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Colorado Group Plans $80M Mixed-Use, Infill Project By Jennifer D. Duell Last updated: July 19, 2005 08:23am HOUSTON-Within three years, a mixed-use project is expected to rise on Block 98, a piece of vacant land adjacent to the new city park and the George R. Brown Convention Center. Two companies from Colorado Springs, LandCo Properties LLC and Equity Edge LLC, have formed a partnership to transform the 1.5-acre tract into two residential high-rises with ground-floor retail space. Block 98 is bordered by Rusk, Crawford, Walker and LaBranch streets near Toyota Center. Each tower will contain 150 units that will be priced "for the young, single professional," says Michael Raider, LandCo's COO. He tells GlobeSt.com that construction will begin in about three years. "That's when the market will be ready," he says, explaining one tower will have rental housing and the other will be condos. "I am not sure that we'll break ground on both towers at the same time." Raider, a Houston native, was eyeing Block 98 about a year before he closed the deal with Crescent Real Estate Equities Co. for $6.5 million. "We see Houston as Denver about seven years ago with the new light rail, entertainment and park creation. Denver is just a huge residential market right now," he says, "and we think Houston is following right behind it." Raider's not yet selected the project architect, but says he's hoping to use a local firm. The partnership, Block 98 Partners Ltd., obtained a $4.9-million loan from Southern National Bank of Texas to acquire the land. Tucker Knight, a director with Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP's local office, arranged a three-year bridge loan with an adjustable interest rate. The Block 98 development will be the second project that LandCo has tackled in Houston's CBD. The company recently acquired the former Days Inn Hotel at 801 St. Joseph Parkway for redevelopment into 251 luxury apartments and retail space. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2006, with units delivering in early 2007.

I heard rumors of a residential building planned for block 387. I finally saw something that gave that rumor some credence although I don't have anything substantial - this should be taken with a grain of salt. Soil samples.

Hearst Selects HFF to Market Houston Chronicle Downtown Property http://realtynewsreport.com/2014/11/21/hearst-selects-hff-to-market-houston-chronicle-downtown-property/ Thanks to desertpunk at SSC.

I just posted online a comprehensive listing of my concerns about TxDOT's plan. http://houstonfreeways.com/analysis I would certainly be interested in getting any feedback for errors in my analysis, or issues I missed. Of course, some of these issues are matters of opinion, but many are serious and need to be looked at by TxDOT. I'm going to submit the final list (pending any changes based on feedback) as public comment.

I don't have the specifics for the height, floors, architect, etc. but here's what she's going to look like... I believe this is the view of the north side of the building that will face Market Square. This is based on the other renderings of the Chronicle site building. Block 42:

According to the Chronicle, several tenants are already clearing out of the building even though Skanska has not confirmed anything. Latest renderings & info: http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2015/06/developer-to-pour-foundation-for-downtown-office-tower/#23198101=0

I've been watching 511 Main get some serious roof repairs on a giant hole the past week or so. If this is too small of scale, for Going up! please move it. I'll continue to taking snapshots of the progress. This is from today

I know there's been some discussion in the past of the site that the Scamrock was planned for, and that Hines had been involved with the site as of late. After stumbling across this page & the rendering included, I was wondering if anyone had additional info on it. Webcam: http://oxblue.com/open/hines/609main Latest Renderings and Info as of 10/2013 : http://hines.com/press/releases/10-24-13.aspx

There's an "energy" downtown (especially along Main) that feels unique to our diverse, minimally zoned city. With the rail, Downtown Living Initiative, and popular eateries daring to set-up shop and stay open past business hours, the city's core is starting to feel less "business park" and more of an authentic place to experience urban life.

I've only lived in Houston and downtown for two years and I am amazed by the amount of change that has occurred on the restaurant / bar scene. When I moved here, OKRA was not even open / even hinted at. Since then there has been a number of successful openings and it's hard to keep up with the pace of change. I've also been very pleased with the quality of each opening - these establishments are nothing like the typical Midtown / Wash Ave bars where the bartenders do not even know what Campari is. Here are recent openings in no particular order: Prohibition (1008 Prairie). A burlesque event space in back (A beautifully restored theater. You would have no idea that it is in this building. Drop in and ask to take a look) but the front restaurant serves excellent lunch and dinner. Pricey with some entrees > $50. Absolutely worth checking out for the smoked fried chicken alone. Chef Ben McPherson.http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2014/06/27/foodie-friday-whos-cooking-up-restaurant-news-in.html?page=allMain Kitchen (806 Main). In the new JW Marriott. It's been discussed in the JW thread a lot so won't rehash it here. Chef Erin Smith.https://www.facebook.com/MainKitchen806Bombay Indian Grill (806 Main). Indian lunch buffet.http://bombaygrillhouston.com/Honeymoon Cafe (300 Main). Serves upscale sandwiches for lunch. Downtown's only good independent coffee shop. Always packed for lunch and surprisingly packed for Sunday brunch.http://thehoneymoonhtx.com/Springbok (711 Main). South African restaurant and sports bar serving lunch and dinner.http://www.springbokhouston.com/Nightingale Room (308 Main). Bar and live music space. I visited and the cocktails are high quality. Part of the Anvil mafia.https://www.facebook.com/NightingaleRoomPublic Services Wine and Whiskey (202 Travis). Run by the former Oxheart sommelier with interesting wines and whiskeys. It's in the restored / renovated Cotton Exchange building.http://publicservicesbar.com/New Hearsay Location (1516 Dallas) Also, looks like a formerly empty location on Main Street is taped over with the business named "Beef and Barley" and District 7 Grill is taking over an empty space that spans half a block at Main and Texas. There is some sports bar opening on Main as well. As MAB noted in another thread, a new BBQ restaurant set to open by Brian Caswell (Reef), Bill Floyd and Greg Gatlin (Gatlin's BBQ) is set to open in Q1 2015 on Jackson and Congress near Minute Maid Park. There is now a liquor store downtown called Posh Liquors (http://poshliquors.com/). Based on the name, I'm assuming they are trying for an upscale clientele base. All these join the first wave of restaurants (El Big Bad, Batanga, Fusion Taco) and first wave of bars (Captain Foxheart's Bad News Bar and Spirit Lounge, OKRA, Pastry War, Clutch City Squire, Little Dipper, Dean's Credit Clothing re-opening). Yes it would be nice to get a full service grocery, a Target and some retail downtown but I am so grateful for everything that has happened to downtown recently, that I have no absolutely no complaints. I also have nothing but optimism for further development as more residential opens.

Subdivision plat filed for the U-Haul Moving & Storage site at 1617 San Jacinto. The project will also take out half of the surface lot along Leeland. SubdivisionPlatPDF_1617-1741_U-Haul at San Jacinto No 745062_plat.pdf

120-units at 626 Mckee Street https://www.houstontx.gov/council/committees/housing/20190917/housingdept.pdf

Subdivision plat filed by Urban Genesis for a multifamily project at the corner of Wood & Walnut Streets. SubdivisionPlatPDF_CS 19074-PLAT_v1.pdf Currently, a warehouse sits on site.

Following the murder of George Floyd, peaceful protests took place through the afternoon and evening yesterday. Unfortunately, as the night went on, it appears some people took advantage of the situation and vandalized some areas of downtown. See the images and videos from instagram below: These are sensitive times, and I don't mean to send any negative messages in posting these images. To me these actions seem to take on a more selfish nature than in support of any just cause, and it saddens me to think that anyone would believe that this destruction would result in a positive outcome for the cause.

Noticed this today on my bike ride.... anyone happen to know what they are replacing this with? Another parking garage or something else?

I wanted to touch on a topic that has been weighing heavy on my mind recently, and I'd like to hear peoples thoughts. It's ironic that I discovered both these posts today. First, I read a somewhat encouraging article from Houston Public Media about a 5% decline in the homeless population from 2018 to 2019. You can read more in the article here: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/city-of-houston/2019/05/15/333384/homelessness-down-5-in-houston/ . Obviously the stat on mental health spending was a little depressing, but to hear that Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties experienced a 54% decline in homelessness since 2011 was surprisingly positive news. But shortly after that I ventured over to the Houston Reddit to find a post entitled "Walked down Main St. from McGowen to Congress yesterday afternoon", which can be read here: Simply put, the post did not give me the warm fuzzies, especially since the area in question stretches all the way down Main Street. Sadly, I have seen the sights described in this thread, maybe not so much the smells, but definitely the sights. I've experienced the yelling, the drunkenness, and the tents/garbage lined up under the freeways. Downtown and Midtown are experiencing decent growth and development right now, yet the presence of the homeless continues to linger and in some cases grow. Certainly new development is helping clean some of these areas, but it seems as though these people simply relocate to other areas close by. For example, when I first moved to Houston in 2017, the entrance to 59 South from Richmond looked like any normal feeder. But for the past 6 months it has become overrun with garbage and filth, and this is right across from the Post 510 apartment complex. You can check the Yelp reviews for the place and see the problem is creating negative reviews from the tenants. This isn't the only complex experiencing the issue in the area, and I feel as though it will continue to keep people away from potentially relocating to Midtown and Downtown. But again, I want you guys to tell me your thoughts on the matter. What is the best course of action the city can take to curve this issue? Does anyone living in Midtown/Downtown echo these sentiments and have their own experiences to share? How will this impact the growth of Houston going forward?

Strolled through there today and there is absolutely zero signs of any work,. Renderings and latest info: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Design-for-planned-downtown-hotel-gets-a-revision-6048121.php#/0

InternationalTowerintheCBDisbeingdevelopedbyStreamRealty and Essex Commercial Properties. This 925,000-square-foot, 37 story, Class A building in the CBD is being marketed as Houston’s first 50-story office tower in 30 years. http://www.us.am.joneslanglasalle.com/ResearchLevel1/Houston%20Highlights_Q1_2013.pdf Hbj mentioned this in one of their articles yesterday Per the article it is bounded by Preston, Prarie, Milam, Travis and is 750,000 sqf which contradicts jll When I look at the location it is the same location as the supposed linbeck location. Can someone explain?

Downtown residential highrise's being planned by Marquette Cos. Totaling more the 350 units. But they don't stop there... http://www.bisnow.com/commercial-real-estate/houston/what-do-downtown-and-galveston-have-in-common/ Renderings and info as of 4/2014: http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2014/04/future-office-construction-inspiration-for-new.html

I ate at the bustling Rosalie Italian restaurant located in the lobby of the C. Baldwin Hotel (formally Double Tree). You know, the Allen Center Hotel that half the west facing views are obstructed by a parking garage? The renovation in the Hotel is fantastic (and so is the lobby bar). The restaurant layout is different. It feels like you're dining in The Lexington Grille - all the rooms are separated and provide an old converted home feel. Style and atmosphere satisfied my appetite. The Cocktail list wasn't my thing. I'm not really into the whole idea behind a Mixologist being recklessly creative. 1st bourbon drink tasted like potpourri and the second gin drink was like spraying a citrusy cologne in my mouth. Stuck to a dirty martini after that. The food was great though and the staff were very attentive. Floor managers swept through the rooms constantly. I highly recommend this place. Also the signage at the hotel entrance is cool. Montrose1100 Stamp of Approval. I'm not a critic by any means but thought I'd share my experience. Would advise to make a reservation.

Turns out the fire was a car in the Hilton's parking garage I was notified by a friend working @ St Joseph's Hospital, could hear the fire sirens on the fire trucks headed to it while at my pool at my condo.

It's been a long time coming but today after a few days of fencing, they have finally started the demo of the South Texas Intermediate Sanction Facility (It also says Southern DRV Company on the front of the building). This frees up a whole block, and I'm excited to see what they put here. Even as an empty lot for now, this eyesore will not be missed. It should be gone within a couple of weeks according to the guys I spoke with this morning.

It looks like they're reintroducing retail at the corner of Rusk and Main: http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Commissions/docs_pdfs/hahc/Application_Materials/April_MATERIALS/712_Main_Gulf_Building_App_Materials.pdf

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Incarnate-Word-Academy-plans-to-raze-historic-6139685.php#photo-7670882

Source: https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/office/yet-another-iconic-downtown-tower-is-getting-a-new-look-101024 Rendering: Looks like we got another one 🥳