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Rice Village Shopping Center At 2400 University Blvd.


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I think it's really interesting to see where they are going with this design.  As built, the Village Arcade was a somewhat heavy-handed attempt to forklift the Village to a more "upscale" retail district.  Given the location close to the Med Center and West U this probably wasn't an unreasonable goal.  As such, the design was the perfect paradigm of 1990s bourgeois respectability that we saw in thousands of strip centers across the country.  It looks like with the upgrade they are reaching for something a little more creative, although not to the degree that would frighten off wealthy shoppers from the neighborhood.  It may just be that the existing design just looks old-fashioned to today's  target market.  I suppose that with River Oaks District, the Galleria re-do and the redevelopment on Kirby, that the Village really needs to up its game if it wants to continue to appeal to a desirable demographic.  

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Walked through the Village over the weekend and was pleasantly surprised that they were re-doing that section of street, as well.  At this snail's pace they should be able to wrap up everything within the next decade or so

 

I was also reminded how terrible the sidewalks are throughout a lot of the older sections - virtually nothing is ADA-compliant, so going through with a stroller was a real pain (yes, woe is me) 

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I was also reminded how terrible the sidewalks are throughout a lot of the older sections - virtually nothing is ADA-compliant, so going through with a stroller was a real pain (yes, woe is me)

Might as well start training the kid at an early age about how bad roads usually are.

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These are horrible renderings and don't seem to show consistency for the whole project.  I love the fact they are looking to make it more pedestrian friendly, but if they are getting rid of all that surface parking then it's going to be impossible to find parking.  Already that whole area is a nightmare, but I can't image what it would be like without the surface lots.  I guess time will tell....hope the put a stop sign at Kelvin and University.

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The only surface parking I can tell has been lost from those renderings is in front of Baker St (former) / 55 / etc.  As it is there are just a handful of spots there now, anyway

 

That strip where Chico's is looks like it more or less has the same parking configuration as it currently does.  Actually, if you look at the google satellite view of that building you see no parking spots available along the street, but plenty of spots on the roof.  It really makes you wonder if people even realize that parking on the roof is an option:

 

rh5axYJh.png

 

 

 

 

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Roof parking used to be quite a thing.  The center on Richmond between Shepherd and Greenbriar had it, though it's closed off now.  While roof parking calls for a much more robust roof structure, it also seems like a good way to get the walkability that comes with shorter setbacks plus as much or more parking than one would typically find in a strip center.

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On 2/15/2016 at 0:57 PM, Moonb007 said:

These are horrible renderings and don't seem to show consistency for the whole project.  I love the fact they are looking to make it more pedestrian friendly, but if they are getting rid of all that surface parking then it's going to be impossible to find parking.  Already that whole area is a nightmare, but I can't image what it would be like without the surface lots.  I guess time will tell....hope the put a stop sign at Kelvin and University.

Use public transportation... you can't complain about parking yet favor more pedestrian friendly development and expect them to invest more to build a parking garage so you can neglect the transportation system you have in place to use. I ride the 36 to RedLine South every day and it's great.

Edited by j_cuevas713
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5 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

Use public transportation... you can't complain about parking yet favor more pedestrian friendly development and expect them to invest more to build a parking garage so you can neglect the transportation system you have in place to use. I ride the 36 to RedLine South every day it it's great.

There's also Rice's gigantic Greenbriar Lot two blocks to the east. Parking for $1 a day. Just a 5 minute walk to the center of Rice Village. Even at peak times there's a significant oversupply of parking in the Village – and that doesn't include Greenbriar Lot.

We really need to get over this idea that there needs to parking immediately in front of every building. It's had an immensely negative impact on our urban landscape.

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On 2/15/2016 at 1:23 PM, OkieEric said:

The only surface parking I can tell has been lost from those renderings is in front of Baker St (former) / 55 / etc.  As it is there are just a handful of spots there now, anyway

 

That strip where Chico's is looks like it more or less has the same parking configuration as it currently does.  Actually, if you look at the google satellite view of that building you see no parking spots available along the street, but plenty of spots on the roof.  It really makes you wonder if people even realize that parking on the roof is an option:

 

rh5axYJh.png

I think it has more to do with convenience. Look at it like this, if you just want to get somewhere fast, you will avoid having to park on the roof and then walk down, etc. BUT if roof parking was the ONLY option, then you force people to make that their choice. That's why when suburban style development provides a walkable path off the sidewalk to the store front, people STILL walk through the landscaping edge to get to the front door. So over time that nice looking landscaping starts looking like crap because people choose the convenience of getting from point A to B fast over walking 10 more steps to the path created off the sidewalk. If you look at cities like NYC, people are given very few options to cut corners.

 

 

 

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please don't tell people they can park on that roof. it is so convenient for me when I need to go. I don't even try to find a place on the street level, it's not worth my time when I know I can grab a spot up there immediately.

I can't believe that people would rather circle the area for 10-15 minutes trying to snipe a parking spot than to just roll onto the roof, select from any of the readily available spots and take the stairs/elevator. I really believe they just don't know that you can go up there and park for free. I've only ever once seen that roof close to full.

heck, even though you have to technically pay to park in the parking garage (free under 2 hours, if you get validated) it's quite empty all the time as well.

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23 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

Use public transportation... you can't complain about parking yet favor more pedestrian friendly development and expect them to invest more to build a parking garage so you can neglect the transportation system you have in place to use. I ride the 36 to RedLine South every day and it's great.

I am all for more pedestrian friendly development and projects that don't have massive parking lots between them and the street.  But, parking is important and can be well designed to be hidden.  Personally, I also love public transportation and take the light rail often.  However, it's not realistic option for me to take two buses when I want to run to Rice Village for a quick bite to eat.  More importantly, the average person would not agree with "just take the bus" and if the average person does not then business start the fail.  I am also not bashing the plan as I don't think they have provided enough information to make a valid argument, I just hope they are thinking about it.  I do love the rendering of turning the plaza by Victoria Secret into some type of bar.

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23 hours ago, CrockpotandGravel said:

I am behind this. It would be ideal if the rails were closer or a Rice Village District Trolley in play. Both would encourage people to park their cars elsewhere and walk. Even a hidden parking garage that blended in not to disturb the aesthetics would be better than the current setup in place.

 

I agree. It looks to be they're attracting those retailers.

Are you being sarcastic? Please tell me you are being sarcastic. There is literally, a hidden 3 story parking garage that blends in not to disturb the aesthetics. There are also 2 rooftop parking lots that are hidden so as not to disturb the aesthetics.

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