UrbaNerd Posted September 10, 2004 Share Posted September 10, 2004 If I ever saw that guy on the street, I swear, I'd point, and start laughing!I mean, seriously...WTH? Is there any logical explaination for this? He has puzzled scientists! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted September 10, 2004 Share Posted September 10, 2004 He probably lost all that hair and gained a paunch like the rest of us who have gotten a bit older. But of course, he may STILL have the gold chains. I've noticed men are not easily parted from them. Ricco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted September 10, 2004 Share Posted September 10, 2004 Coke hsa been known to make your head swell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 When I first moved in to Oakwood (it was called something else at the time) it was pretty upscale. Most of the people who lived there were young lawyers, and they even had young lawyer events around the pool.Then it changed hands. The new managers were less picky about who they let in. The lawyers left. Then Tropical Storm Allison hit, and the place was flooded with refugees from the ghetto who didn't know how to behave in a respectable place. The managers were just happy to fill apartments. But the place got very bad, very quick. I had a problem with my ceiling fan, and the head of maintenance told me the only thing he could do for me was to switch it with another broken fan from another apartment because the maintenance fund was cut off for the rest of the year. This was in July, 2002.In September my lease was up, and they wanted to raise my rent from $850 to $1,350 for a one-bedroom 820 square foot apartment. I said "enough" and I left, too. I don't know what the place is like now. But the last thing I saw when I moved out was someone doing drugs on one of the stairwells. I never looked back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstngoal Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 I think the original post in this thread is great. Midown is at a critical point in its development right now and both the city and the Midtown TIRZ could wise up and look to design standards/development solutions that have worked in other cities to truly realize the potential of this important area. On a very recent trip to Portland, OR, I snapped these photos of that city's Pearl District... a wonderful example of urban redevelopment and a true mixed-use neighborhood. Take note on how its done, Houston.... Warehouse Redevelopment New condos Residential over retail Notice the street trees, nice lighting, generous sidewalks New Whole Foods store and new condos New midrises around the city's famous Powell's Books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceCity Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Wow. That's incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Thanks for posting the pics. I visited Portland three years ago on vacation and fell in love with the city -- it is one of the nicest downtown areas I've seen anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayLSU Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 The pictures of Portland are great. I used to work there and it is a great downtown model. I am very pessimistic that the Midtown Mgmt District and the City of Houston will be able to pull this off. It is amazing to me that this city and its planners have so little vision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown_resident Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 I wish I had a camera when I was in DC last week. There is a new area near the Pentagon called "Pentagon Row"...and it embodies exactly what mixed use should be imho. goto http://www.pentagonrow.com and check out the websiteI wish midtown and downtown could pick up some ideas from here...of course, development that is affordable by the average joe working in downtown would be helpful....while at PR...I got an overwhelming feeling of "houston ain't gonna get it right on this one'....and i'm not quite sure why not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstngoal Posted September 15, 2004 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Actually, keep the faith. I think you'll see a couple of projects like Pentagon Row in Houston's near-term future. Sadly, I don't see it happening in Midtown though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted September 15, 2004 Author Share Posted September 15, 2004 Portland is fantastic. They have a whole series of laws, though, designed to promote the urban core. There is an urban development boundary to curb sprawl, and limits on parking spaces downtown so that whole blocks aren't given up to parking, and requirements for street-level retail. As a result, the kind of buildings in those pictures make a lot of sense. I guess my point is that kind of development doesn't just happen on the whim of a developer. It requires some kind of cohesive vision which Houston just seems to be lacking. As for Midtown, it may be too late, at least west of Main St. Also Portland does have Powell's, the best used bookstore in the world! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstngoal Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Yep, that cohesive vision is really lacking - which is unfortunate because the Midtown TIRZ was created by the city and the state. Ultimately, one would think that both the city planning department and the TIRZ leadership would require developers to meet certain urban design guidelines. These developers are getting tax breaks and incentives - yet there seems to be relatively few standards for them to meet. There are so many suburban type retail centers and apartment complexes that have descended into the area. How disappointing. Here are some more examples in Portland that I think would be wonderful in Midtown. Notice the different residential developments around the recently created park in the Pearl District... the buildings are all different (and had different developers), yet they really work together. Here is proof of what a "cohesive vision" will do for a district... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dream Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 i really appreciate the posts and pictures that firstngoal has placed in this thread comparing portland's pearl district to midtown houston. i was in portland last month and spent one afternoon in the pearl district all i could think about was midtown houston. i could see the potential of midtown but felt a real sadness that houston and midtown leaders just don't get it. portland has closed down little half streets between these mid-rises and created little park spaces that lead to bigger park spaces, it was very nice. midtown just closes the streets down and give them to the developers like camden and post and midtown becomes less pedestrian friendly. the friday afternoon i was in portland the park with the water feature was packed with kids and familes, no bums. thanks for posting the pictures, i can't wait to go back to portland.dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largeTEXAS Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Great photos!If anyone has Vancouver pics, could you post them? Talk about a great downtown! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 I wonder if our planners look at other cities ever for influence? or they just do things off the bat and are oblivious to others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown 4.2 Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Those are fantastic pictures. Thanks for the post. We all complain about the lack of direction for Midtown, and if the management district is working in total isolation. Well, I've sent them an e-mail referencing this site. Maybe if we all start bugging them, they might try harder in preventing another CVS fiasco.For those that didn't know, below is a link to their website.http://www.houstonmidtown.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 cool thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
considering Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 Over three years later since the last post on this thread, any thoughts on how it has gone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Yes, he really was for real. Too bad nobody has a clip from the ad of the bikini clad woman coming out of the pool with the VCR.More than four years later, there is one here:This is surely a classic advertisement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wernicke Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 This is surely a classic advertisement!Pretty funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJxvi Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Actually, Post and Amli are considered two of the most upscale and luxurious apartment companies in the country. AMLI is traded on the NYSE. You think they're going to let their bldgs crumble?Its only been 4 years but for some reason I cant find the stock ticker on the NYSE for AMLI, nor can I find the AMLI Midtown apartment complex when driving down Bagby. Odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 nor can I find the AMLI Midtown apartment complex when driving down Bagby. Odd.i believe they sold that 2 yrs ago or so. there's a thread on haif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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