sidegate Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Chronicle article here.Interesting to contrast this suburban-style development with the move towards denser, more pedestrian oriented retail developments inside the Loop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Looks boring, but I guess it makes sense to have this type of development way out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Yeah, not worth putting on the wiki or anything. It's inside the loop, right? Even so, it is in a single-family dominated area so it's understandable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 5800 of Bellaire? That's just outside of the loop, but I'm not sure it is in the CITY of bellaire, though. Isn't that where the CiCi's was? (yumm......CiCi's....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 Outside the Loop, west of Chimney Rock... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 5800 Bellaire is NOT inside the loop. Boring yes, but probably better than a rundown old apt. complex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 (edited) Looks boring, but I guess it makes sense to have this type of development way out there. Do you know where this is? It is about 1.5 miles west of the West Loop. It is on Renwick Dr., which turns into Fountainview at Westpark. It's close in enough that it's not even picking up on the Chinatown influence. It's basically feeding off of Gulfton, the densest part of the Houston metropolitan area. EDIT: Damn, multiple people beat me to the punch. 5800 of Bellaire? That's just outside of the loop, but I'm not sure it is in the CITY of bellaire, though. Isn't that where the CiCi's was? (yumm......CiCi's....) You're thinking of a different shopping center, which was overhauled by Southwest Bank of Texas before they became Amegy Bank and built their really nice branch bank on the pad site that is there. They kicked out CiCi's because it was drawing the wrong crowd and they wanted to go up-market. It doesn't seem to have worked out for them very well. Edited March 24, 2008 by TheNiche Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 You're thinking of a different shopping center, which was overhauled by Southwest Bank of Texas before they became Amegy Bank and built their really nice branch bank on the pad site that is there. They kicked out CiCi's because it was drawing the wrong crowd and they wanted to go up-market.It doesn't seem to have worked out for them very well.I thought it was one of the NICER CiCi's (okay, pizza for lunch....yumm....) in the area. From what I have seen, I'd have to agree that it isn't working for them, so it might be awhile (and unfortunately a number of business failiures) for it to turn into a nice well trafficked (sp?) area.Back on Topic:I am rarely on that side of town anymore, but I can think of one set of apartments that should have been blown up a few years ago. Am curious if the apartments in the area are eventually going to be upgraded or get built up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 (edited) "Way out there" - I'm guessing you're an inner Inner Looper Jax. :-) Rightly or wrongly, I'd say the same thing!!I went to the COB website to try and find where their city boundaries and zip codes are. An interesting academic question is the attitudes that prevail in the respective (COH & COB) city halls towards developments of this kind vs say a West Avenue type of approach. Even if a developer wanted to build a West Avenue-type complex in that part of Bellaire, would that be looked on askance by the COB planning commission?Edit: Of course this is irrelevant if it still is City of houston.... Edited March 24, 2008 by sidegate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 This is most definitely outer loop, and outer Bellaire.mapAnd yes, a big yawn imo, but this might be the lesser of two evils (trying to remember the apartments that this is replacing...)edit - Bellaire Square Apartments (used to be the Colonnades?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 (edited) "Way out there" - I'm guessing you're an inner Inner Looper Jax. :-) Rightly or wrongly, I'd say the same thing!! Yep. I know this area. I drove out there a few weeks ago to pick up one of my colleagues from Rice (Bissonnet & Chimney Rock) and yes, I consider it way out there (despite it being near Gulfton, blah blah). I have no idea why a Rice post doc would choose to live there. It took me about 25 minutes to get out there with no traffic and the area where he lived looked pretty rundown. I love the apartment reviews in the link you posted, Sevfiv! Edited March 24, 2008 by Jax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 I've always heard this particular area referred to as the Bellaire Barrio. At any rate, new development in this area is good. Maybe this will help get COB off their hinys and get moving on the revitilazation of DT Bellaire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 "Way out there" - I'm guessing you're an inner Inner Looper Jax. :-) Rightly or wrongly, I'd say the same thing!! I guess "way out there" has less to do with distance than with demographics. Go figure. I went to the COB website to try and find where their city boundaries and zip codes are. An interesting academic question is the attitudes that prevail in the respective (COH & COB) city halls towards developments of this kind vs say a West Avenue type of approach. Even if a developer wanted to build a West Avenue-type complex in that part of Bellaire, would that be looked on askance by the COB planning commission?Edit: Of course this is irrelevant if it still is City of houston.... Bellaire is amenable to a West Ave. type of development but fractured ownership of their old downtown area, a pedestrian-unfriendly crossing at Bellaire & Bissonnet, and just that they're on the cusp of two very different worlds in terms of demographics makes that difficult to realistically justify. Although they'd allow it, I'm not certain that they'd give it subsidy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 I love the apartment reviews in the link you posted, Sevfiv! This gem is my favorite: oh yeah they are knocking this place down but they wont elll u that when u go to move in so its ur choice but I sleep with my gun beside me every night.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 I've always heard this particular area referred to as the Bellaire Barrio. At any rate, new development in this area is good. Maybe this will help get COB off their hinys and get moving on the revitilazation of DT Bellaire.They've spent plenty of time, effort, and money studying the issue over the course of the past year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 This gem is my favorite:oh yeah they are knocking this place down but they wont elll u that when u go to move in so its ur choice but I sleep with my gun beside me every night.... This one is better. THIS IS MY HOOD WELL USED TO BE IM OUTA THERE NOW BUT FOOL DONT TRIP IF U MOVE HERE CUZZ U WILL GET KILLED HA HA HA RAISED IN THIS HELL HOLE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 (edited) I guess "way out there" has less to do with distance than with demographics. Go figure. not really. pretty much has to do with what my fuel gauge says before I start the engine, and when I get back. all the more so these days. Edit: typo Edited March 24, 2008 by sidegate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 They've spent plenty of time, effort, and money studying the issue over the course of the past year.Yeah, I get the Bellaire Examiner thrown on my lawn weekly. It seems like they've been "studying" this for 20 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 not really. pretty much has to do with what my fuel gauge says before I start the engine, and when I get back. all the more so these days.Edit: typoI'm curious, what's your zip code? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 I'm curious, what's your zip code?eastern edge of 77098 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 eastern edge of 77098 Assuming you're at Dunlavy and Richmond, it is the same driving distance (7.1 miles) from you to 5800 Bellaire as it is to the main entrance of the University of Houston. Is UH "way out there"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 (edited) Pretty much. It's a function also of how often I have occasion to go to these places, which for UH is the annual March of Dimes walk, and that part of Bellaire to eat breakfast at Cafe Miami (not so much these days as I used to). Multiply time spent by fuel by general aggravation involved and "Way out there" is a lot closer in than it used to be for me.And it's not my phrase anyway. I just understand where it's coming from. Edited March 24, 2008 by sidegate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Just for reference, taking Richmond/Wheeler down to UH (and picking up on Alabama) is not 7 miles from Dunlavy - maybe 3 or 4http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1726026 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Just for reference, taking Richmond/Wheeler down to UH (and picking up on Alabama) is not 7 miles from Dunlavy - maybe 3 or 4http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1726026My source was MS Streets & Trips 2007. It calculates by the shortest drive time, and that entails backtracking on Richmond to Shepherd to enter 59, then going up to 45, then getting off at Spur 5 to reach the main entrance to UH, not the parking lots along Scott Street behind Roberston Stadium.I suppose that sidegate might be able to cut the distance by using Wheeler although the gasoline use may be pretty close to the same considering all the starts and stops, but I'm going to allow sidegate the complimentry assumption that his time is probably more valuable than whatever depreciation gets racked up in the extra two or three miles on his vehicle for such a trip. Of course, if he disagrees, that's his prerogative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 (edited) Whether or not your definition of "way out there" is the same as mine or Sidegate's, my point was that it is far enough away from central Houston that I can understand why the developer chose to build a huge parking lot suburban style shopping center as opposed to something more interesting.If they were building this at Montrose and Westhiemer, I'd think it was a bit strange, but not at my definition of "way out there" which happens to be Bissonnet and Bellaire. Edited March 24, 2008 by Jax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 My source was MS Streets & Trips 2007. It calculates by the shortest drive time, and that entails backtracking on Richmond to Shepherd to enter 59, then going up to 45, then getting off at Spur 5 to reach the main entrance to UH, not the parking lots along Scott Street behind Roberston Stadium.I suppose that sidegate might be able to cut the distance by using Wheeler although the gasoline use may be pretty close to the same considering all the starts and stops, but I'm going to allow sidegate the complimentry assumption that his time is probably more valuable than whatever depreciation gets racked up in the extra two or three miles on his vehicle for such a trip. Of course, if he disagrees, that's his prerogative.You need a better source.Those directions are a complete waste of time and would likely cause anyone to sit in half an hour of freeway traffic. Hell, at most times of the day, you could probably ride your bike more quickly to UH by just heading East down Richmond and hitting campus the back way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Those directions are a complete waste of time and would likely cause anyone to sit in half an hour of freeway traffic.That hasn't been my experience at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 (edited) I immigrated to Houston from abroad about 12 years ago and have lived within a couple of miles of the Medical Center the whole time. For the first six months I didn't own even own a car and attracted more than a couple of concerned stares as I struggled up Kirby with my big Target carrier bags, wondering why the sidewalks kept disappearing. Perhaps if I were born and raised here I'd have had more reason to familiarize myself with places beyond the Loop but the amenities inside it being what they are, I haven't. It's not a knock on U of H or Bellaire or anywhere else. I have a sphere of existence whose current dimensions suit me. Everyone does. Edited March 24, 2008 by sidegate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 (edited) Whether or not your definition of "way out there" is the same as mine or Sidegate's, my point was that it is far enough away from central Houston that I can understand why the developer chose to build a huge parking lot suburban style shopping center as opposed to something more interesting.If they were building this at Montrose and Westhiemer, I'd think it was a bit strange, but not at my definition of "way out there" which happens to be Bissonnet and Bellaire.This is along San Felipe west of Voss, 2.9 miles west of the Loop and in between Tanglewood and the Memorial Villages. Two condo towers and a retail/spa building.Proximity or demographics? Edited March 24, 2008 by TheNiche Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 (edited) ... Edited March 24, 2008 by Jax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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