Houston19514

ESPNZone in Denver is in the Tabor Center (a complex somewhat similar to the Houston Center shops), not in LODO.

They don't list a Chicago location on their website... Fox Sports Grill locations Do you know something they don't ;-) I wonder if you are thinking of a Fox Sports Sky Box, like the on in Terminal E at Bush Intercontinental. I think they are a completely different animal from the Fox Sports Grill.

No, dammit! ;-) Although right now I have a lead on possible job with Shell, so I'm hoping my phone will ring any day now... We will now return to your regularly scheduled programming. Sorry for the interruption.

. . . As does almost EVERY other building in town. While $500 per square foot is not an unheard of price in the Houston luxury high-rise market, it is far from typical.

Where in the today's article does it specify one highrise? It appears to me that the plans are not yet that specific. It mentions "several hundred high-rise residential units, a hotel, four-story apartments and brownstones". They never say that they are going to put several hundred high-rise residential units and a hotel all in one building. It may well involve several high-rise structures. Ed Wulfe is a retail developer, not a residential or hotel developer. He will work with, sell or lease land to hotel and residential developers.

I can't find a link right now, but I've read in the past that there are 150,000 - 160,000 jobs in downtown Houston.

What Emporis material? I didn't quote any Emporis material...

Texaco Heritage Plaza is one of my favorite buildings anywhere. I think it's beautiful. While it does not have a "tunnel" connection, it is connected to the downtown tunnel system by way of a skywalk. There are a number of buildings downtown that, for one reason or another, either chose to or were forced to use skywalk connections rather than tunnel connections.Texaco Heritage Plaza Actually, compared to a lot of other downtown buildings, the name changes have been pretty minor. So far I believe, it has been known only by two names and the change between these two was pretty minor: (1) Heritage Plaza (2) Texaco Heritage Plaza (and I presume a third name change, or at least a reversion to the original "Heritage Plaza" name will be coming soon) Compare that to, for example: Allied Bank Plaza --> First Interstate Bank Plaza --> Wells Fargo Plaza or Texas Commerce Tower --> Chase Tower --> JPMorgan Chase Tower or RepublicBank Center --> NCNB Center --> NationsBank Center --> Bank of America Center

The plans for the Texaco building have always included a residential component; both when it was originally slated to be a Ritz-Carlton and in the second iteration when it was slated to be a Renaissance.

The building was completed several years ago. The skyway and gardens are coming soon.

When one throws out nonsense like a "1200-1500' wide river of concrete" for the Grand Parkway, one starts losing credibility. I don't think there is a freeway in all of Houston that uses a 1200-1500' ROW, or anything even very close to that.

Read the article: "But was the city's investment in the center really worth it

The Chronicle has published a lot of ignorant articles over its history, and this one has to be near the top of the scale of ignorance. The addition to the convention center was not completed until late 2003 and they put out data showing attendance at convention center events dropped between 1999 and 2003, BEFORE the addition was even completed. And from that they conclude that the expansion of the convention center was not worth the expense. Sheesh. Do these people even read the garbage they write?

But the Metro positions are appointed by people you vote for. (and I guess that means Metro had to be in on the conspiracy too; I failed to include them in my earlier post). And we all know that Metro has never run behind on anything else it has ever done... ;-)

Oh, yes, how could I have forgotten about that grand conspiracy whereby the city of Houston, the road construction contractors and all of their subcontractors, probably TxDOT, Harris County, Harris County/Houston Sports Authority, Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation, the Houston Texans, and the evil Reliant Energy all got together with the grand plan of tearing up Main Street three years before the completion of Reliant Stadium and leaving it torn up until the completion of Reliant Stadium, all for the purpose of driving out certain businesses. Whatever, man. That is just looney. Again, it's not like delays in road construction projects are unusual... Are all such delays part of some grand conspiracy, or was there something unique about this one? (In spite of your track record on "facts", I'm just accepting your recitation of the time it took to conduct the Main Street widening and improvements) And for what it's worth, it's also a democracy that decides who our elected officials are going to be. And it was those democratically-elected officials who conducted the Main Street widening/improvement project. That is no less legitimate than a democratically-imposed zoning. It appears that "gentrification done by forcing business out is wrong but legal" unless it fits into LarryDallas' master plan.

In another thread you told us that it was wrong to "force" businesses out just to satisfy some desire to gentrify or improve an area. How is what you are proposing here any different or less "wrong"?

Thanks for giving us a source. But, personally, I wouldnt put too much faith in About.com. Our Lady of Peace Our Lady of Peace Our Lady of Peace

Thank you jtmbin!! Very well said, and long overdue.

Or you could try doing some research before posting wild claims. It appears you have access to the internet. It's amazing what FACTS one can find with a little effort. (and again, the COUNTY, not the city, and not Reliant Energy, owns the Reliant Park complex. The Texans made their deal with the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation, an entity owned by Harris County, not the city of Houston)

Don't be ridiculous. Nobody suggested that Reliant signed up "on a moment's notice." The naming rights deal was completed after months of marketing and negotiations with various competitors for the rights. And no doubt at least weeks of negotiations between Reliant and the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation for the final deal. Why in your rather fertile imagination would the deal have to have been done behind closed doors before construction of the stadium was even begun? That's just illogical and is not the way these deals tend to occur. The companies buying the naming rights to these sports facilities like to see what they are putting their names on and get a pretty good physical idea of what the signage oppoortunities are, etc, etc. Okay, they weren't all red-light type establishments. Your point? I don't know where you got the idea that I think family businesses mean "for families." I did not have any such thing in mind... But in any event, your point would be...?? Yes, I really believe in the free market. Where would you get any idea suggesting otherwise? What in anything I've written in this thread or anywhere else would give anyone the idea that I might think that free enterprise "seem to apply only when a business fits in with your value and moral system which is all very subjective." Where do you come up with this stuff? I have no argument whatsoever with the rights of adult bookstore owners, pay-by-the-hour motels, and smoke shops to do business, so long as they comply with the law, and I have written nothing to suggest otherwise. I certainly do believe in free enterprise and the full right of any property owner to sell his property as he sees fit. It was you who said otherwise. You say power of eminent domain was used to take land for the expansion of South Main. You may be stepping on your point here. Were the businesses along Main taken for the parking lots or were they taken by eminent domain for the widening of Main Street? In any event, you are saying that they DELAYED the completion of the widening project to coincide with the opening of the stadium? Let me get this right... you are actually suggesting some vast conspiracy of Bob McNair, Harris County, the city, the roadbuilders, the Harris County Houston Sports Authority, the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation, and, oh, of course, the grand puppetmaster, Reliant Energy to stretch out a road construction project for three years just to force some "undesirables" out? Whew. Seems like it would have been a LOT cheaper and a LOT easier just to buy them out. I don't know what else to say to that idea, other than LOL. You know, it's not like delays in road-building projects are unheard of in Houston. Or all of those delays part of some grand conspiracy to drive certain businesses out. Are the delays in the downtown street projects an attempt to drive out Shell Oil, Reliant Energy, Calpine, etc. Better yet, maybe those delays were a grand conspiracy to drive out Enron, and look, it WORKED. ;-) Why is it wrong to "get businesses to go" if they are in the way of a major road expansion or if they are bought out in a free market exchange (and you have shown me none who were in any way "forced" out in any way other than by eminent domain for the road expansion.) I agree, more power to them if they wanted to do business in those locations (so long as they complied with the laws). But, also, more power to them if they choose to sell their business in a volunatry exchange. And again, if they were just lessees, they have no rights or expectations beyond the term of their lease. If their property owner wants to sell to someone who is going to tear down the building, that is his/her right. The business owner has the right then to find a new location. Again, don't be ridiculous; of course it comes as no shock to me that laws may be broken occasionally in the Four Seasons, etc. But, again, what is your point? If someone wants to buy the Four Seasons Hotel and tear it down, more power to them. If the Four Seasons were next to a road being widened and had to be seized by eminent domain, well, so what? (and remember a taking by eminent domain does not mean the property is just taken; the property owner still must get fair compensation for the property.) I really don't understand what your point is. Was it somehow wrong for city leaders to want to clean up Main Street to make things look a little nicer for residents and visitors alike, to make Houston, to use a popular phrase, a more "liveable city?" Other than your rather crazy conspiracy theory, do you have any evidence supporting your claim that businesses were forced out unfairly or illegally?

Well, yes, yes, yes. There is no denying that the SuperBowl was in the dreams of both Bob McNair and the leadership of Houston before the Texans started playing (and I never suggested otherwise). But it is quite a stretch of logic to say that, therefore the site and design of the Reliant Stadium and Reliant Park complex were "developed fast to get that super bowl in". In fact, the selection of the Astrodome grounds for the stadium site, and the basic design of Reliant Park, was a done-deal well before the Texans were even awarded their NFL franchise; this was not a rushed deal by any stretch of the imagination. I don't really know what your point is regarding the few businesses that were, in your memory, bought out along Main Street to make way for the Main Street entrance to Reliant Park and additional parking. (I must say, it's just a little difficult to follow your arguments... one line you're complaining about the lack of parking and the next you're complaining about moves they made to increase parking.) Was eminent domain used to buy out these businesses (other than those who you claim were removed by eminent domain for the widening of Main Street)? If not, I can not see what the issue or complaint is (and I'll return to the whole free market issue in a later response). (And I think there will be an opportunity to discuss the matter of eminent domain for road widening in my comments on a later paragraph.)

This is getting very tedious, so I'll just take one paragraph at a time... I don't know what this mythical "Houston Sports Authority" is that you keep referring to... Do you perhaps mean the Houston Sports Assosciation? That would be the private group that owned the Houston Astros... and signed a 40-year lease on the facility in 1961. Astrodome Lease Please note I never said the Astros OWNED the Astrodome. The Astrodome is and always has been owned by Harris County. If you are meaning to refer to the Houston Sports ASSOCIATION, you are absolutely right, they did oversee every aspect of the dome. But, as I've demonstrated, the Houston Sports Association WAS the same entity as the Astros. Now, I have not been able to track down yet the exact relationship of the Oilers to the dome. But if the Astros have the primary lease, they would certainly have an interest in keeping the Oilers happy and playing in the facility. (The Astros, or Houston Sports Association wouldn't make much money on concessions etc if the Oilers were playing in Jacksonville, which they were threatening to do at the time of the remodeling.) That would explain why they would go along with the removal of the scoreboard and expansion of seating in order to keep the Oilers in town.