musicman Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 the curved lot is the lot i always assumed it would be. at the beginning of this thread someone posted this from the chron. even though HP is in the wrong place i believe the embassy suites is correctthe curved lot is the correct location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdog08 Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Bu buy parking lot! This may be the last photo you will ever see of this parking lot. Which parking lot is being used for ES? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photolitherland Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 ^^^Look at the last four posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdog08 Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I see that now, guess I skipped over some posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I just noticed this tidbit from Nancy's articleThe Embassy Suites will include approximately 6,000 square feet of meeting and event space, a rooftop swimming pool, spa and fitness center, a restaurant, a street-level cafe and wine bar and two levels of underground parking.http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6442610.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadrunner Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 So completion by Spring 2011? I am sure they will push to finish by the time the Final Four gets here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photolitherland Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Underground parking, wow, what a novel idea. I dont understand why in Houston whenever a new scraper is built they have to build a separate garage and make the street look ugly with it. In most other major cities, parking garages are built below the building or incorporated into the tower. Houston has way too many damn parking garages, especially on Main Street that are just a blight. Im glad they decided to build parking underground with this one but it will be a while then before we see it rise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Underground parking, wow, what a novel idea. I dont understand why in Houston whenever a new scraper is built they have to build a separate garage and make the street look ugly with it. In most other major cities, parking garages are built below the building or incorporated into the tower. Houston has way too many damn parking garages, especially on Main Street that are just a blight. Im glad they decided to build parking underground with this one but it will be a while then before we see it rise. I agree, but I saw this buidling driving through San Antonio on Monday. There's more garage than building! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Most buildings downtown do have parking incorporated into the them. However, the capacity is generally not adequate for all tenants who drive to work. I wonder if Hess will have any underground parking. I sure hope their stand-alone garage across the street has a ground-level retail element.It doesn't seem like two floors of underground parking will be enough for ES, but then again, they may dig out that entire block for parking and then the building would only occupy a portion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatesdisastr Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I agree, but I saw this buidling driving through San Antonio on Monday. There's more garage than building! haha thats insanely funny...and retarded looking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wernicke Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 It doesn't seem like two floors of underground parking will be enough for ES, but then again, they may dig out that entire block for parking and then the building would only occupy a portion.The rendering appears to show a multi-level attached garage, with pool on top next to the building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I agree, but I saw this buidling driving through San Antonio on Monday. There's more garage than building! The Baylor clinic building on Main and Dryden isn't much better. Maybe it looks slightly better but it's more parking than clinic space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Underground parking, wow, what a novel idea. I dont understand why in Houston whenever a new scraper is built they have to build a separate garage and make the street look ugly with it. In most other major cities, parking garages are built below the building or incorporated into the tower. Houston has way too many damn parking garages, especially on Main Street that are just a blight. Im glad they decided to build parking underground with this one but it will be a while then before we see it rise.In a word, cost. The cost of an underground parking space is several times greater than a freestanding parking garage. And for a particular amount of revenue-producing square footage, held constant, the alternative to a separate freestanding garage is that the total structure be taller to accommodate a podium of parking beneath the revenue-producing space. Taller structures require a more reinforced building and typically also that a greater amount of the gross square footage be devoted to elevator shafts and other common area elements of the building's core. Underground parking is often more forgivable for an upscale hotel, as compared to an office building or apartment building, because it is more convenient for valet services.The problem ought not be considered that a parking garage is separate, but that a parking garage creates blight at street level. Put some store-fronts along the sidewalks and the blight isn't so much of an issue. In fact, by removing a surface lot, the new parking garage could be celebrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrLan34 Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 i am down with as many surface parking garages as possible... Houston needs to get rid of as many surface lots as possible... at least at this stage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 To be quite honest, Ive stopped paying attention to the Discovery Tower thread since its no longer interesting to me......the threads that are interesting to me are the ones with proposed buildings not yet finalized. Discovery Tower is under construction, so the thread will be boring until the building is in its finishing stages. And with the way the Embassy Suites thread is going, after groundbreaking, it will become boring to me too. I guess I might as well start a thread for the "Second Convention Center Hotle" to keep me occupied. LOL!Now you're talking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 In a word, cost. The cost of an underground parking space is several times greater than a freestanding parking garage. And for a particular amount of revenue-producing square footage, held constant, the alternative to a separate freestanding garage is that the total structure be taller to accommodate a podium of parking beneath the revenue-producing space. Taller structures require a more reinforced building and typically also that a greater amount of the gross square footage be devoted to elevator shafts and other common area elements of the building's core. Underground parking is often more forgivable for an upscale hotel, as compared to an office building or apartment building, because it is more convenient for valet services.The problem ought not be considered that a parking garage is separate, but that a parking garage creates blight at street level. Put some store-fronts along the sidewalks and the blight isn't so much of an issue. In fact, by removing a surface lot, the new parking garage could be celebrated.I like the parking garage by the library. Actually, like is probably too strong a word. It doesn't bother me as much because it has restaurants beneath it (Luthers if I remember correctly). We do need more like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totheskies Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 (edited) I like the parking garage by the library. Actually, like is probably too strong a word. It doesn't bother me as much because it has restaurants beneath it (Luthers if I remember correctly). We do need more like that.Much agreed. This is Houston afterall... we've finally grown out of our "every major CBD building has to be tunnel-connected with retail" phase, I'm hoping that we've acquiesed into the "every major CBD building has to have an ugly parking garage with street-level retail" phase. Considering the close proximity to GRB and Discovery Green, street-level retail in the garage seems to be a no-brainer. As long as we're talking garages though, I give the aesthetics prize to OPP. The parking garage takes up the entire block, and is a total function of the building. I wish Houston had more like this one. ^^^^Wait, I MAY give the aesthetics prize to OPP if and ONLY IF they open a good grocery store like they are supposed to!! Edited May 29, 2009 by totheskies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatesdisastr Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 i drove past the ES site tonight and didnt see anything resembling a building was planned. there were cars parked all over the lot. no fences blocking it off or anything. unless i was looking at the wrong lot, which i doubt.i guess they havent done anything yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photolitherland Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 WTF, they said construction was supposed to start by last friday. Hmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 WTF, they said construction was supposed to start by last friday. HmmmHere we go again! 6 Houston Center... HERE WE COME!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Houston, we have yet another problem....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Houston, we have yet another problem....! Bank robbers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Convenient Store robbers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 (edited) Nice. Are there any c-stores in this thing? Edited June 2, 2009 by LTAWACS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt16 Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 They didn't say construction had started, but that they had a "ground breaking". All that means is some semi-important people got to dig around in a makeshift sandbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Owl Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 From my office window (in One Houston Center), I look down at the site. Right now there are two guys there measuring the lot - not surveying, it looks like they have a long string or some kind of measuring tape. There's also a taco truck there, probably for the workers finishing up One Park Place. I might go grab one for lunch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Thanks. Keep us updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChannelTwoNews Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 They didn't say construction had started, but that they had a "ground breaking". All that means is some semi-important people got to dig around in a makeshift sandbox.Actually, two articles (one from HBJ & the other from the chron) said, at least in the poorly written titles, that construction had begun.Groundbreaking never qualifies, especially if the concrete from the lot you're going to build on has yet to be broken up and is still covering the actual "ground". They didn't even get that far with 6HC, where they only had a social hour and a building announcement.FWIW, I saw they started installing more fencing around the perimiter of the site today. Specifically, starting around the part where Harvey workers had been parking during the construction of OPP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChannelTwoNews Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 They finished up fencing off the lot today. Kinda interesting that as they were finishing up, other nearby lots were charging a premium price for the Graduation Ceremonies happening at Toyota Center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatesdisastr Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 those pictures are good to see im ready for this to get underway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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