RedScare Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 (edited) The city requires 8 spaces per 1000 square feet? That's absolutely insane. Is it a flat requirment or does it differ depending on type of business?That is for restaurants. It varies for others, most being much less than restaurants.http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientID=10123&stateID=43&statename=TexasSee Chapter 26, Article VIII. Edited June 22, 2011 by RedScare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Thank you; I'm strangely tempted to memorize that site. Overall parking requirements do seem somewhat...excessive across the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I can hear the developers running down to the City to plat their land before this ordinance is passed:http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/DevelopRegs/hidensity/index.htmlI think this is a great idea that will finally get developers of multi story buildings out of residential neighborhoods and into areas that could really benefit from density. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I can hear the developers running down to the City to plat their land before this ordinance is passed:http://www.houstontx...sity/index.htmlI think this is a great idea that will finally get developers of multi story buildings out of residential neighborhoods and into areas that could really benefit from density.of course you think this is a good idea, you get to tell other people what to do purely from your own thoughts. I think it is a terrible idea. I'm fine with having something like this possible... but requirement should be the neighbhorhood apply for it with a majority of homeowners approval. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I can hear the developers running down to the City to plat their land before this ordinance is passed:http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/DevelopRegs/hidensity/index.htmlI think this is a great idea that will finally get developers of multi story buildings out of residential neighborhoods and into areas that could really benefit from density.Why did you post that draft ordinance in this thread? It would not apply to this building, even if the ordinance was already in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Why did you post that draft ordinance in this thread? It would not apply to this building, even if the ordinance was already in place.Sure it would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Sure it would.Nope. The proposed ordinance does not apply to buildings less than 75 feet tall. You should read it a little closer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Nope. The proposed ordinance does not apply to buildings less than 75 feet tall. You should read it a little closer.Red, this building is more than 75ft tall..... emotionally. lol after all it blocks all of north norhilll of their evening sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanith27 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Isn't an average "floor" approx 12 to 15ft in height including all the space between floors? Six stories plus rooftop amenities seems like it will exceed 75ft..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 There's probably a rule about casting shadows over old homes in that historic ordinance somewhere. They covered everything else.Isn't an average "floor" approx 12 to 15ft in height including all the space between floors? Six stories plus rooftop amenities seems like it will exceed 75ft.....Sure, if you say so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOpens Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Isn't an average "floor" approx 12 to 15ft in height including all the space between floors? Six stories plus rooftop amenities seems like it will exceed 75ft.....Unless they have folks camping out on the rooftop (!), those rooftop amenities would not count. The draft ordinance states: "For purposes of this division, the height of a structure shall be measured from grade to the finished floor of the tallest habitable floor or the tallest parking floor of a parking garage." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOpens Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Unless they have folks camping out on the rooftop (!), those rooftop amenities would not count. The draft ordinance states: "For purposes of this division, the height of a structure shall be measured from grade to the finished floor of the tallest habitable floor or the tallest parking floor of a parking garage."Fyi - See section 10-317 of the City of Houston ordinances. "Habitable" means a room or other interior space lawfully occupied for living, sleeping, eating or cooking. Bathrooms, toilet rooms, closets, halls, storage rooms, and utility rooms are not habitable spaces. What if you built a 100-foot building - 2 levels of retail, 4 levels of condos (all averaging 12 feet, giving you 72 feet), and then tacked on 2 levels of storage units, each at 14 feet? Loophole... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Fyi - See section 10-317 of the City of Houston ordinances. "Habitable" means a room or other interior space lawfully occupied for living, sleeping, eating or cooking. Bathrooms, toilet rooms, closets, halls, storage rooms, and utility rooms are not habitable spaces. What if you built a 100-foot building - 2 levels of retail, 4 levels of condos (all averaging 12 feet, giving you 72 feet), and then tacked on 2 levels of storage units, each at 14 feet? Loophole...Hmm...a condo/retail with self storage on top?Man, I wonder what business plan would work for THAT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOpens Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) Man, I wonder what business plan would work for THAT!Yeah, not sure I would want to live there. But the more I think about, the fine folks at City Hall might need to go back to the drawing board on this one. The reference I gave earlier was to the city charter, not the city ordinances. The ordinances do not include a definition of habitable, presumably because the city is bound by the definition in the charter. With that said, and given the charter's definition of habitable, this draft ordinance does not appear to have the teeth to do anything to stop someone from building a "large" office tower. A 15-story office tower (5 levels for parking, assuming average height keeps those under 75 feet + 10 levels for offices) would not run afoul of this draft ordinance. I guess an easy fix would be to use some other measure instead of "habitable," but maybe I am missing something...With all of that said, and notwithstanding any appearance that my posts could be interpreted as wanting the City to move forward on this, I should be clear - I do not support this at all.Apologies for diverting us from the topic of this thread. Edited July 11, 2011 by MOpens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) There is probably something that defines office or retail space as "habitable" if it meets code, but I'm not going to look for it.To make this ordinance applicable to this thread, I already noted that this building would not even be subject to the proposed ordinance, since it maxes out at under 75 feet. However, for fun, I thought I would see what size building I could put on this lot. Obviously, a 75 footer (really more like 85 footer, since the top floor can be at 75 feet) would fit onto this 200 foot deep lot, but what if the developer bought one crummy house next door, they get the 50 foot buffer they need. Then they could build a 60 parking garage with a pool on top in the next 50 feet. They could even build a 15 foot tall clubhouse in the last 20 feet of the pool deck if they wanted. Then the remaining 150 feet of space would be available for the 80 story condo with SPECTACULAr views of downtown!I know, I know, who would build a 150 foot deep condo tower. I know I wouldn't. It only needs to be 100 feet deep. In that case, we don't even need the dumpy bungalow next door. The parking garage and pool would go in the 50 foot space next to the 50 foot buffer, and the condo tower would rise 80 glorious floors along the Studewood frontage.I can't wait!(Note: There is a street on 2 sides of the lot, and a commercial establishment on a 3rd, leaving only the back of the lot subject to the ordinance.) Edited July 11, 2011 by RedScare 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I can hear the developers running down to the City to plat their land before this ordinance is passed:http://www.houstontx...sity/index.htmlI think this is a great idea that will finally get developers of multi story buildings out of residential neighborhoods and into areas that could really benefit from density.you know, I was thinking about this. and I have to say I am shocked you would like it.you know what this is going to mean right?you have this fairy tail vision of developers buying 3 or 4 lots to build a tower and that this ordinance will deny them, but all that's going to happen is that this is going to make them just buy 5 or 6 lots, so instead of 3 or 4 bungalows being destroyed in the name of blocking the sunset, there are going to be 6 or so bungalows that are turned into splinters so that some big bad developer can come in and ruin your garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 This is in keeping with Mayor Parker's goal of limiting density within the City of Houston. I do not pretend to have any idea what her thought process is regarding low density, only that she is openly antagonistic to increased density. But, you are correct that the ordinance will simply cause more residences to be bought up for towers, or, as stated earlier, simply cause bad architecture in an effort to fit within the restrictions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 you know, I was thinking about this. and I have to say I am shocked you would like it.you know what this is going to mean right?you have this fairy tail vision of developers buying 3 or 4 lots to build a tower and that this ordinance will deny them, but all that's going to happen is that this is going to make them just buy 5 or 6 lots, so instead of 3 or 4 bungalows being destroyed in the name of blocking the sunset, there are going to be 6 or so bungalows that are turned into splinters so that some big bad developer can come in and ruin your garden.If you are going to revive a thread that everyone else has let go, at least read what I actually have been arguing and stop making straw arguments for me. I never argued that this would prevent developers from buying up bungalows in the Heights to build towers. The reason I never made that argument is that it isn't happening and isn't going to happen. The problem is developers buying up old apartment complexes (like Ashby) or old commercial lots (like 11 1/2 studewood) and building up on them. There are a number of old apartment complexes and industrial buildings in the Heights that could potentially be a site for a 6+ story building. And there are larger industrial lots on the outer edges of the Heights that could be a site for anything a developer could imagine. The ordinance could make a difference in the former as the buffer requirement would make it very difficult to take an existing site and turn it into an 11 1/2 studewood. The odds of a developer being able to buy up five or six contiguous lots anywhere in the Heights is beyond remote. In fact, it would be exceptionally rare for a developer owning a large lot to be able to buy up an adjoining lot or two in order to meet the buffer requirement. And even if there were such developers out there, if the moon is blue and there are six bungalows available for sale, what right now is keeping them from buying all six instead of just four? At least with the new ordinance, they would have to give up a pound of flesh in the form of a buffer to mitigate impact on the neighborhood in order to stick a condo building in a single family neighborhood. It is a good ordinance. It isn't perfect. If someone has platted, their rights have vested. People can build 74 feet wherever they want. There are potential lots for building up that do not meet the abutting requirment but are still close enough have an adverse impact on homeowners. But this is a good step from an administration that is pretty cozy with developers and engineers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 But this is a good step from an administration that is pretty cozy with developers and engineers.Government officials who are cozy with developers and engineers do not propose crappy ordinances such as this one, and they certainly do not ram historic districts through against the will of the majority. Allowing a Walmart on the site of an old steel mill that she was powerless to stop is the only coziness this mayor has shown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) If you are going to revive a thread that everyone else has let go, at least read what I actually have been arguing and stop making straw arguments for me. I never argued that this would prevent developers from buying up bungalows in the Heights to build towers. The reason I never made that argument is that it isn't happening and isn't going to happen. The problem is developers buying up old apartment complexes (like Ashby) or old commercial lots (like 11 1/2 studewood) and building up on them. There are a number of old apartment complexes and industrial buildings in the Heights that could potentially be a site for a 6+ story building. And there are larger industrial lots on the outer edges of the Heights that could be a site for anything a developer could imagine. The ordinance could make a difference in the former as the buffer requirement would make it very difficult to take an existing site and turn it into an 11 1/2 studewood. The odds of a developer being able to buy up five or six contiguous lots anywhere in the Heights is beyond remote. In fact, it would be exceptionally rare for a developer owning a large lot to be able to buy up an adjoining lot or two in order to meet the buffer requirement. And even if there were such developers out there, if the moon is blue and there are six bungalows available for sale, what right now is keeping them from buying all six instead of just four? At least with the new ordinance, they would have to give up a pound of flesh in the form of a buffer to mitigate impact on the neighborhood in order to stick a condo building in a single family neighborhood. It is a good ordinance. It isn't perfect. If someone has platted, their rights have vested. People can build 74 feet wherever they want. There are potential lots for building up that do not meet the abutting requirment but are still close enough have an adverse impact on homeowners. But this is a good step from an administration that is pretty cozy with developers and engineers.yeah, I don't think you quite understand.this doesn't do anything to stop anyone. actually, it gives them more right to say 'we're following code'.take the construction on 11.5, all they have to do is buy that little house next door to the site and level it. then sell it to starbucks. you think they would care about having to buy up just that one piece of property? you think the owner would hold out to selling, just because they have a moral obligation to the neighborhood? That moral obligation probably went out the window when their neighbors started taking pictures of their house to try and stop them from painting the front door.here's an even more sinister thought, these restrictions are only in place when there is a residence touching the boundary at the time of getting a permit. so they buy the house next door, razz it, get their permit free and clear of any residence (as it is a vacant lot next door), and then put in a mcmansion, or some mctownhomes. sell.I mean, if the land around it is vacant land, it can't be residential, and if someone comes in later and builds a row of 3 townhomes, they can't go back and pull the permit after the place is built. I don't think you're thinking this through... Edited August 1, 2011 by samagon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 yeah, I don't think you quite understand.this doesn't do anything to stop anyone. actually, it gives them more right to say 'we're following code'.take the construction on 11.5, all they have to do is buy that little house next door to the site and level it. then sell it to starbucks. you think they would care about having to buy up just that one piece of property? you think the owner would hold out to selling, just because they have a moral obligation to the neighborhood? That moral obligation probably went out the window when their neighbors started taking pictures of their house to try and stop them from painting the front door.here's an even more sinister thought, these restrictions are only in place when there is a residence touching the boundary at the time of getting a permit. so they buy the house next door, razz it, get their permit free and clear of any residence (as it is a vacant lot next door), and then put in a mcmansion, or some mctownhomes. sell.I mean, if the land around it is vacant land, it can't be residential, and if someone comes in later and builds a row of 3 townhomes, they can't go back and pull the permit after the place is built. I don't think you're thinking this through...If you think it is easy to just buy someone out, you are not thinking things through. There are many examples in the Heights and elsewhere in Houston of people going to their grave before selling for a huge wad of cash to a developer. And you are not considering the parking ordinance (starbucks on a 5000 or 6600 sq ft lot?), the minimum lot size (row of 3 townhomes?) and historic ordinance (raze a bungalow for the buffer zone?). Developers follow the path of least resistance. They are not going to go through all the trouble to try to buy someone out and run the risk of having a demo permit denied. Instead, they will have to build under 75 feet or find an appropriate tract of land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 If you think it is easy to just buy someone out, you are not thinking things through. There are many examples in the Heights and elsewhere in Houston of people going to their grave before selling for a huge wad of cash to a developer. And you are not considering the parking ordinance (starbucks on a 5000 or 6600 sq ft lot?), the minimum lot size (row of 3 townhomes?) and historic ordinance (raze a bungalow for the buffer zone?). Developers follow the path of least resistance. They are not going to go through all the trouble to try to buy someone out and run the risk of having a demo permit denied. Instead, they will have to build under 75 feet or find an appropriate tract of land.If you say so.I'd have a tough time not selling out if I were in such a hostile environment that my neighbors were taking pictures of my house to try and ensure I didn't do what I wanted to it. I guess some people don't mind that though.I think the HD provision is for what you can do to the land after you demo for a specific period of time. so they can bulldoze whatever they want, they just can't do anything with the land for like 2 years. The land doesn't have to do anything, it just has to buffer.As far as Starbucks, that was just a guess, but Houston doesn't have a minimum lot size any longer, there may be areas of the city that do, but those are block by block, as I understand it.That doesn't stop them from buying the land, cratering the old bungalow, building their monster 10 story sky scraper as they are now within the variance, and then selling the land in 2 years to whoever for whatever purpose.Yeah, it certainly sounds like a lot more trouble, but I guess developers will do what they have to, in order to make things that people want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 If you think it is easy to just buy someone out, you are not thinking things through. There are many examples in the Heights and elsewhere in Houston of people going to their grave before selling for a huge wad of cash to a developer. And you are not considering the parking ordinance (starbucks on a 5000 or 6600 sq ft lot?), the minimum lot size (row of 3 townhomes?) and historic ordinance (raze a bungalow for the buffer zone?). Developers follow the path of least resistance. They are not going to go through all the trouble to try to buy someone out and run the risk of having a demo permit denied. Instead, they will have to build under 75 feet or find an appropriate tract of land.Like Ainbinder? Like Ashby hihrise? Yeah, deveopers constantly give in at the slightest hint of resistance.Of the 4700 homeowners in the Heights, I would put the percentage who would "go to their graves" before selling out at the right price at somewhere in the neighborhood of 1-2%. Even those people who supported the historic ordinance are intelligent enough to know that selling at a premium allows them to buy another house in the Heights and improve it. And, it wouldn't take much of a premium to get them to sell, either. As little as $50,000 would get 95% of the sellers. $100,000 would get all but a dozen or so. And, ANYONE with a house next door to a large developable lot knows that something will be built there eventually, and would gladly sell at a premium in order to buy a better property deeper in the neighborhood.Once again, s3mh lives in her own alternate reality. While she would never admit it here, even SHE would sell that dump she lives in at the right price. All of us would, and there isn't a thing wrong with it. There is nothing historic or sentimental about her home. She has only owned it for a year. It isn't the family ranch deeded to her family by the Spanish. Neither is mine. For the right price, both she and I would be gone. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Like Ainbinder? Like Ashby hihrise? Yeah, deveopers constantly give in at the slightest hint of resistance.Of the 4700 homeowners in the Heights, I would put the percentage who would "go to their graves" before selling out at the right price at somewhere in the neighborhood of 1-2%. Even those people who supported the historic ordinance are intelligent enough to know that selling at a premium allows them to buy another house in the Heights and improve it. And, it wouldn't take much of a premium to get them to sell, either. As little as $50,000 would get 95% of the sellers. $100,000 would get all but a dozen or so. And, ANYONE with a house next door to a large developable lot knows that something will be built there eventually, and would gladly sell at a premium in order to buy a better property deeper in the neighborhood.Once again, s3mh lives in her own alternate reality. While she would never admit it here, even SHE would sell that dump she lives in at the right price. All of us would, and there isn't a thing wrong with it. There is nothing historic or sentimental about her home. She has only owned it for a year. It isn't the family ranch deeded to her family by the Spanish. Neither is mine. For the right price, both she and I would be gone.If you think buyouts are that easy, you are living in an alternate reality. I have been involved in an attempted buyout. Someone walked away from over a $200k premium on about $450k worth of property just to be able to live out their last days in the family home. They even looked at million dollar homes around Rice and River Oaks and chose their cruddy home instead. And then you get people who will hold out for a ridiculous sum of money. Someone made a fortune being the last one to sell out to the Greenway developer. Relying on a buyout is a huge risk for a developer. And it is an even bigger risk in the Heights where land values are already very high and many homes are worth over $500k. Give someone in a $350k house $50k and there is no guaranty that they will be able to find something in the short time frame that buyout buyers usually demand. The last thing a developer wants to do is to have to start off a project a few $100k over budget on the land cost. What will happen is that developers will develop unrestricted land long before they take a chance on the whims of a Heights resident. It will not make it more likely that developers will go around throwing away hundreds of thousands of dollars just to comply with the City's buffer requirements. They will avoid it like the plague. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Like I said, 1 or 2%. Not a huge deal when considering a $100 million tower. It probably scares small fries like yourself, but not the big players. And, considering these properties are located next to busy streets like Studewood or Yale, even fewer would be that attached to the property.I notice that Greenway did indeed get built, in spite of that last holdout. You prove my point. The holdout in the Target development on Sawyer also sold for a premium. It happens all the time. It is built into the developers' cost analysis. But, if this ordinance makes you sleep better, just as Heights residents thought the lot line ordinance would save bungalows from McMansions and condos, good for you. It has already been clearly shown that this ordinance will not affect midrises, which are the only multi-family developments that are suited for the Heights anyway. Land values are not high enough to support highrises in the Heights. There is no threat from them here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 If you think buyouts are that easy, you are living in an alternate reality. I have been involved in an attempted buyout. Someone walked away from over a $200k premium on about $450k worth of property just to be able to live out their last days in the family home. They even looked at million dollar homes around Rice and River Oaks and chose their cruddy home instead. And then you get people who will hold out for a ridiculous sum of money. Someone made a fortune being the last one to sell out to the Greenway developer. Relying on a buyout is a huge risk for a developer. And it is an even bigger risk in the Heights where land values are already very high and many homes are worth over $500k. Give someone in a $350k house $50k and there is no guaranty that they will be able to find something in the short time frame that buyout buyers usually demand. The last thing a developer wants to do is to have to start off a project a few $100k over budget on the land cost. What will happen is that developers will develop unrestricted land long before they take a chance on the whims of a Heights resident. It will not make it more likely that developers will go around throwing away hundreds of thousands of dollars just to comply with the City's buffer requirements. They will avoid it like the plague.the ordinance will exist everywhere in Houston, not just the Heights.If a dev wants to build in the Heights because it is a desirable location for people to live and work, and there aren't options that fit the buffer requirements, they'll do what they have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
native_Houstonian Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Now listed on HAR.com....http://search.har.com/engine/1111-E-Studewood-402-Houston-TX-77008_HAR43049594.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Maintenance fee is pretty high per month, I wonder how they will sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west20th Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Maintenance fee is pretty high per month, I wonder how they will sell.Can you make your font size a little larger? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) Maintenance fee is pretty high per month, I wonder how they will sell.$3.20/sf is what I calculate, yeah, that's pretty high, especially for Houston, but it is The Heights!They should really be talking up the fact that you get to peer down into people's private backyards, and you get the benefit of blocking their sun, and ruining their gardens.Just sayin' Edited February 1, 2012 by samagon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Can you make your font size a little larger?probably... but thats just how it came out from the computer i was on... I didn't figure anyone would actually care about it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west20th Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 probably... but thats just how it came out from the computer i was on... I didn't figure anyone would actually care about it...I really didn't. You just reminded me I have old eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 just some brick http://goo.gl/5O75W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 starting to lay brick on the front http://goo.gl/lEJLZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwki Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I am no architect, but this building strikes me as ugly. Perhaps they will spruce it up with some gargoyles or something. In that one shot with the SFH....put bars on the windows and we have a psychiatric hospital right out of the sixties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I am no architect, but this building strikes me as ugly. Perhaps they will spruce it up with some gargoyles or something. In that one shot with the SFH....put bars on the windows and we have a psychiatric hospital right out of the sixties.funny, i was just thinking this morning... that is going to be a nice looking building when complete. Its rare to see all brick sided construction on buildings this size these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwki Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 funny, i was just thinking this morning... that is going to be a nice looking building when complete. Its rare to see all brick sided construction on buildings this size these days.True, but I have bad memories of four years in a snow-covered midwestern dormitory that was very similar. However, it is a huge improvement over the eyesore, contaminated lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 (edited) So, lots of rumors have been swirling as construction has slowed and the reported lease with Union Kitchen fell through. Recently noticed this posted comment on swamplot that kind of came out of the blue on an old story:42From Max:The Union Kitchen restaurant lease negotiations for 1111 Studewood were terminated last fall. The Leader’s Charlotte Aguilar “jumped the gun” in saying this was a done deal. Nonetheless 1111 Studewood is moving forward these days. The first condominium models will be ready to preview to the public in less than 6 weeks. They will prove the doubters on this board wrong as they are some very cool units with high ceilings and really attractive build-out. Several restaurants are presently vying for space on the ground floor of the building; although it’s too early to get specific.Anyone see any work getting done on this site? It has been a bit too long since they first broke ground to think that everything is going smoothly for this development. Could it be that architecture really does matter and no one wants to live in this place? Or is it the usual problems in real estate development with cash flow, financing, contractors and the six hundred different ways even the best in the business can have their developments slowed down to a crawl before reaching the finish line.Anyone know what is going on here? Edited February 11, 2013 by s3mh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Looks more like the standard construction project to me. There is a lot of activity as dirt work, foundation framing and exterior are built. Then, nothing appears to be happening as the electrical, plumbing and mechanical trades perform their work on the inside, out of sight of onlookers. Sounds like you are engaging in wishful thinking more than insightful observation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 It looks like the "designer" of the exterior of the building was trying to evoke the warehouse lofts on the near north side, e.g. Dakota Lofts, which was originally the Bute Paint plant. I don't know how well this "style" will fly in this particular neighborhood. Time will tell. Hopefully the all brick veneer will give fewer maintenace issue that EIFS or even true stucco. Successful use of real stucco requires proper design and placement of control joints, etc. and application by skilled trades people. That is harder to find these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Looks more like the standard construction project to me. There is a lot of activity as dirt work, foundation framing and exterior are built. Then, nothing appears to be happening as the electrical, plumbing and mechanical trades perform their work on the inside, out of sight of onlookers. Sounds like you are engaging in wishful thinking more than insightful observation.The development's website says occupancy Fall 2012. I signed up of updates from the website a while ago and have never seen anything. People living nearby have not seen anyone coming or going and have not seen any vans for trades parked near the building. I guess they could drive up into the internal parking garage, but it doesn't even look like you can get in the garage, at least the last time I went by. It's a sellers market inside the loop and this project has been under construction for over two years with nothing listed and a retail tenant walking away from lease negotiations. If this is what you consider to be a standard construction project, then good luck to any project you are involved in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I've seen numerous workers coming and going from there daily. ( I think I saw some Pool Designer people there the other day ). I heard they were trying to have a model ready for public view by the end of December 12' (when I spoke with someone back in July/August), if they have one ready in March that isn't that much of a delay. Pretty much standard construction project, keep grasping for straws though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 If this is what you consider to be a standard construction project, then good luck to any project you are involved in. Prior to becoming an attorney, I was involved in construction of Deerbrook Mall, the Houston Design Center, the San Luis Hotel & Condominiums, and the Huntingdon Conominiums. They seem to have done alright. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwki Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Ever since I bought a black car, been at that car wash several times per week...4-8 work trucks are parked there daily, electricians to glazers...car wash dude making a killing selling space to GC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callisthenes Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I live nearby, there's been work going on there. SilverJK's observations of worker comings and goings is accurate. Not sure why they're having trouble getting a business to commit to the location, but I've always wondered about the business model of selling $400,000 + condos in a sea of $300,000 homes. Remains to be seen if that works out. There's an interesting practical effect of the construction that I've noticed. Initial worries were expressed about the building blocking sunlight from surrounding homes. That may be happening, but what definitely happens on the east side is that in the morning, the highly reflective windows cast beams of light onto the street below. Walking through them is sort of like being an ant under a magnifying glass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angostura Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Not sure why they're having trouble getting a business to commit to the location, but I've always wondered about the business model of selling $400,000 + condos in a sea of $300,000 homes. Remains to be seen if that works out. There's a very specific market segment these are aimed at: (a) people who want nothing to do with home maintenance, let alone remodeling, and/or ( people who spend a lot of time out of town, and don't want to leave a single-family home empty for that large a proportion of the time. (My next door neighbor seems to be away about 40+ weeks/year, and it's always pretty obvious when the house is unoccupied.) People in category A will want new construction, and new construction in the ~2000 s.f. range in the Heights pretty much starts at half-a-million dollars. See, for example, here, here or here. People in category B will want a multi-family property with doorman/concierge. I appreciate that it seems expensive compared to a lot of what is available nearby, and it's not a choice that's rational for many, even most, people, but it's not a non-existent market. In fact, for newer-built condos in central Houston/Uptown, $240/s.f. is closer to the floor than the ceiling, price-wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 There really aren't that many units in the building... doesn't take much of a market really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I've seen numerous workers coming and going from there daily. ( I think I saw some Pool Designer people there the other day ). I heard they were trying to have a model ready for public view by the end of December 12' (when I spoke with someone back in July/August), if they have one ready in March that isn't that much of a delay. Pretty much standard construction project, keep grasping for straws though...I am not saying that this project is done for. It just seems like they are having problems. This is just a twenty unit building with some ground floor retail. They have been at it for over two years. Talking about having a unit or two ready to show isn't a very good goal line for a condo building. No one wants to be an owner in a half full condo building and have to get hit with higher condo fees. If this drags into summer and fall of this year, then shirts will be lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJxvi Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Can I subscribe to your blog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 It just seems like they are having problems. That is just because you don't understand projects/construction/business/etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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