Ion District In Midtown

[editor]

Thank you to @hindesky and others who are trying to keep this thread on topic.  Let's try to get back to that again.

(No, I'm not faultless here.  And I thank the people who called me out on it.  Sometimes I lapse into "Grumpy old man" mode.  We're all human.) 

[BEES?!]

I have an on-topic question. What sorts of greenspace is planned for ION? 

[samagon]

On 8/6/2022 at 5:32 PM, august948 said:

Exactly.  Some people like eating at Mai's and some like eating at good Vietnamese restaurants.

Mia's is great for that 3am experience, but overall, if you want good Vietnamese food, you go to Huynh over by the soccer stadium.

[004n063]

3 hours ago, samagon said:

Mia's is great for that 3am experience, but overall, if you want good Vietnamese food, you go to Huynh over by the soccer stadium.

Thiên Ân & Pho Saigon are also worth a shoutout.

 

Also, I personally love that the topic of this thread has now become Vietnamese food in and around Midtown. 

[clutchcity94]

12 minutes ago, 004n063 said:

Thiên Ân & Pho Saigon are also worth a shoutout.

 

Also, I personally love that the topic of this thread has now become Vietnamese food in and around Midtown. 

RIP Cafe #13 on Milam. They had the best shaking beef in the city before they abruptly closed.

[79ta]

On 8/7/2022 at 5:46 PM, BEES?! said:

I have an on-topic question. What sorts of greenspace is planned for ION? 

I'm sure there are better pictures out there but here's what I found. It looks like there's a plaza in the center.

 

You can see part of the plaza here

[BEES?!]

Thank you for that! Looks great

[samagon]

12 hours ago, 79ta said:

I'm sure there are better pictures out there but here's what I found. It looks like there's a plaza in the center.

 

You can see part of the plaza here

this second image, I think, is showing the intersection of Caroline and Wheeler, looking into downtown. so the greenspace we see is that of the expected cover for the intended below grade freeway.

from the top down it looks like the plaza is on Fannin halfway between Wheeler and Eagle.

as an aside, the width of that median still makes me salty that the bike path from Hermann Park up into midtown wasn't built on Caroline. so much ROW and they forced bikes onto a sharrow on Austin.

[august948]

22 hours ago, clutchcity94 said:

RIP Cafe #13 on Milam. They had the best shaking beef in the city before they abruptly closed.

Pictures from yelp show it served on a bed of french fries.  Did they really serve it that way?

[clutchcity94]

10 minutes ago, august948 said:

Pictures from yelp show it served on a bed of french fries.  Did they really serve it that way?

 Yes- it was delicious. Came with rice as well.

[004n063]

13 hours ago, samagon said:

this second image, I think, is showing the intersection of Caroline and Wheeler, looking into downtown. so the greenspace we see is that of the expected cover for the intended below grade freeway.

from the top down it looks like the plaza is on Fannin halfway between Wheeler and Eagle.

as an aside, the width of that median still makes me salty that the bike path from Hermann Park up into midtown wasn't built on Caroline. so much ROW and they forced bikes onto a sharrow on Austin.

Yeah, the fact that street redesigns don't automatically include proper bike lanes in 2022 is pretty infuriating. I live in Midtown and use the protected lane on Austin all the time...to go to Downtown.

 

Not really useful at all for intra-neighborhood trips apart from Retrospect.

[iah77]

11 hours ago, 004n063 said:

Yeah, the fact that street redesigns don't automatically include proper bike lanes in 2022 is pretty infuriating. I live in Midtown and use the protected lane on Austin all the time...to go to Downtown.

 

Not really useful at all for intra-neighborhood trips apart from Retrospect.

Maybe not everyone wants a bike lane on every street...? There are literally two walkable  streets with no car access on that design.

[004n063]

3 hours ago, iah77 said:

Maybe not everyone wants a bike lane on every street...? There are literally two walkable  streets with no car access on that design.

I didn't see any car-free streets; that helps some. But the point of a bike lane is access; if there is a street that is inaccessible by bike, that'a an accessibility issue. Right now Fannin, San Jacinto, Travis, Milam, and Smith are all extremely hostile to people on bikes, and Main isn't exactly ideal. That's a huge swath of Midtown with no north-south bike access. 

It's a pretty simple thing: if you can get somewhere by car, you should be able to get there (directly) by bike. 

[hindesky]

[Houston19514]

On 8/10/2022 at 11:44 AM, 004n063 said:

I didn't see any car-free streets; that helps some. But the point of a bike lane is access; if there is a street that is inaccessible by bike, that'a an accessibility issue. Right now Fannin, San Jacinto, Travis, Milam, and Smith are all extremely hostile to people on bikes, and Main isn't exactly ideal. That's a huge swath of Midtown with no north-south bike access. 

It's a pretty simple thing: if you can get somewhere by car, you should be able to get there (directly) by bike. 

FWIW, streets do not need to be car-free in order to be pedestrian-friendly or successful urban zones.  The history of car-free pedestrian malls in various downtowns across America suggests the opposite might even be true.

Edited August 12, 2022 by Houston19514

[Urbannizer]

https://realtynewsreport.com/medical-giant-joins-ion-innovation-district/

At the Ion, Houston Methodist will build out a space at the Ion modeled after Houston Methodist’s Center for Innovation Technology Hub in the Texas Medical Center.

Expected to open later this year, Methodist’s Tech Hub at the Ion will occupy a 1,200-SF space which will first be used for informational and educational programming, networking with fellow tenants and entrepreneurs, and participating in on-site mentoring and pitch competitions.

[arche_757]

Was expecting a big non-Houston company to be a part of that announcement.  Typical click-bait headline.

[mattyt36]

19 hours ago, arche_757 said:

Was expecting a big non-Houston company to be a part of that announcement.  Typical click-bait headline.

Only 1,200 sf, too, the size of a 2-bedroom apartment.  Sounds like they're building out a glorified conference room.

Edited August 13, 2022 by mattyt36

[arche_757]

Hardly worthy of an announcement.  Guess things are slow if this is news worthy for Ion.

[august948]

13 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

Only 1,200 sf, too, the size of a 2-bedroom apartment.  Sounds like they're building out a glorified conference room.

This is how big companies sideline someone who's annoying but too high up to fire outright.  Corporate equivalent of Siberia.  😜

[hindesky]

[kennyc05]

I might be in the minority but I drove by this thing the other day and it has a huge presence but in a good way! I think it's a great addition to that part of Midtown. At least it has ground floor retail and it fills up a neighborhood block. And looking at the concept it there will be some great things to fill the other blocks around it.

[004n063]

3 hours ago, kennyc05 said:

I might be in the minority but I drove by this thing the other day and it has a huge presence but in a good way! I think it's a great addition to that part of Midtown. At least it has ground floor retail and it fills up a neighborhood block. And looking at the concept it there will be some great things to fill the other blocks around it.

You're not in the minority. On the whole, it's a good development, even with the parking cathedral.

 

I just hope the district generates enough vitality to convince the city to de-highway-ify Fannin and San Jacinto...

[Amlaham]

Isn't there going to be a live wall on the garage? (garden on the sides of the garage)

[X.R.]

17 minutes ago, Amlaham said:

Isn't there going to be a live wall on the garage? (garden on the sides of the garage)

Its on all sides, I thought, based on the renderings. That's what I assumed the small holes were for.

Re: Methodist joining the Ion, two things. First, I think its what we'll see from the giants around town. Pick up a small footprint there so you can tap in when you want to and its a selling point for attracting fellows, new employees, and such. Second, to me its noteworthy in the fact that it shows there will be some synergy between what TMC is trying to build and the Ion. TMC has been so closed off to the commercial, entrepreneurial side of things for so long that its kind of big that Methodist is beginning to engage this way.

Edited August 16, 2022 by X.R.

[Amlaham]

More about Houston Methodist opening a "health care innovation hub" at the Ion 

https://communityimpact.com/houston/bellaire-meyerland-west-university/health-care/2022/08/15/houston-methodist-to-open-health-care-innovation-hub-at-ion-facility-in-midtown/

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by Amlaham

[corbs315]

On 5/19/2022 at 9:25 PM, aachor said:

In my opinion, the yellow turd building has suffered a lot of what I really hate about EIFS stucco. It's just not long-term durable. It seems prone to moisture issues and staining. It looks great for about 5-8 years, and then after that it just looks cheap and tired.

Also, bold colored paint and stucco will bleach in the Texas sun. Unless you're planning on repainting every five years, neutral colors will go farther before it starts looking dingy.

I'm happy to see new paint on the place. I hope they're using a good sealer undercoat on that, otherwise that moisture staining will just bleed through. 

Not to bring this building back up, but they're now painting the roof tiles dark green.

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

[BEES?!]

Man that looks so nice. What an improvement.

[hindesky]

[IntheKnowHouston]

Are there plans for a food hall at the Ion or part of the Ion District? Or were there plans for one? 

Last year, I saw a mention of one. Company of Nomads (or Nomadic Hospitality) listed food hall Norcity as one of their investment projects. Conservatory, Bravery (Bravery Chef Hall), and Railway Heights Market (at Railway Heights) are Company of Nomads (or Nomadic Hospitality)'s food hall concepts in Houston. 

Plans for the food hall at the Ion consist of constructing it from repurposed shipping containers. Nomadic's website seems to indicate there is/was a letter of intent to lease executed. But I'm not for certain when this was included to the website.


What's shown on Nomadic OZ's website:
 

• Norcity (Norcity Container Hall / Norcity Food Hall)
  
  Set to open in late 2022 at the Ion Innovation District with the Rice Endowment, Norcity is taking our market hall model and putting it in a sustainable development using modular container like structures. 
  
  Site: Ion Innovation District Houston, TX 
  Status: LOI Executed 
  Size: 50,000+ sf lot 
  OZ: Y 
  Food Hall Type: Container Hall 
  Project Cost: 12 M 
  Funding Needed: 1.2 M 
  
  
  https://www.nomadicoz.com/

Another mention of Norcity Container Hall on this page:
https://www.nomadicoz.com/strategy

 

A photo of Dock 45 in India is shown on the site as a design inspiration for the look Norcity is possibly aiming for.




 

Edited August 23, 2022 by IntheKnowHouston

[hindesky]

[houstontexasjack]

On 8/23/2022 at 7:23 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

Are there plans for a food hall at the Ion or part of the Ion District? Or were there plans for one? 

I saw signage for Norcity in the Ion format when driving down Fannin today. It’s the northernmost lot in the district, across the street to the north of Fannin Square. Supposed to be a solar-powered food park per the signage.

I’ll try to grab a photo on a less rainy day.

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 8/29/2022 at 5:15 PM, houstontexasjack said:

I saw signage for Norcity in the Ion format when driving down Fannin today. It’s the northernmost lot in the district, across the street to the north of Fannin Square. Supposed to be a solar-powered food park per the signage.

I’ll try to grab a photo on a less rainy day.

Neat! Thanks for confirming!  So, this is part of the outdoor area? Or will it be part of the Sears Civic Plaza/ Central Plaza or Ion Plaza?

The design and layout for the former Conservatory location downtown and their Railway Heights Market at Railway Heights have not disappointed. So, I'm looking forward to viewing proposed renderings for Norcity Container Hall whenever it becomes available. 

From the description on the Nomad Opportunity Zone site, Norcity Container Hall sounds like it will be similar to Company of Nomads' Railway Heights Market than Conservatory. 

Edited September 6, 2022 by IntheKnowHouston

[houstontexasjack]

3 hours ago, IntheKnowHouston said:

Neat! Thanks for confirming!  So, this is part of the outdoor area? Or will it be part of the Sears Civic Plaza/ Central Plaza or Ion Plaza?

The design and layout for the former Conservatory location downtown and their Railway Heights Market at Railway Heights have not disappointed. So, I'm looking forward to viewing proposed renderings for Norcity Container Hall whenever it becomes available. 

From the description on the Nomad Opportunity Zone site, Norcity Container Hall sounds like it will be similar to Company of Nomads' Railway Heights Market than Conservatory. 

The part of the site marked “A”—“outdoor activation coming soon.”

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 2/11/2021 at 12:31 PM, JBTX said:

Getting some snacks here too.

https://houston.eater.com/2021/2/11/22278424/ion-midtown-sears-building-late-august-stuffd-wings-common-bond-opening

 

On 2/11/2021 at 7:14 PM, hindesky said:

The Ion announces three restaurants
for its Midtown innovation hub

Black-owned Late August and Stuff'd Wings will be among the culinary offerings at The Ion and its innovation district campus

 

 

Black chefs and operators will figure prominently in culinary offerings planned for The Ion and the innovation district redevelopment of the former Sears in Midtown.
 

The Ion announced three restaurant projects Thursday, including Late August, a new concept from chefs Chris Williams of Lucille’s and his James Beard Award semifinalist partner chef Dawn Burrell, and a brick-and-mortar location for Third Ward food truck Stuff’d Wings. Both are Black-owned businesses.

Late August, one of the culinary and lifestyle projects under the recently launched Lucille’s Hospitality Group, will feature an Afro-Asian menu from Burrell, serving lunch, dinner and brunch. The restaurant’s name is inspired by Sears whose catalog was traditionally released in late August prior to the holiday shopping season.

 

https://preview.houstonchronicle.com/dining/the-ion-announces-three-restaurants-for-its-15943377

When Late August was announced last year, a rendering for the restaurant was included in the reports. However, I don't see it posted in the forum:







Below is another rendering of Late August that hasn't been included in articles or on Late August's social media. This is from Prism Renderings. It's also included on Late August's recently launched website.

Late August is opening later this year in the Ion at 4201 Main St, Ste 120.


https://www.prismrenderings.com/projects/late-august/

http://lateaugusthtx.com/

[IntheKnowHouston]

  

On 8/29/2022 at 9:21 PM, houstontexasjack said:

The part of the site marked “A”—“outdoor activation coming soon.”

Thanks! I thought so, but wasn't 100% for sure.


So, it looks like the address for Norcity (Norcity Container Hall / Norcity Food Hall) is 4001 Main St. The lot's square footage is 51,924 sf, which lines up with what's listed on Nomads' website.

Norcity's site is bounded by Main Street, Isabella Street, Fannin Street, and Cleburne Street. It's a block over from the Ion District parking garage and street retail coming soon to Fannin and Eagle.


I added Norcity to the Ion District retail map for a visual.















Main & Cleburne



Main & Isabella



Isabella & Fannin



Fannin & Cleburne

Edited August 31, 2022 by IntheKnowHouston

[MrFubbles]

I haven't read much on this little park over 59, is this assuming the NHHIP re-routing plans go through?

[houstontexasjack]

9 hours ago, MrFubbles said:

I haven't read much on this little park over 59, is this assuming the NHHIP re-routing plans go through?

Yes. Caps planned over portions of 69 (which is a “nice” term for the freeway).

Also, Norcity has a primitive website for this food park:

https://www.norcity.io

[IntheKnowHouston]

3 hours ago, houstontexasjack said:

Also, Norcity has a primitive website for this food park:

https://www.norcity.io

Great find! Thanks!

This is in the metadata on Norcity's website:

Norcity | Solar Powered Food Park at the Ion | Houston


The modular containers shown on the site are from some place else. Maybe once the site is completed, there will be a mock up or two. 

Thanks again for sharing this. And when you can, could you please snap a photo of the signage you saw the other day? 
 

[houstontexasjack]

Norcity signage photos:

[Luminare]

"Solar-powered Food Park" haha. Okay I've heard it all now.

[houstontexasjack]

1 hour ago, Luminare said:

"Solar-powered Food Park" haha. Okay I've heard it all now.

We used to call that a “farm.”

[hindesky]

I'm guessing solar powered storage batteries to be used during night time operations.

[phillip_white]

1 hour ago, hindesky said:

I'm guessing solar powered storage batteries to be used during night time operations.

Most food trucks run generators for electricity, so ideally the solar panels and batteries would be sufficient for a majority of their daily power consumption. 

[BigFootsSocks]

15 hours ago, phillip_white said:

Most food trucks run generators for electricity, so ideally the solar panels and batteries would be sufficient for a majority of their daily power consumption. 

Exactly, it's a cool idea and kind of captures the spirit of what the Ion District is supposed to be; innovation.

[IntheKnowHouston]

Thanks @houstontexasjack!  I appreciate your efforts. 

[toxtethogrady]

"A greener way to power your plate". Got to leave it to the creative minds in the advertising biz to come up with that...😆

[hindesky]