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North Main

citykid09

By citykid09
in General Houston Discussions

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Houstonian in Iraq

Houstonian in Iraq

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Who really cares about north main (the area north of UHD). It's been like that for along time and will remain like that well after light rail. What i'm saying is getting that area out of it's current state is a long shot. I would like to see people just focus on one area. The future of development is south of this point mainly Main street focus on this, then other parts of downtown(theater district, southDT, east DT) then everything else well fall into place. If our focus is on way to many fronts and every development project is miles away from each other then nothing will get done.

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RedScare

RedScare

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Well, other than the fact that these residents and business owners on N Main are taxpayers too, and so deserve some revitalization as well, there are other good reasons to develop that area.

The city and Metro seem to agree that when the streets are torn up to put in rail, it doesn't cost too much to make it look nice when they are done. Also, if an area gets rail AND a makeover, it attracts new development, and therefore, usage of the rail line.

Revitalizing North Main could be a huge lift, not just for Northside residents, but the entire city. It would have a decidedly Latino flavor, with shops and restaurants, but also would reinvigorate the Farmers Market.

Besides, Metro and Houston are almost finished with their share of downtown. It is up to everyone else, now to do their thing. I hope they jazz up N Main soon.

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Houstonian in Iraq

Houstonian in Iraq

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Well, other than the fact that these residents and business owners on N Main are taxpayers too, and so deserve some revitalization as well, there are other good reasons to develop that area. 

The city and Metro seem to agree that when the streets are torn up to put in rail, it doesn't cost too much to make it look nice when they are done.  Also, if an area gets rail AND a makeover, it attracts new development, and therefore, usage of the rail line.

Revitalizing North Main could be a huge lift, not just for Northside residents, but the entire city.  It would have a decidedly Latino flavor, with shops and restaurants, but also would reinvigorate the Farmers Market.

Besides, Metro and Houston are almost finished with their share of downtown.  It is up to everyone else, now to do their thing.  I hope they jazz up N Main soon.

I wouldn't go that far as to say that the rail will do that much for the city in this area. Yes there will be some revitalzation and that's always good, what i'm saying is at this point in time the city needs a center point to focus on. Yes metro has done it's part with downtown and it's up to business and the rest of the city to do the rest.

As far as a jazzed up Latino flavored area try a little further North, east of Northline Mall west of the Hardy tollroad North of the loop. Seen changes there over the years which are continuing regardless of rail there.

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jm1fd

jm1fd

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Revitalizing North Main could be a huge lift, not just for Northside residents, but the entire city.  It would have a decidedly Latino flavor, with shops and restaurants, but also would reinvigorate the Farmers Market.

I'm thinking it wouldn't have a latino flavor....take Rice Military....the only latino flavor left over here is all the mexicans down by the railroad tracks at Shepherd, and el Rey.

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Guest danax

Guest danax

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I'm thinking it wouldn't have a latino flavor....take Rice Military....the only latino flavor left over here is all the mexicans down by the railroad tracks at Shepherd, and el Rey.

Yeah, I don't think there are any plans to create an upgraded Latin ambiance over there. The East end, perhaps. I was at a housing meeting where they mentioned doing Harrisburg sort of Latin style.

North Main is our big diamond in the rough. It's probably ok just as it is to many who live there now but it's just too nice a location to hold off major redevelopment forever. It's kind of like a Hispanic version of Third Ward except with more potential due to 1) better views/closer to DT 2) better existing housing stock. Not in terms of condition but style. Most of those Victorians will probably be lost but hopefully, some will be saved and restored so the area can eventually blend new with old. 3) Small hills and small creeks for beauty and variation. 4) It's cloistered location. The 45, Hardy, Rail Yard/Bayou, and DT all surround it to give it a geographic separate identity.

The place is just ripe with potential.

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VicMan

VicMan

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Immediately adjacent to Bellaire on Gulfton/Chimney Rock and Bissonnet are some low income areas...maybe they're not IN Bellaire, but they're right there.

They are right there, but they aren't in Bellaire. Bellaire, which has very high property values, is right next door to some really poor areas..

The school zoning boundaries of HISD reflect this (e.g. the parts of Bellaire next door to Cunningham Elementary are zoned to Condit Elementary instead).

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N Judah

N Judah

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Why anyone would want to live on top of I-10 is beyond me.

But they do it in Seattle, so what the heck.

good question. for some reason a lot of the development in houston fronts freeways like they're rivers. there's a development at i-10 around studemont that runs right up to the freeway, that building at 610 and 59 that almost seems designed to maximize freeway views, and then there are all those buildings sort of near u of h (right by that big bayou) that press right up to the roadway. there was an article about this in that houston city planning/architecture journal (i can't remember the name). it seems that in the absence of any natural scenery people in houston end up preferring freeway views. pretty funny, i think.

In Seattle they don't really have much of a choice -- they build what they can on limited space. Not to mention a lot of the houses on the hills near the freeway also have views of puget sound...

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The Great Hizzy!

The Great Hizzy!

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You know, I was on North Main this past Sunday heading to the Heights, and it dawned on me that the Hardy Yard development, if/when it begins picking up steam could do some real wonders for the corridor. The good news is that there isn't that much that needs to be done. Sidewalks are plentiful, the street is essentiallly going to be repaved as part of the rail extension to the Intermodal Center and there is already new housing (both hip and affordable) being built on either side (for those of you who don't know, some new housing is under way on the western side of N. Main, about a block away--looks like affordable housing but housing nonetheless.

The biggest problem right now are the lower end retailers who are merely renting their properties and aren't as diligent about picking up trash and debris from the gutters fronting their properties.

But repaving the street could by itself improve the look of this stretch of roadway.

BTW, they tore down an old warehouse that used to sit there forever on the right heading northbound at about Burnett. Looks like the lot could make for a nice new retail center or some new townhomes.

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arche_757

arche_757

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That rendering looks like a community college campus. Who would want to live there?

See thats the problem with Houston ----------- LACK of VISION!

End of story - we better hurry up and resurect all of Houston visionaries circa 1920-1950.

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sevfiv

sevfiv

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That rendering looks like a community college campus.  Who would want to live there?

See thats the problem with Houston ----------- LACK of VISION!

End of story - we better hurry up and resurect all of Houston visionaries circa 1920-1950.

amen

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houstonfella

houstonfella

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That rendering looks like a community college campus.  Who would want to live there?

See thats the problem with Houston ----------- LACK of VISION!

End of story - we better hurry up and resurect all of Houston visionaries circa 1920-1950.

Houston has a "lack of vision"????

The Astrodome

The Galleria

Johnson Space Center

I cannot agree at all on the vision thing. Houston has dared to go where other cities have not. They all copy us now. Superdome Georgia Dome Metrodome Dallas Galleria.... and the list goes on.....

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ssullivan

ssullivan

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Dallas Galleria?  Wasn't that just the Houston Developer using his vision on Dallas?  I think it was the same developer.  (Hines?)

Yes, Hines developed the Dallas Galleria as well as the Houston Galleria. He was trying to replicate his success here in Dallas, but the Houston mall has always been more successful.

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Guest danax

Guest danax

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First things first..."The Northside" needs a new name..."North Main District"

Ok, now we can make it better! The location is amazing!

That would work but I like the "Near Northside Village", which I've seen a few times or just Near North (NeNo?) . The place has sort of a village feel to me as it's kind of cloistered by the 45 and Hardy/Elysian, which will probably end up as the Hardy Tollroad extension, and with a real Main Street running through it.

The location is amazing and it's been hammered about as low as it can go so it's ready for rebirth for sure.

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