Hurricane Harvey....

BisNow: Coworking Options Headed To Midway's CityCentre And GreenStreet

Quote

..The Amsterdam-based company inked a 63K SF lease at GreenStreet in Downtown and 60K SF at CityCentre in West Houston. 

The GreenStreet location will serve as a launchpad for innovative, nimble and collaborative companies seeking to take advantage of Houston's emerging Innovation District, Lionstone Investments Vice President Fernando Urrutia said in a release. Fast-growth companies seek the flexibility and collaborative environment curated at Spaces, he said.   

The Innovation District is a 4-mile district from Downtown to the Texas Medical Center. Last week, Rice University revealed design plans for the former Sears building, dubbed The Ion, which will anchor the district. GreenStreet signed an office lease with MassChallenge, a startup accelerator program...

I assume the office is the big chunk and they'll build the apartments on top (skinny chunk)? 

On 1/15/2019 at 4:27 PM, arbpro said:

I think FORever was intended.

Agreed. 

It's certainly not my money, but it would be awesome of Rice to also use some of its endowment to undergo a significant expansion in enrollment or significant expansion into nanotechnology or bioinformatics. 

6 hours ago, intencity77 said:

Boy, Houston’s good ol’ oil industry is hellbent on not leaving any iconic buildings for the next generation, especially like it did in the 70’s/80’s. While I love the concept of City Centre at street level, the buildings there and in the Energy Corridor are pretty basic, short boxes that all look quite similar. 

Our iconic buildings are about 30 years old and due for some modernization. Hopefully many will either be renovated or re-purposed, but it seems the Houston office market maybe a bit oversupplied for the near team. 

^^^Gene Hackman looks pretty cool. 

On 9/25/2018 at 5:42 AM, UtterlyUrban said:

Why would New parking garages bring more “in town visitors”?  Was there a shortage of parking that kept “in town visitors” away?

 

 

They make visiting downtown much easier. Perhaps we are at peak parking garages due to ride sharing, but I view parking garages as a solid investment towards a more well rounded downtown. I certainly use the parking garages when I'm visiting from Austin for an Astros or Rockets game. I've been parking near Market Square during this Astros' season and have really enjoyed how active the area has gotten. 

I think hotels and residences are still the catalyst for retail and to break the 9-5 aspect of downtown. Houston's DT  hotel additions are a good sign and bodes well for tourism/visitors. Houston has steadily been getting good reviews from travel and food critics. Something not mentioned in the article are the new parking garages going up that will bring more intown visitors. 

It certainly doesn't hurt the Astros and Rockets have been good for the last several years, averaging 37,000 and 18,000 per game respectively.

Realty News: Multifamily Occupancy Up Sharply in Downtown Houston

Downtown Houston has more than 8,000 residents, up from 3,800 in 2012 when the city began its Downtown Living Initiative, according to a new report by the Central Houston organization.

Midtown: A Place For Millennials To Eat, Play And Sleep

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/multifamily/midtown-a-place-for-millennials-to-eat-play-and-sleep-91201?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

...Midtown absorbed roughly 1,400 apartment units in the last year, which represents roughly 10% of all multifamily absorption in Houston during the same time period, according to JLL. Developers expect the demand to continue. JLL reports there are about 2,400 units under construction in Midtown to be completed by early 2021.   ...

Not necessarily corroborated by these articles, but it feels like the Main St spine has finally started filling in the huge gaps right along the rail (especially in Midtown).

1) Thanks for the awesome link that shows Houston multifamily in the pipeline.

2) Would be awesome if this were some affordable housing for graduate students and/or those who work at the Innovation District. 

On 7/26/2018 at 3:44 PM, lockmat said:

So is the intent of this garage to double up as parking for employees by day and diners by night?

 

Why don't residential towers do this (have extra parking for non-residents/shoppers)? To me, and clearly I'm not a savvy developer, but it could give more justification to include GFR if they wanted to add it, essentially increasing the amount of potential customers.

I thought there was going to be a food hall/court at ground level? 

11 hours ago, thatguysly said:

It did what it was designed to do. I am glad there are parks and trails in the flood area so it looks nice the vast majority of the time it isn't flooded. The bayou could be a overgrown, trashy wasteland it once was that floods or it could be great parks, trails, and dog parks that are highly enjoyable that also flood.

11 hours ago, Twinsanity02 said:

The dog park is built in a flood plain. Things built in flood plains will flood. It rains a lot in Houston. The dog park will flood. No news here.

Yup, seems like there's a dog park where there shouldn't be one. 

On 6/1/2018 at 0:58 PM, lockmat said:

Are we over valuing this site?

 

The positives are the size of the land and being close to the rail. Being close to Reliant I don't think is a huge deal. It's relatively close to TMC and downtown but so are a lot of other places to the east.

 

On an letter scale, isn't this more like B or B+ real estate? 

 

 

I don't think we are over valuing this site, I think it's a matter of complexity. There are a few quasi private public organizations that complicates things. I believe it's a shame such a prime piece of land sits in purgatory. 

The location of this is perfect..... it's connected to public transportation and to our best universities/research (Rice, TMC, UH) not to mention UHD and HCC. Also, I think putting this close to where our cultural centers are, between the Museum District/Herman Park and downtown's performing arts and hotels, is very shrewd. Fingers crossed, some form of the University Line gets built which would only increase the connectedness. 

Glad they are saving those trees. 

On 12/31/2017 at 0:54 AM, nate4l1f3 said:

I hope I’m wrong but I just don’t  see how this will be successful.  What do you guys think? The location stinks for something like this. 

I share your pessimism regarding this. It's just not in a good location considering the frequency of conventions and sporting events. Downtown needs to consolidate and improve on its activity centers instead of creating new ones. If they were so hell bent on creating a new area then why not along the rail nearby, primarily at the Convention Center stop.