cloud713 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 because there are clearly site externalities that could prevent someone from redeveloping the site..Obviously Lovett worked financials (due to the site problems) to make it feasible to redevelop the site, but to what extent, who knows? They mentioned wanting to reuse some of the existing structure.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Reading Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 ^^^ would love to have something of this magnitude in houston... wow / yummy! Everyone would love it, and then for some reason its hours would be 7AM-3PM Monday-Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFootsSocks Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 There's a great article in the chron about that specific development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mab Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Lovett Commercial has closed on the 16-acre U.S. Post Office site in downtown.The Houston-based developer, which builds neighborhood shopping centers and urban redevelopment, did not elaborate on plans in a statement announcing the purchase. Previously, Lovett said it expects “to attract multiple uses such as retail, creative office, residential and/or a boutique hotel. Tenants that we have visited with are extremely excited about the project, its location and the possibilities.”The purchase price was not disclosedfrom the chronicle 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 I struggle to see anything at this site succeeding beyond some large apartment blocks, with maybe a restaurant along Franklin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 (edited) I struggle to see anything at this site succeeding beyond some large apartment blocks, with maybe a restaurant along Franklin. I think there is a massive amount of potential here. With the Sawyer Yards Arts District down the road on Washington and the redevelopment of the theatre district, this area will be the next hot spot of downtown without a doubt. Edited August 18, 2015 by Triton 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 I think there is a massive amount of potential here. With the Sawyer Yards Arts District down the road on Washington and the redevelopment of the theatre district, this area will be the next hot spot of downtown without a doubt. I think thats obvious to everybody but them. Just from reading the statement in the article it just seems like they are treating this like simple retail tract development. Nothing has indicated that they are going to handle this in any special way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstontexasjack Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 I think there is a massive amount of potential here. With the Sawyer Yards Arts District down the road on Washington and the redevelopment of the theatre district, this area will be the next hot spot of downtown without a doubt. I agree. The Market Square apartment tower and Hines Market Square are going up a couple of blocks from this. The presence along Franklin gives this parcel easy access to Washington Avenue. An effective layout of the parcel could permit a substantial residential, retail (at least restaurants and a few types of shops), and commercial presence. Environmental cleanup costs are a concern, and I think the developer would be wise to incorporate effective access to Buffalo Bayou as an amenity for potential denizens, but this site has a lot of upside. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swtsig Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 I think thats obvious to everybody but them. Just from reading the statement in the article it just seems like they are treating this like simple retail tract development. Nothing has indicated that they are going to handle this in any special way. no offense but how in the hell would you know? are you some sort of expert press release decipherer?? what an absurd comment. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avossos Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 I think thats obvious to everybody but them. Just from reading the statement in the article it just seems like they are treating this like simple retail tract development. Nothing has indicated that they are going to handle this in any special way.Completely disagree with you 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Yeah, everything I've heard indicates that they want to do something interesting with the property, something more similar to Sawyer Yards that actually reuses some of the existing buildings. We'll see once they make a meatier announcement though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2015/08/downtown-post-office-sold-to-become-mixed-use.html "It's extremely rare to find a downtown site with direct, easy access to Interstate 10, Interstate 45 and numerous adjacent neighborhoods in Houston,” Burdette Huffman, vice president for Lovett Commercial, said in a statement. “Our goal is to create a very special mixed-use development that leverages the Bayou, the theater district and the significant scale of the property." 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Well, that's nice. I wonder if they have something in mind already. So many apartments being built already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Nothing has indicated that they are going to handle this in any special way. Our goal is to create a very special mixed-use development that leverages the Bayou, the theater district and the significant scale of the property. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 haha you got me. I'm still not convinced though. Only time will tell. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 haha you got me. I'm still not convinced though. Only time will tell. Look at it this way. Even if you keep your expectations to the lowest (suburban style shopping center), it still provides a level of activity to a part of downtown that never really existed... you rarely ever saw people walking the sidewalks on this side of downtown. People basically came here to drop off mail and pick up packages and go home or to work... that's it. This new development, again lowest expectations, could provide a good connection to the bayou and is only about 2 blocks away from the Market Square Park area, further enhancing the area. Also considering that the Chase bank lot is for sale and could potentially turn into a residential complex, there is some serious potential which, in my view, is better than the post office complex anyday. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Not to pile on, but the development challenges mentioned previously that caused Midway to turn away should rule out conventional retail development. Either you reuse what's existing, or you'd need to build something very significant to make it worth the cost and effort. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstontexasjack Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Look at it this way. Even if you keep your expectations to the lowest (suburban style shopping center), it still provides a level of activity to a part of downtown that never really existed... you rarely ever saw people walking the sidewalks on this side of downtown. People basically came here to drop off mail and pick up packages and go home or to work... that's it. This new development, again lowest expectations, could provide a good connection to the bayou and is only about 2 blocks away from the Market Square Park area, further enhancing the area. Also considering that the Chase bank lot is for sale and could potentially turn into a residential complex, there is some serious potential which, in my view, is better than the post office complex anyday.I've wondered about the old Chase drive-through bank site. It has been used as extra parking of late, and I'm glad to hear it's up for sale. I think it would make an excellent residential site with the other developments going up around it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 (edited) I've wondered about the old Chase drive-through bank site. It has been used as extra parking of late, and I'm glad to hear it's up for sale. I think it would make an excellent residential site with the other developments going up around it. im not sure it is still up for sale? i inquired about that bank on here 6 months to a year ago, after someone posted a picture of a drive thru bank on Kirby(?) talking about how out of place it was. lo and behold the Chase site popped up for sale a short time later, but the bidding process was only a month or so/ended in March i believe. anyone know when we would typically expect to hear something about any transaction? Edited August 19, 2015 by cloud713 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timoric Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 (edited) - Edited July 9, 2019 by Timoric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I am envisioning a home depot, a best buy, and at least two mattress stores. hey, all those people that will be moving into downtown need a place to buy things to make their apartment feel more like home, a big screen tv and a mattress. With the way the street grid is over there, it sucks. all the streets over there connecting this to downtown are barren bridges over the bayou with minimal sidewalks (I guess they're 3' sidewalks, which is adequate, but they're also right on the street with no buffer between sidewalk and street which is inadequate for 3' sidewalks). maybe they'll work with the city to put in some pedestrian bridges down on the bayou that will be more friendly for walking around, where it's not barren at all, then they just need to figure out how to get people down there and then convince them it's actually a good idea to go down, then come back up on the other side to get anywhere. at the very least, they need to create more room for the sidewalks, with a buffer, and introduce some form of shade over those bridges. otherwise, unique location or not, it is going to be difficult at best to get people to walk from this site to any other part of downtown, and visa versa. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Any reason to make this a transit center? I guess not but why not? 1. Houston-Dallas Bullet train2. Park and Ride Buses3. Metro Rail hub If someone is willing to pay for the site. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrow Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Any reason to make this a transit center? I guess not but why not? 1. Houston-Dallas Bullet train2. Park and Ride Buses3. Metro Rail hub If one desired to make this a Mega Transit Center I would suppose it wouldn't be so far fetched. Run a light rail extension up Bagby for either/both the Green or Purple lines. Connect to the Red Line via a skywalk extension to the UH Downtown station. Amtrak could easily be integrated along with the high-speed rail to Dallas. Highway access is on the doorstep. Every downtown Park and Ride bus could stop here with only slight route modifications. I just hope they go BIG on this one. Central transit hub. Residential condo. Office high-rise. Bayou promenade. Mall. Theatre. Washington Ave extension and Franklin closure. Light rail connection. Do it all. It's as someone else already said, you'd need to build something significant to recoup your investment. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayouBoomtown Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Washington Ave extension and Franklin closure. Please tell me this a realistic possibility? It makes a ton of sense and would really beautify that portion of the Bayou downtown in addition to making it easily accessible to whatever is built on the site. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativehoustonion Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 The owner of Lovett that purchased that site is Frank Lu. He has build tract mansions all over Houston. He was the highest bidder. Now this is big time for him. I have no idea what he will build. Maybe multiple highrises for sale, he never leases. Every now and them he comes to the Houston Tomorrow meetings. Very quiet but needs input from the Houston community. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shasta Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 The owner of Lovett that purchased that site is Frank Lu. He has build tract mansions all over Houston. He was the highest bidder. Now this is big time for him. I have no idea what he will build. Maybe multiple highrises for sale, he never leases. Every now and them he comes to the Houston Tomorrow meetings. Very quiet but needs input from the Houston community. Do you know Frank or work for him? If he needs input, how can we get it to him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchFan Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 I think his name is "Frank Liu". I know of him mainly because he bought the house i grew up in, from my parents. They thought he was very nice and charming. Other than that, I have no other quasi-personal information about him. However, I have observed many local projects his company has done since then. Many of them town homes in potentially transitional areas. Also, a fair number of McMansions in other areas. He strikes me as a good businessman, but this project is different. It will be interesting to see what he does with it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 So much potential Houston by Marc longoria, on Flickr 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 So much potential Speaking of potential.. a magazine with the San Francisco Transbay Transit Center on the cover popped up on my social media feed today. Admittedly it was the first time I've seen renderings of the transit center, even though I've seen the tower many times. How does Houston get a transit center/development like this? Yes, I realize we aren't "San Francisco".. but still. Im not talking about just the awe inspiring architecture, but the cohesiveness of all the local transit networks, the blending of such a large development into the fabric of a dense urban area, etc.. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astros148 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 wow 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Yea unfortunately since the HSR guys don't even wanna bring it to downtown there really isn't a chance for something like this. Unless you wanna build all of this for a three times a week Amtrak train. But on the flip side that probably won't get built for like 20 years at least, too expensive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 True, a downtown(ish) intramodal transit center would lack the HSR connection the SF project has, but surely we would want to have some sort of hub in/near downtown for any future commuter rail system to tie into our LRT system? Although the density won't call for a Transbay Tower-esque skyscraper at the Northwest Mall site, we could potentially have all of the transit components that make up the Transbay transit center at that NW mall location.. A likely HSR line, light rail (whenever the BRT gets converted in the future), Busses/HOV, and a level for pedestrian ground floor activity and pick up/drop offs from personal vehicles.What probably won't get built for like 20 years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 (edited) Cloud the Miami plan is a thousand times better...http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article16212962.html Edited October 4, 2015 by Montrose1100 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 What probably won't get built for like 20 years? The California High Speed Rail. And that's optimistic, there's a ton of NIMBY pushback and opposition as always unfortunately. And I agree with everything else you said, a downtown transit center combining Amtrak, Greyhound, light rail and a METRO bus center would be really cool and a great opportunity to create a signature structure identifiable to Houston. Unfortunately there's just no money for something like that with METRO having to make those damn mobility payments. And if METRO can't fund it, then who would? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pragmatist Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 (edited) The California High Speed Rail. And that's optimistic, there's a ton of NIMBY pushback and opposition as always unfortunately. And I agree with everything else you said, a downtown transit center combining Amtrak, Greyhound, light rail and a METRO bus center would be really cool and a great opportunity to create a signature structure identifiable to Houston. Unfortunately there's just no money for something like that with METRO having to make those damn mobility payments. And if METRO can't fund it, then who would? Coughing while reading on a phone leads to inadvertent replies. :-( Edited October 5, 2015 by The Pragmatist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Urbannizer Posted October 10, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted October 10, 2015 Office, retail and multifamily: http://realtynewsreport.com/2015/10/10/texas-leasing-magnate-the-q-a-with-chip-colvill/ We were recently hired by Lovett Commercial to begin leasing and marketing the former Post Office site on Franklin Street in downtown. Most people in Houston know this location if they went there at midnight to pay their taxes. It is a very exciting project. Frank Liu and his team are extremely creative and, as a result the project will have “creative” office space with over 20 foot ceiling heights, awesome retail space, a multi-family component and other great amenities. The location of the development — on Buffalo Bayou and adjacent to the Washington Avenue Corridor — will be very exciting and a game-changer for downtown Houston, which continues to become more of a “live, work and play” environment. We look forward to unveiling Lovett’s plans in the months ahead. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fortune Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 What I get from this statement is that they are going to repurpose the existing buildings. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avossos Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 What I get from this statement is that they are going to repurpose the existing buildings.I known for a fact they are only keeping the central office building. The rest will come down. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFootsSocks Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Which one is that, exactly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFootsSocks Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Urb, is there a reason that the thread for this on ssp is under the Highrise/Supertall subforum? Is it even confirmed we're getting more than a midrise? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTHONYHTOWN Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 could be wrong but this sounds boring already 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post CREguy13 Posted October 11, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted October 11, 2015 Got a sneak peak of the base building design. I'll be interested to see how this forum reacts - the multi family is a high rise. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swtsig Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Got a sneak peak of the base building design. I'll be interested to see how this forum reacts - the multi family is a high rise.I don't think it will be particularly well received honestly... It's a good reuse of the existing structure and will include a market concept, grocer, lots of retail and even green roofs(!) but if I was a betting man I'd bet the design will leave most on here wanting more. They're working through some issues to really activate the bayou as well.My understanding is that the high rise is not part of the first phase so I'm not sure we can count on it at this point. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmitch94 Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I love when people form opinions off basically no information. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I don't think it will be particularly well received honestly... It's a good reuse of the existing structure and will include a market concept, grocer, lots of retail and even green roofs(!) but if I was a betting man I'd bet the design will leave most on here wanting more. They're working through some issues to really activate the bayou as well.My understanding is that the high rise is not part of the first phase so I'm not sure we can count on it at this point.My expectation is a lot of single story structures but ones that interact with each other well. I'd agree... I think most people on here want multiple highrises to wow people entering the city but I think Lovett will play well with the bayou and the future theatre district design but also bring life to an area that sorely needs it. I think if people want more City Centre type design, I think we may possibly see it at Hardy Yards or even the apartment complex that Midway bought down the road on Washington. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nate4l1f3 Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Got a sneak peak of the base building design. I'll be interested to see how this forum reacts - the multi family is a high rise."Interesting" doesn't necessarily translate to unanimous decision to me. I'm thinking this design will be controversial here, or many folks may be let down. Then again I'm probably reading too much into it hahahahah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstontexasjack Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Improving access to the bayou would be a big plus. I do not understand the phrase "market grocer." Does this refer to a mainline grocer such as HEB, Kroger, or Randall's? Or is there another type that Lovett is looking at? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 (edited) Improving access to the bayou would be a big plus. I do not understand the phrase "market grocer." Does this refer to a mainline grocer such as HEB, Kroger, or Randall's? Or is there another type that Lovett is looking at?He said market concept, as in like a farmers market. Followed by a grocer..Everything sounds fantastic actually.. So long as you're not expecting a bunch of grand towers then you shouldn't be let down. Anything is better than what the post office site currently is doing to interact with downtown. Edited October 11, 2015 by cloud713 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 (edited) To say that this forum will be disappointed sounds scary, since typically even when someone says we'll like it, it's often a crapshoot!I'm not expecting a world class, multi-tower, name architect development. It seems like Lovett's specialty from Sawyer Yards is creative repurposing, sort of a less-is-more approach that evokes memory and a sense of authenticity as opposed to the glitz of City Centre. More than anything I hope it brings people, not just Audis. Edited October 11, 2015 by H-Town Man 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFootsSocks Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Of course people here will be upset. Overreactions, conspiracy theories and hot takes are all we see here now. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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