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307-Acres Near NRG Stadium (Formerly UT Research Campus Proposal)


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First time I've really paid attention to that part of the PDF.

If that development does go up, it would be smart for metro to get something going there.

Now, what would REALLY be cool, if metro is planning for light rail there, to just build up the line to that point once the project nears completion. That way, they don't have to wait for the rest of the route to be decided/voted upon/ridiculed/NIMBY'ed.....etc

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More interesting is page 2 of this recently released Metro document from the opening post.

They are showing future rail expansion beyond current Phase II development.

They are showing future rail ( not distinguished between LRT or CRT ) from the Phase III plan according to CTC - Sunnyland, East End and Southeast en line extensions to Hobby..

But the biggie.. they are also showing a brand new line - prolly CRT - that leaves the downtown intermodal station, goes out Dowling past the new soccer stadium and out of town along 288.

This was not one of the possibilities last we heard from Metro concerning CRT.

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Apparently, there are some references to this project from 2010. Sheila Jackson Lee mentioned it on her website in reference to the 90A rail corridor here. Although there's no date on that posting, I reached it through a blog comment I found which was posted in August 2010.

Edit:

Similarly, Buffalo Lakes, a large undeveloped area located north of Holmes Road and west of Kirby Drive, is to be developed as a mixed-use project that includes 3,580 residential units and 1.9 million square feet of office, retail, and entertainment space.
Edited by Simbha
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hope it goes up..that project looks similar to those hi-rises on the Beltway and Bellaire with noting but concrete blocks, steel wire and weeds as a reminder.

Also looks like the "Promenade" at the Beltway and 288 that never went up also. If the Astroworld land remains dead, that'll determine what's really coming.

I'm not sure if its a South Side thing but the miles of broken streets that never seem to connect has plagued that side for years. Buffalo Speedway will eventually end at Willowbend (hasn't opened yet) but there's a brand new, unused and vacant stretch that begins at Orem and leads to nowhere....it has 4 lanes and full of street lights to light the weeds at night.

Same with Airport on how that breaks up at Almeda and doesn't flow freely until Hillcroft...West Orem flows until 288 but there's a new stretch from Scott that goes to Telephone....Kirby is another one also

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  • 11 months later...

I might be moving later this year (staying in the Houston area). Has anyone recently sold a home in the area, or if you happen to be "in the know", and can comment on what kind of commissions they had to pay out? Also since i plan to purchase the next home in the Houston-area, I would consider using the same company to buy and sell. I understand this would give me some leverage to negotiate on the commission.... or is that wishful thinking? Any related tips are appreciated. Thanks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Make sure you clarify with your listing agent that If the seller does not have an agent, you only pay 3%. Additionally, be sure to make it extremely clear that they are not allowed to assign a broker from their office to act as a buyer's agent.

We recently purchased a house acting without an agent. Agents fought us with lie after lie and we even walked from properties, because the agents wanted to play both sides.

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Make sure you clarify with your listing agent that If the seller does not have an agent, you only pay 3%. Additionally, be sure to make it extremely clear that they are not allowed to assign a broker from their office to act as a buyer's agent.

We recently purchased a house acting without an agent. Agents fought us with lie after lie and we even walked from properties, because the agents wanted to play both sides.

This should say *buyer* does not have an agent

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I might be moving later this year (staying in the Houston area). Has anyone recently sold a home in the area, or if you happen to be "in the know", and can comment on what kind of commissions they had to pay out? Also since i plan to purchase the next home in the Houston-area, I would consider using the same company to buy and sell. I understand this would give me some leverage to negotiate on the commission.... or is that wishful thinking? Any related tips are appreciated. Thanks.

Commissions are always negotiable, especially if you are going to use the same agent to help with the purchase of your new home (not wishful thinking!). What I usually see at my office is a 4% listing fee for using the same agent, but again - all negotiable.

Not all agents offer a discount like this, and it really depends on where you'll be moving to (and if they service that new area) so just be upfront with them about what you're looking to accomplish before scheduling any listing appointments.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've encountered some recent speculation that due to a shortage of land in the northwest submarket (the largest industrial submarket in town), opportunities for the development of bulk warehouse space have become exceedingly limited. The few parcels that are left just aren't large enough or aren't priced right, putting them in more of a situation where service centers and even low-rise office buildings are better suited. And as you go out along US 290, most of the large tracts are either spoken for and slated for residential and shopping centers. And besides, US 290 is so congested that it is no longer that desirable of an amenity.

Hines seems to have bet on the north Beltway 8 area. McCord has put their money on the northeast Beltway 8 area. And then there's Cedar Crossing Industrial Park in western Chambers County, which petered out a number of years back. I suspect that the southern sector of Tomball ISD and the northern sector of Katy ISD may capture some of these facilities once the Grand Parkway is completed, however probably not many because those areas have no rail service and so they are less likely to develop industrial agglomerations. The area of south Waller County that's right along I-10 might also be a contender. It has rail service and some developmental momentum in the vicinity of Igloo Road. But...it's really far out there.

For my money...I'd think that Hines and McCord made a solid bet with Beltway 8. Anybody else have thoughts? Are there realistic opportunities in the southern sector to create an industrial agglomeration? Are east and northeast submarkets really so undesirable and far-removed that employers would pass them over?

(I ask because the other side of the coin is that these facilities will influence where people live. Office buildings in the urban core are not our only venue for employment.)

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I think the wedge defined by 45S, 288 and the coast outside of the beltway is a good bet for industrial growth in Harris and Galveston County long term. Three ports and allot of undeveloped farm land down there.

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  • 2 years later...

Does anyone know what this used to be?

 

 

By the way, hi everyone! This is my first post, so i hope i'm doing everything by the rules. I'm a history nut (Anthropology major with a focus in classical archaeology) and have spent the past day lurking through the entire Historical Houston section of the forums. I'm about halfway through all of the posts, and while checking out the Old Main Loop, noticed this racetrack looking formation off of Buffalo Speedway. I figured i'd ask you guys and pick your brains about it. 

 

I look forward to learning as much as i can about this awesome city from y'all!! :D

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....aaaaaand now that i the street view from right in front of it, i can now see it's definitely just a ditch.

 

Oh man, what a first post fail. 

 

@de la rosa, yep! i post on r/houston quite a bit. but don't worry, what i say on r/houston will stay on r/houston. this is not reddit. thanks for the welcome. i've already bookmarked so many historical places to check out around town. :)

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I've noticed that as well and thought maybe it had something to do with the planned Buffalo Lakes development down there that apparently never happened

 

If you look at the Buffalo Lakes master plan there was some sort of drainage/retention pond that somewhat mirrored the location of the ditch.

 

Buffalo Lakes

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  • 10 months later...

I just wanted to pop in back on the original topic and put in a warning about anyone who might get it in their heads to explore the area in question.  Just a few hundred feet north towards W. Bellfort is a large indigent encampment (visible on google maps).  The folks there are not particularly interested in having visitors and rumors say that some parts of the area may have traps.

There's nothing down there at the ditch that's worth even an uncomfortable encounter.

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I can kind of see some items to the southeast of the apartment complex on Bellfort (between South Main and Buffalo Speedway), and while I don't see anything else, I know these types of small wooded areas in urban areas are notorious homeless camps...the "jungle" in Seattle is one such example (incredible amounts of trash) and there at least was one north of I-10 on Patterson. 

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  • 1 month later...

Is this a nail in the double helix facility's coffin?

Edit: It looks cool. Apart from that, this is great news for our City. A shame it couldn't have taken up the Astroworld site.

Collaborative research campus would be better. Why not just make this a full on university?

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This also encompasses the notorious booby trapped and guarded homeless fort in the woods.

 

wouldn't consider this site the middle of nowhere though. It is ideal for such an endeavor. Close to TMC. Close to 610. Close to 90. Close to light rail. Convenient to 288.

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