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Camden McGowen Station & Midtown Park At 2727 Travis St.


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  • 4 weeks later...

I believe that mural is by Houston artist Dixie Friend Gay. Her work is also featured in a very large public arts project out at Intercontinental airport.

She also did the three incredible 10 foot tall birds, 'Words Of a Feather",  at the new library on Griggs east of MacGregor park.

Her work is wonderful. Adds so much color to the park.

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13 minutes ago, bobruss said:

I believe that mural is by Houston artist Dixie Friend Gay. Her work is also featured in a very large public arts project out at Intercontinental airport.

She also did the three incredible 10 foot tall birds, 'Words Of a Feather",  at the new library on Griggs east of MacGregor park.

Her work is wonderful. Adds so much color to the park.

 

That is correct. Dixie is my dad's girlfriend.

http://www.dixiefriendgay.com/

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I've known Dixie since about 1990, when I showed her around the Blossom street, Washington Ave. and Shepherd area looking for property to buy.

Don't see her very often but occasionally at art events. She is a great asset to Houston and her work is all over the country. 

Probably one of the most successful public art artists in Houston. Tell hr I said hi!

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On ‎3‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 3:29 PM, samagon said:

unpopular opinion: I kind of miss the big grass field......

 

:P

I just wish that while it was still there, that it had been planted to bluebonnets, and a few Texas longhorn cattle allowed to graze.
Imagine the photo ops.

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Drove down the Travis side of this yesterday and noticed they hd taken down the netting, and lo and behold it looks really nice. I was not paying great attention due to traffic, 

but it appeared there were a couple of retail spaces going in with signage. At least in my peripheral vision I thought I recognized retail signage.

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The scaffolding has been coming down slowly the last month or more. The Main Street (light rail) side scaffolding is still up. Ii don't know about the ground floor commercial. The leasing office is open and the other spaces seem to me to be tenant areas (mail boxes, community rooms, that sort of thing) when I compared it to the apartment building across the street. The park is beautiful and the designers and buildings deserve a pat on the back for their work. Now it just needs to be maintained at a high level.

 

I'm new to Houston and originally from NYC and a big fan of street front commercial, but considering all of the vacant street front commercial around this area (and others), would it matter if there was more street front commercial added in this development? I know the area is changing dramatically with all of the new construction, but I'd like to see the existing commercial space absorbed before more is thrown on the market. But I'm new in these parts, and I've been wrong before, so maybe I am wrong again. Every market is unique.  What I'd really like is some larger commercial development added to Midtown (retail stores like Target or similar, BedBathBeyond type store, multiplex movie theaters, sporting goods, office supply, etc). That is what I think is missing now.

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3 hours ago, Brooklyn173 said:

The scaffolding has been coming down slowly the last month or more. The Main Street (light rail) side scaffolding is still up. Ii don't know about the ground floor commercial. The leasing office is open and the other spaces seem to me to be tenant areas (mail boxes, community rooms, that sort of thing) when I compared it to the apartment building across the street. The park is beautiful and the designers and buildings deserve a pat on the back for their work. Now it just needs to be maintained at a high level.

 

I'm new to Houston and originally from NYC and a big fan of street front commercial, but considering all of the vacant street front commercial around this area (and others), would it matter if there was more street front commercial added in this development? I know the area is changing dramatically with all of the new construction, but I'd like to see the existing commercial space absorbed before more is thrown on the market. But I'm new in these parts, and I've been wrong before, so maybe I am wrong again. Every market is unique.  What I'd really like is some larger commercial development added to Midtown (retail stores like Target or similar, BedBathBeyond type store, multiplex movie theaters, sporting goods, office supply, etc). That is what I think is missing now.

 

Good points Brooklyn. Here is my take as a native Houstonian and world traveler:

 

I think street front retail is always welcome if not necessary. One day in the future there will be a huge need. As bedroom density increases, there will be an increased need for stores. there will need to be a variety that maybe is not supported today. Every new development makes the need for storefronts increase. As midtown densifies, storefronts will be taken up. I rather have more now, albeit empty, so that in the near future there could be a vibrant mix of activity.

 

You reference the medium sized and large sized retailers. I agree we have a huge void in our urban environment for those stores. Perhaps it is just too soon - these stores can live and thrive in areas that are only accessible by car. Until a target or BB&B realize they are missing out on a market that is ONLY fed off of pedestrian traffic, then I can see it happening. I am pretty stoked about the urban HEB's coming, as well as the Whole Foods. Phonecia is so crowded it is uncomfortable now. As the success of these type of developments becomes harder to ignore, we will see this paradigm finally shift. The start has happened... how long it will take? Not sure, but I am excited.

Edited by Avossos
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One issue that is never brought up when it comes to GFR.

 

Retail is a multifaceted issue and you cannot Question the need for GFR based on vacant GFR in the area.

 

You may want to ask other questions such as

 

1.) Are they vacant because people just don't want to set up shop in the area

 

2.) There is no market

 

3.)  It's cost prohibitive to set up shop in that area

 

I have no idea what it costs to rent retail space in downtown but I never here it brought up.

 

I dunno but if I can get almost as many customers underground but pay half the rent I pay on ground level then I will go that route.

 

This area is not yet like main around the corner.

This area is just picking up in terms of foot traffic. Areas that are not as busy rely on people in the area to keep their business alive. Since these are people in the know, the retail does not have to be visual. 

 

But this area IS picking up. I am of the opinion that if there was much more competition for ground floor retail space, owners would have more incentive to drop prices which would make it more cost effective to set up shop at street level especially in a burgeoning corridor. 

 

More street level retail usually improves the street presence which reinforces the cycle of more pedestrian traffic which increases the need for more storefronts which means higher occupancy for owners.

 

Everyone wins.

The pedestrians get a better experience.

The stores get more options and lower rent.

The building owners get more business.

The area benefits by being more active which benefits the building owners again in terms of increased property values.

 

Again I don't know rent costs. Just a theory.

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On 3/19/2018 at 3:39 PM, HoustonIsHome said:

Interesting. Why?

 

For one thing, if you walked across the field, it opened so many opportunities to get diseases with really cool names, if you stepped on the wrong thing.

 

On the GFR thing, I do wonder if any of these buildings were designed with the potential to knock down some walls and re-purpose some of the first floor to be GFR when it becomes economically viable?

 

I'm sure they did their actuarial tables and GFR doesn't make sense at this time for their business model, and it's not just about having enough foot traffic, it's about city ordinances. There's a lot of infrastructure required for retail that adds to costs, not the least of which is parking requirements. Considering how much it costs to make a parking garage, adding enough parking for retail is very likely a huge up-front burden.

 

This city does a really good job of making GFR uninviting.

Edited by samagon
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Drove by again yesterday, and I was mistaken. It was just Camden signage. No retail signage. It was a mirage, or wishful thinking.

I fall on the side of build it in from the beginning, because once the density is there it will be too late to add it in most of these concrete parking garages. 

But all in all the Travis side really does look nice. The Caydon across the street is planning on GFR, so that's where people will go.

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20 hours ago, AnTonY said:

Landscapers in this city need to use more exotics instead of just staying native. More palms and broadleaved evergreens, please. Spice things up around here.

 

There are tons of beautiful natives that they could also use. But it seems to me the same plants are planted over and over

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On 3/30/2018 at 8:11 PM, AnTonY said:

@HoustonIsHome: totally agree that there are lots of beautiful natives to use. But I also feel that they should be less conservative with their use of (suitable) exotic plants, both overseas and domestic. That will take landscaping in this city to the next level.

 

 

I agree. I love Live Oaks, every street needs some but there are exotic trees and shrubs that grow really well in this part of Texas that I would like to see incorporated in parks instead of the standard fair. Kinda like Washington and the Cherry Blossoms.

 

Bottlebrush is native to Australia but grows really well here. I love the big bursts of red flowers. They are evergreen like Live Oaks and just as drought tolerate.

 

Vitex/Chaste Tree Are also drought tolerant. They are not evergreen but you cut them down in the winter and they shoot right back up in the spring and are covered in blue or red  scented flowers in the summer.

 

Jasmine/ gardenia/ Camelia I see the climbing star Jasmine and Confederate Jasmine all over town but these bloom in the cusp between winter and spring but are not really noticeable fit the rest of the year. Arabian Jasmines bloom all and they come back really quickly in the spring.

 

Butterfly Weed, a cousin of milk weed, is one of those plant it and forget it plants. They have really deep and strong roots and beautiful orange flowers. Monarch butterflies and hummingbirds love them.

 

Loropelatum/ Chinese Fringe these are over used as hedges but they do make beautiful trees. Their leaves are purple if grown in the sun and green in the shade. In the spring they are covered in bright pink flowers. They are drought tolerant too.

 

Acacia Caven/ Espino Are very drought resistant and are covered in yellow flower balls in spring and summer and pods in the fall. The flowers have a light at scent.

 

Other plants I would like to see more here are Oakleaf hydrangeas, mountain laurels, Altheas, Tree Roses, Thrallis, Sweet Almond Verbena, Saucer Magnolias, Silverberry, Cleyera, Peacock Tree......

 

 

I think when landscaping is done, the only considerations are drought resistance and will it keep it's leaves in the winter. But there are so many interesting plants that could be included in parks that would add more interest. 

 

 

 

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On 3/30/2018 at 3:21 PM, HoustonIsHome said:

 

There are tons of beautiful natives that they could also use. But it seems to me the same plants are planted over and over

I tend to agree - I have noticed too much repetition and not enough use of the various native plants that Houston has to offer.

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