The Great Hizzy!

Now if we could only get rid of The New West Building!

I blame Subdude... getting my hopes like he did a couple of years back.

12.5% vacancy!!

You know what that means!!

713 to 214 does make a point in Houston's case, however, because there's a Randall's located less than two miles away in Midtown that could serve the needs of residents on the southern side of DT. This would certainly pose an additional impediment toward's the initial success of a DT market.

OTOH, if the new grocery DT did its research and was slick, they'd be able to also corner the larger DT employee population. Being able to sell goods during the day to close to 200,000 people can have enough of an overall impact to help it make it through those sluggish sales during the off-peak hours.

Her other issues aside, it's nice to read councilwoman Alvarado's specific comments about retailers like Barnes & Noble. At least it echoes the sentiments we've heard from people who live downtown and Midtown.

if the City would maintain all parks property, that would be just as beneficial. they tend to maintain some better than others.

Now, this we agree on.

Hands on, eyewitness accounts are always appreciated. Thanks a lot, Old Geo.

I was thinking west of both 59 and MMP instead of east.

There's plenty of land near MMP and the infrastructure is better suited. I'd imagine that quite a few residents in Forest Hill, Idylwood and Country Club Estates would prefer not to have the potential traffic headaches in their neighborhoods.

And...

Jeez, that's quite the ambitious dream for the old Astroworld site.

On the one hand, because DT redevelopment is such an exciting, desired and anticipated phenomena to those who post here, I can understand the heartache and palpitations over the delay.

On the other hand... calm down. Other than a couple of delayed ground breakings, there's not much evidence to suggest this project isn't real and in the hand of professionals.

The Pavillions in Denver took time to get moving, too.

Take a breath and enjoy the sunshine. If you really want to feel better, go to the three block site this afternoon and just stand there imagining it five years from now.

I mostly agree with Dal's post. You have to really establish a bonafide neighborhood, one that is enduring and not the beholden to the social whims of a populace that may or may not have any vested interest in it beyond their occasional patronage of some restaurant or store. You want a seven day a week pulse from morning to at least midnight. It's difficult to ask the population at large to flock to downtown on a whim at 9:30 PM on Tuesday when they don't live there (after a long day's work, people want to get home).

Heck, even if we were to finally reach that 10,000 persons living downtown mark, that would be a great start to things, and I don't see it as being so difficult once you find someone who is willing to invest in the creation of a residential property that has the middle-income person/couple/family in mind. This is Houston... there's quiet a bit of incentive to live in areas inside the loop for $350,000 rather than a small, boxy unit downtown or midtown for the same price. Until developers start to understand that... we're going to struggle to get those areas (in particular) to reach their potential.

Good work. Love the frog pics, man!

Interesting! More investigative work for me!

For whatever reason, people just haven't taken to the 18 Kirby. Thus, METRO hasn't been very aggressive about running bus service along the Kirby Corridor, including through the Village. Nevertheless, I agree that the service still sucks and I tend to think the general affluence of the communities lining the northern 2/3 of the strip are the types to use rail transit long before bus transit (if they were to even use public transit at all).

Yeah, I noticed on Sunday that there's definitely been some digging around, and it looks like a specific plot has been outlined. I have no idea what it's for, though.

Well, there has been some light digging at the site for a few months but nothing big enough to infer anything concrete. I've not seen the latest of what you've seen as of yet so I'll have to take the time today (hopefully) to snoop around.

Sure would be nice, though, if the Chronicle had a more dedicated real estate column and poked around.

That was going to be my question as well.

Good lord... calm down. I can understand skepticism in most cases but in this... I mean, jeez. Calm down.

Just a thought, but if M Bar was doing well enough and the owners felt passionate enough about it, wouldn't they consider finding another location DT? There are a couple of available parcels, I'm sure.

That actually sounds like an interesting venture. Never really considered the views available. And it would certainly bring more of a touristy element to the water wall and environs--though, you worry about some developers' penchant for cheese when constructing these type things.

We'll see.

Man, thanks for the tireless effort. Great results!!

Thanks for reminding us of that website, 19514. Great stuff on there.

^^^ I agree. The area's current level of success as well as the potential of LRT through the area seem to make this project a likely candidate to eventually be converted into something more longterm.

Whoa! Four stories? I tend to agree. It's likely to become something else once the tower is constructed.

Good work, Boris!

It appears that maybe they are trying to steal a bit from the Sugarland Town Center, although on a smaller scale. Hence the hotel...

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/sto...ml?surround=lfn