august948

42 minutes ago, __nevii said:

Forgot to mention that even the Houston townhome structures are not detrimental for walkable urbanity: a form of mixed-use can easily take off in converting those front-loading garages into shop space. I've seen similar examples presented regarding Tokyo.

Will have to kill mandates like parking minimums, though (especially needed for the rest of the city outside Downtown, EaDo, and much of Midtown).

Unless the townhomes in question are fairly old, there are likely deed restrictions on commercial use.

On 4/1/2024 at 7:02 PM, 004n063 said:

All I want is CDMX-style carts in all of the parks. Not sure if it's a demand problem or a regulation problem, but dammit I want a torta with salsa from a bucket.

Drive up Ranchester north of Bellaire Blvd.  Lately I've been seeing carts and impromptu grills set up to serve street food there.

4 hours ago, Tumbleweed_Tx said:

you're not a Texan if you can't cook a good brisket.

You're not a Texan if you can't enjoy a good brisket.

Not all of us can cook, much less cook a good brisket, but those who can are top notch Texans.

On 3/29/2024 at 9:51 PM, __nevii said:

 

It has nothing to do with "scolding" anyone. More just pointing out that all these problems (in addition to merely being from policy choices that can easily be reversed at no cost) do also have a component that stems from personal choices ("self-inflictions"): for instance, complaining about Houston's mass transit ... while living out in Fulshear (hence, sprawled away from the action to begin with).

Now, I do feel that much of the sprawl in Houston stems from the policies of higher governments (federal and especially state-level policies). But, what was mentioned regarding parking, setback, lotsize, etc reforms would assist the city a lot: and all it takes is a city council vote.

As for the 11th St. project, the discussion is relevant because those bike lanes represent more of the city's recent steps towards greater multimodality ... steps that are in jeopardy of being regressed given the current mayor's rhetoric (hasty actions on Houston Avenue, unironic mentions of "anti-car activists", etc).

Anybody here living in Fulshear and complaining about mass transit?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?

4 hours ago, steve1363 said:

He doesn't own a car. 

No, but I do...birria tacos...yum

1 hour ago, 004n063 said:

Birria being a famously car-friendly food. 

Then again, Salads-2-Go or whatever is is springing up all over, so what do I know.

Drive thru and get some for lunch and then back to the office or get some on the way home.  Either way you're golden...unless you're wearing white.

2 hours ago, Renaissance1999 said:

I sort of wanted medical center and downtown to converge into one to create this massive skyline. Houston just lacks industry for downtown to expand at all. Seems like most of the different industries are going to either Dallas or Austin and were stuck with oil/gas and medical. Even oil/gas companies are leaving downtown and going to the outskirts of Houston. I really don't want midtown to turn into another mostrose or heights filled with townhomes. I would give it a 3 hopefully the ion lives up to its expectation and maybe attracts developments that are similar across midtown. 

Best to move the big employment centers to the outskirts of town.  Closer to cheaper land/houses and would mitigate the in/out rush hours each day.  Make the loop a primarily residential/entertainment area.

54 minutes ago, __nevii said:

City living is more about smaller purchases in more frequent store/shop visits, so the concerns that you bring up are mostly moot:

• The whole concept of "large bulk purchases" comes precisely because of the isolated nature of post-WWII single-family suburban buildouts: even a simple trip to the grocery store is an arduous drive, so you HAVE to buy all the bulk stuff that you can in order for the supply to last longer until the next trip.
   
• Some of the stuff you bring up (like the pounds of mulch) naturally get less use-cases in a more urbanized setting anyway (or the use of it is less individualized, meaning that no one individual has to worry about such purchases).

 

Precisely why we need to axe parking minimums all over the city. Removing that burden will allow development in "narrow street" areas like Heights to be even more "context sensitive." The recent Livable Places did some great work in terms of "middle housing", as well as addressing driveway structures (i.e. such that there are less driveway curbcuts destroying the previous street parking)  ..... but relinquishing the remaining useless rules throughout the city would assist a ton in preventing the issue of cars in "streets too narrow for them."

Heights was one of the original "streetcar neighborhoods" in Houston: we're going to have to build that back.

 

I think you are confusing suburban with rural.  A trip to a local grocery store is hardly an arduous drive unless you view all driving as arduous.  Since the Heights is a suburban development, it's natural that residents there are going to buy bulk items that can't be carried on a bike or on public transport.  Perhaps you are confusing the Heights with a truly urbanized, multistory residential district like those that exist in some spots here and in some other cities around the world.

2 hours ago, Triton said:

Whoever wins, I hope we keep this baby blue color for Air Force One. I really did not like the design Trump picked... too much black and red that it looked like his planes.
Not only does this blue look nice and classic but it's also such a unique color that it really stands out.

Agreed.  I prefer the current paint scheme, though I favor the darker blue of the current design.  Either one is better than Trump's plan.

On 3/22/2024 at 10:04 AM, s3mh said:

I have no direct knowledge of anyone's political leanings, but my "walks like a duck" instinct tell me that there are a good number of 11th street opponents who are coming at this not from any genuine concern about traffic and public safety, but are acting on right wing conspiracy theories over 15 minute cities and project zero.  The right wing conspiracy theory is that projects that are intended to make communities more bike and pedestrian friendly are just the beginning of extensive government control over people's movements to the point of a China-like society with CCTV monitoring of everyone and social credit scores.  Ultimately, the conspiracy theory is that 15 minute cities are just the beginning of a plan to imprison people.  This conspiracy theory has gone as far as spawning waves of tik toks and social media posts where people claim that the Texas panhandle fires were the result of Amarillo, Texas adopting a "comprehensive plan", which they believe is code for 15 minute cities planning and eventually having George Soros imprison everyone.

Of course, that is the far right extreme.  Most opponents of 11ht street who are on the right are just coming at this from the usual culture war perspective of any effort to promote biking and pedestrian access being a misguided leftist way of saving the environment by unnecessarily burdening people driving their F250s to their office downtown (if they can fit in the garage). 

This just becomes even more apparent when you look at the arguments being made.  There are basically three main talking points.  Traffic on 11th street is now bad.  Emergency vehicles can't get through.  Traffic is spilling over to neighborhood streets.  These are familiar arguments because they have been advanced by people who are concerned about the lack of zoning and overdevelopment that hurts the existing residential neighborhoods.  The right wing response to that has always been "tough sh#t."  If you do not want traffic, move to the burbs.  Many neighborhoods have complained about people parking on their narrow streets for near by commercial development that then makes it hard for emergency vehicles to get through.  And the city does nothing about it.  

But now that those externalities are the result of a project that benefits pedestrians and cyclists (and not private profits), suddenly those impacts are a burden that no one should bear and the improvements cannot be ripped out soon enough.  

Point is that everyone in the Heights has been taking one for the team with increased traffic, on street parking spillover from commercial development and issue with emergency vehicle access (which is probably the least of the problems for 11th street as 14th st is also an emergency corridor) in order to build more apartments and retail development, etc. in the neighborhood.  If you are going to through a fit over those externalities, then you cannot also wag your finger at everyone else and squawk "Houston has no zoning" when those issues are raised about private development.  

 

 

 

There's all kinds of crazy on various social media platforms.  The one I heard about Amarillo was that the fires were started by some sort of "high energy" weapon fired from space and that the same thing was used in the Maui fires.  Then you've got the folks who think that the red states are about to start a civil war with the blue states, those who think what happened on Jan 6 was a serious insurrection, people who believe that climate change is going to end the world in 12 years (actually 7 years now  since AOC predicted it in 2019), and, of course, those who think Trump is actually a nazi and a serious existential threat to American democracy.  Expect more of the above at least through November (though probably much, much longer).

On 3/19/2024 at 1:37 PM, hindesky said:

Pay up or lose your properties.

That's ok...he might have use of this one for four years...

Quote

Biden Predicts 'Come to Jesus' Meeting With Netanyahu Over Gaza Aid

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-03-08/biden-predicts-come-to-jesus-meeting-with-netanyahu-over-gaza-aid

Dem's really, really need to work on this anti-semitism thing they've got going on.  Not a good look.

On 3/7/2024 at 3:15 PM, j_cuevas713 said:

I'm really hoping that they make Westheimer 1 lane each direction. There's no room for 2 lanes up to Woodhead. Maybe even up to Shepherd. 

Then where will the kids who think their Kia's are formula 1 racers go?

Got this when I went to the whitehouse.gov site this morning...

6 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

Ah, yes, I forgot, the only acceptable way to "circumvent the voters" is to storm the Capitol when they're counting votes.  Who needs the legal process?!

That's ok...Joe forgets things, too.  Interesting that you would find that acceptable, though.

On 2/23/2024 at 12:20 PM, hindesky said:

Hot Chicken restaurant. 

https://hangryjoes.com

Architect - https://methodarchitecture.com

 

Well, that's one.  I think currently all three spaces between Domoshi and The Nook are empty.  Was surprised when I saw that this semester.

Notice the aerial pic above still shows Chinese Star on the now empty lot next door.  I miss that place.

We can only hope it's a day of reckoning for SJL.  Haven't been following the Cruz opponents.  Any of them better than sk8er boi O'Rourke?

Of course the big game face-off spots have already been decided unless Biden keels over or the Dems succeed on their 999th 1000th 1001th attempt to circumvent the voters and take Trump out.

3 hours ago, IWantTransit555 said:

Why is there so much clay in the ground here?

It's been deposited over millions of years by the ebb and flow of the ocean over this part of the continent.  Wherever you are in Houston has been deep underwater at some point (most likely many times).

35 minutes ago, hindesky said:

More joke than nightmare, but also very unrealistic.  The Dems had the most diverse set of candidates in history for 2020 and chose the old white guy.  Would be fun to see, though.  Neither of them are likely to forget who Hamas is or confuse Mexico with Egypt.

On 12/31/2023 at 12:01 PM, Highrise Tower said:

HAIF has an annual predictions thread.  Thought I would start it this year.

- I predict 1 more building will break ground at both TMC Helix Park and Levit Green.

- I predict the high-profile land at Buffalo Speedway and Holmes Road will continue to sit vacant.  Though, one could wish for TMC BioPort to break ground!

- I predict national politics will continue to be ugly.  2024 is a Presidential election year and there will be lots of fighting between the two parties.

Feel free to add to the list.

I predict we'll all need bigger popcorn bowls for the antics to come.

7 hours ago, samagon said:

It's what I've been told, and if you can do that, you should grab a coffee as well, it'll be tasty, I promise. 

If you can't do that feb 6, then when you can, get a coffee. 

😁

Get the flat white...one of the best in Houston. ☕

On 12/24/2023 at 1:10 PM, BeerNut said:

It's going to be tough to increase market based parking inside the loop.  All of Midtown was supposed to be included but they got a carve out because so many people complained.  People have become accustomed to idea that street in front of their homes is their personal parking area.  

What would market based parking look like in front of someone's home?

33 minutes ago, Triton said:

Yup, we are losing connection on the Northside. The main route my son will need to take to get to his elementary school on the other side of the highway is being taken away. With that gone, I just hope we remain zoned to that school.

If they rezone you, talk to the district admin.  We had that happen when my oldest was in kindergarten and they grandfathered us in as long as we didn't need bus service (which we didn't).

7 hours ago, samagon said:

this is going to be a nightmare, and no less a nightmare because of the side of town on which they have chosen to realign the freeway. and this is a non-starter of an argument anyway, whenever anyone brings up how much of a nightmare this will be for people living near the freeway, it's brought up how short of a timeframe 10 years really is for the bliss that will happen after. so again, it comes back to the riches vs the poors and making someone else live with more of the nightmare than you.

yes, it's true, the city in particular has dumped on connectivity from the east end, which created the lack of development you speak of. so yeah, that's a perfect argument, the cities already destroyed the area by removing connectivity, may as well just add to it by removing more connectivity, and then point to the pretty park someone might make which does absolutely nothing for connectivity. developers look for people, that's how they decide where to build things. the more people there are in, or around a place the more likely development is to happen. when you remove the people by removing the connectivity, that's what drives non-development. I'm sure you played simcity at some point, this should have been made pretty clear through that.

as far as room, there is room in the current corridor, the only reason there isn't room to add enough lanes is because TXDoT has said (and I'm paraphrasing here) "we don't wanna". no double decker (they don't want to add height to any freeways, yet look at what's going to happen on the I-10 side), no trenching with a cantilevered Pierce street over the top of it. any solution that could be done to retain the current corridor was not up for consideration. so yeah, you're very right, they couldn't fit in the current corridor, but it's not because the options weren't there.

Let's not bring up other users like that. -Marc

Correct me if I'm wrong here but this is an expansion of existing roadways, is it not?  Something that happens along all freeway corridors at some point?  They aren't tearing up existing neighborhoods to create brand new roadways like was done when the highway system was established in the 50's. 

The Katy Freeway expansion project tore things up for years and, get this, runs through some of the wealthiest zip codes in town.  Could the difference be that this one affects east-enders more?