Ion District In Midtown

[Brooklyn173]

Some pix from today:

 

 

 

And like its namesake, the sign has fallen on hard times.

 

 

Edited February 8, 2020 by Brooklyn173

[Highrise Tower]

[HoustonIsHome]

I was among the why didn't they just tear the darn thing down and start from scratch crowd until I went past this building Friday and saw how opening the southern exposure let's in so much natural light.

 

It looks like a completely different building on that side but I understand now why it is so much of a frankenbuilding. Makes sense since the area across the street is open Park area for the foreseeable future to have that side opened up.

 

I'm itching to see construction start on other lots. 

[Highrise Tower]

[HoustonIsHome]

They should build out patios. That scaffolding makes the building look more interesting

[CaptainJilliams]

I tend to visit several different development forums outside of HAIF, one of which is for the city of Nashville. Now not to get too much into the details, their new mayor has been somewhat anti-development. Recent reports suggested that he may have scared off Microsoft from building a campus in the city. A trusted source from that page posted this information relating to Houston:

 

So I asked a colleague who is much closer to things in Nashville. Colleague said that Microsoft was scared away by Cooper's approach to Asurion. They are looking for an urban campus similar to Amazon. One place mentioned... they're looking at an area in Houston near the largest medical centers there. Their mayor is kicking butt with recruiting. 

 

If there's an ounce of truth in this report, my best guess would be they are looking at the Innovation District? Does that sound right? 

[Avossos]

1 hour ago, CaptainJilliams said:

I tend to visit several different development forums outside of HAIF, one of which is for the city of Nashville. Now not to get too much into the details, their new mayor has been somewhat anti-development. Recent reports suggested that he may have scared off Microsoft from building a campus in the city. A trusted source from that page posted this information relating to Houston:

 

So I asked a colleague who is much closer to things in Nashville. Colleague said that Microsoft was scared away by Cooper's approach to Asurion. They are looking for an urban campus similar to Amazon. One place mentioned... they're looking at an area in Houston near the largest medical centers there. Their mayor is kicking butt with recruiting. 

 

If there's an ounce of truth in this report, my best guess would be they are looking at the Innovation District? Does that sound right? 

 

Would be really epic if true.

[phillip_white]

3 hours ago, CaptainJilliams said:

I tend to visit several different development forums outside of HAIF, one of which is for the city of Nashville. Now not to get too much into the details, their new mayor has been somewhat anti-development. Recent reports suggested that he may have scared off Microsoft from building a campus in the city. A trusted source from that page posted this information relating to Houston:

 

So I asked a colleague who is much closer to things in Nashville. Colleague said that Microsoft was scared away by Cooper's approach to Asurion. They are looking for an urban campus similar to Amazon. One place mentioned... they're looking at an area in Houston near the largest medical centers there. Their mayor is kicking butt with recruiting. 

 

If there's an ounce of truth in this report, my best guess would be they are looking at the Innovation District? Does that sound right? 

 

Don't forget about the UT land that's for sale south of the Med Center.

 

[Luminare]

8 hours ago, CaptainJilliams said:

I tend to visit several different development forums outside of HAIF, one of which is for the city of Nashville. Now not to get too much into the details, their new mayor has been somewhat anti-development. Recent reports suggested that he may have scared off Microsoft from building a campus in the city. A trusted source from that page posted this information relating to Houston:

 

So I asked a colleague who is much closer to things in Nashville. Colleague said that Microsoft was scared away by Cooper's approach to Asurion. They are looking for an urban campus similar to Amazon. One place mentioned... they're looking at an area in Houston near the largest medical centers there. Their mayor is kicking butt with recruiting. 

 

If there's an ounce of truth in this report, my best guess would be they are looking at the Innovation District? Does that sound right? 

 

Now thats some juicy info. I'll be sure to have the popcorn ready if and when they make the announcement.

 

By the way, any way you could elaborate on these other forums? I'm genuinely interested in see what other cities got going on.

[CaptainJilliams]

36 minutes ago, Luminare said:

 

Now thats some juicy info. I'll be sure to have the popcorn ready if and when they make the announcement.

 

By the way, any way you could elaborate on these other forums? I'm genuinely interested in see what other cities got going on.

 

No problem, UrbanPlanet hosts numerous city forums, but not all are super active. I know for Texas only the Austin forum really posts anything.

 

As for Nashville, they do have a pretty active site. The link to their forum is below:

https://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/forum/250-nashville/ 

[BeerNut]

Rice University Students to Mayor Sylvester Turner: Community Benefits Agreements Are Nothing Without a Community

 

Quote

Because the process you proposed to President Wickerson does not include this community coalition, your proposed process does not align with best practices demonstrated by CBAs across the country and cannot truly be called a CBA. If the process you have proposed continues without the HCEDD at the table, it will only further Houston’s growth as a city of haves and have-nots.

 

umm ok

[Ross]

22 minutes ago, BeerNut said:

Rice University Students to Mayor Sylvester Turner: Community Benefits Agreements Are Nothing Without a Community

 

 

umm ok

Well, that's a giant load of codswallop. The students need to get back to studying, and stay out of topics where they are clueless. I'm oppositional enough to react to those demands by buying some more land and cranking up the bulldozers.

[BillyBreedlove]

3 hours ago, Luminare said:

 

Now thats some juicy info. I'll be sure to have the popcorn ready if and when they make the announcement.

 

By the way, any way you could elaborate on these other forums? I'm genuinely interested in see what other cities got going on.

The forums I have popped into are Oklahoma City (OKCTalk), Detroit (DetroitYes), Dallas (DallasMetropolis), and Fort Worth (FortWorthArchitecture). Then there are the Curbed.com sites for Atlanta, Boston, Austin, Chicago, Detroit, LA, New York and San Francisco. I didn't know about the Nashville one but I'll have to check it out. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...

Edited February 18, 2020 by BillyBreedlove

[Sellanious Caesar]

Microsoft’s already entered Houston with an accelerator at the Ion. This was announced way back in April 2019, Mayor Sylvester Turner was the driving force behind it. 
 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2019/04/17/microsoft-to-launch-accelerator-for-smart-city.amp.html

 

If you’re waiting for something else from them then I think it’s safe to say that it’ll lead to disappointment because I don’t think they have any additional expansion plans beyond this. 
 

Microsoft already has two offices in Houston besides the Ion. The first is near Memorial Park in Uptown Houston along I-610W. The other is inside City Centre along Beltway 8 West and I-10. 

Edited February 18, 2020 by Sellanious Caesar

[rechlin]

Finally it's going vertical!

 

[clutchcity94]

I don’t know if this has already been discussed, but does the South Baptist Church plan on staying in this location next to the Ion? That baseball field area next to the spur on-ramp seems like a complete waste of space.

Edited February 18, 2020 by clutchcity94

[gmac]

35 minutes ago, clutchcity94 said:

I don’t know if this has already been discussed, but does the South Baptist Church plan on staying in this location next to the Ion. That baseball field area next to the spur on-ramp seems like a complete waste of space.

 

Why would they move? They have been there for more than 100 years, IIRC. That grass field is a welcome respite from a sea of concrete. Sometimes it's nice for kids to have a safe, grassy place to run around.

[Texasota]

Yeah the baseball field seems fine. The massive surface parking on the other hand...

[corbs315]

 

12 minutes ago, gmac said:

 

Why would they move? They have been there for more than 100 years, IIRC. That grass field is a welcome respite from a sea of concrete. Sometimes it's nice for kids to have a safe, grassy place to run around.

 

This...as much as we complain about historical buildings being removed/replaced, why on earth would the church move?

I imagine the powers that be behind Ion may have thoughts about how they may be able to utilize the parking lot, and I'm sure the church has their thoughts about it as well.

[Luminare]

5 minutes ago, corbs315 said:

 

 

This...as much as we complain about historical buildings being removed/replaced, why on earth would the church move?

I imagine the powers that be behind Ion may have thoughts about how they may be able to utilize the parking lot, and I'm sure the church has their thoughts about it as well.

 

I've always had a hope that one day they would throw money at a really beautiful landmark cathedral. Just put it on that parking lot, and then you would have a great space in that entry area that is entirely pedestrian.

[clutchcity94]

I read in another thread in the Montrose forum that this part of the spur next to the church will be trenched underground. Is there any truth to that? That would essentially connect the Ion area to Montrose.

[HoustonIsHome]

@phillip_white didn't the Amazon crew called the NRG area a wasteland and too far from urban centers? 

 

I would think the Ion would be the spot if there is anything to the rumors. I wouldn't call the NRG area far from urban centers but the ion has downtown to the north, Eado to the North East, TSU/UH to the East, TMC/Rice to the South, and UK, Montrose, River Oaks, to the West and Washington Ave area to the North West. 

 

If true it would be nice if they pressured the city into building the blue line as PT was another weak link in Houston's bid. 

[Avossos]

MICROSOFT TO EAST RIVER !!????

 

That would be perfect...

[X.R.]

1 hour ago, clutchcity94 said:

I don’t know if this has already been discussed, but does the South Baptist Church plan on staying in this location next to the Ion. That baseball field area next to the spur on-ramp seems like a complete waste of space.

 

The head of Rice's endowment said the church isn't going anywhere and they have been giving input during the development process, if I remember correctly. It was either during a presentation or the looped in pod. He seemed pretty pleased with, and complimented, having the church there, saying they were one of the few things that hadn't abandoned that area.

 

@HoustonIsHome the nice thing about TMC3 is that it extends the urban landscape further toward NRG, so maybe in the future NRG won't be considered too far from much?

[clutchcity94]

Land values within a half mile radius of the Ion are going to skyrocket in due time. No wonder there are so many tear down 5,000 sq ft lots near Richmond Ave, just west of the spur, on sale with asking prices of $1M. 
 

Lots of that size in other parts of Montrose are asking half that.

Edited February 18, 2020 by clutchcity94

[BeerNut]

25 minutes ago, HoustonIsHome said:

If true it would be nice if they pressured the city into building the blue line as PT was another weak link in Houston's bid. 

 

Blue line(university line) is going be built using BRT.

 

1 hour ago, clutchcity94 said:

I don’t know if this has already been discussed, but does the South Baptist Church plan on staying in this location next to the Ion. That baseball field area next to the spur on-ramp seems like a complete waste of space.

 

South Baptist Church is in total support of the Ion.  They even went to the planning meeting in support of variances for the parking structure.  Of course people supporting the potential CBA attacked them saying they don't represent the community.

 

[HoustonIsHome]

I'm kinda hoping that there areas east ( Almeda area) gets revitalized. Not with towers, but an artsy, quirky neighborhood kinda like Montrose 20 years ago. Repurpose those old structures into stores and restaurants.
 

@BeerNut I'm taking about as originally planned. Lightrail instead of BRT

Edited February 18, 2020 by HoustonIsHome

[clutchcity94]

2 minutes ago, HoustonIsHome said:

I'm kinda hoping that there areas eat ( Almeda area) gets revitalized. Not with towers, but an artsy, quirky neighborhood kinda like Montrose 20 years ago. Repurpose those old structures into stores and restaurants.

I’m sure that’ll happen as well. 

[BeerNut]

4 minutes ago, HoustonIsHome said:

 

@BeerNut I'm taking about as originally planned. Lightrail instead of BRT

 

Yeah I don't think that will ever happen.  METRO plan is to extend current LRT and all new lines will be BRT because of the cost difference.

[X.R.]

 

 

Seems some people at Rice thought it would have been better where some of the startups already are/where other businesses are near Galleria and/or San Filipe.