Subdude Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Why is it advantageous to preserve motorist traffic on Main Street? What purpose does it serve? There are no garage entrances on Main Street. There is precious little street parking available. All of the properties are accessible from other streets. Driving on Main is a futile experience because of the aforementioned reasons. Preserving traffic flow can help keep a street "alive". I have a hard time seeing the argument for making Main a pedestrian strip. Mainly during the 1970s dozens of streets were converted to pedestrian shopping streets, and in almost every case the concept failed miserably as the streets became dead zones. Many were eventually converted back to allow vehicle traffic. Do we not learn from experience? The likelihood of the concept really succeeding in downtown Houston is especially low, as there is already a large existing pedestrian infrastructure in the tunnel system. A good part of Main Street is fronted by office buildings and parking garages, hardly conducive to pedestrian street traffic. Is there any big advantage in having pedestrianized streets without a lot of street-level retail? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Preserving traffic flow can help keep a street "alive". I have a hard time seeing the argument for making Main a pedestrian strip. Mainly during the 1970s dozens of streets were converted to pedestrian shopping streets, and in almost every case the concept failed miserably as the streets became dead zones. How many of those were already lousy pointless streets to drive on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 The bulk of them were I think the traditional main shopping streets of the respective cities. Pedestrianization was seen as a remedy to fight the urban blight that was prevalent then and to draw in additional shoppers. The idea was suggested for Houston early on. One proposal was to make most of Main Street an enclosed mall. Even if as currently configured Main is a pointless street to drive on, does that mean total pedestrianization is really a better outcome? Are there steps that could be taken to make Main less pointless to drive? Getting rid of Main Street "square" to allow through traffic would be a step in the right direction imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I continue to use Main fairly regularly to get up to the Northside/Heights when I don't want to fool with the freeways. It could be made even more functional by removing what Dallasites call City T***ies and allowing two lanes of traffic each way - as occurs in the Med Center without a whole bunch of verklemptitude, and as looks to be the coming thing on the green/purple lines on Capitol and Rusk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 There is not enough room to create two lanes of traffic without removing some sidewalk. The current lane as it is is not very wide. Bicycle and car can't travel side by side. No interest in removing more sidewalk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 (edited) i realize Houston probably doesnt have the tourist traffic of a city like St Augustine (well we do, its just much more spread out across the metro whereas St Aug is pretty confined), but considering almost all of their downtown streets have no vehicle access, the area does surprisingly well with maintaining pedestrian activity. they have a tram that goes around the popular destinations around the outside of the district where a few attractions like the fort are, and a few large parking lots, and there are 1 or 2 wider streets that cut through East/West, and the tram will come down one of those through the district to pick up, drop people off in the old downtown. the whole area seems to be quite successful at attracting a large pedestrian population.i think we have enough garages lining Main to provide ample parking for visitors to park so they can walk around the pedestrian mall area, and we have the equivalent of St Augs tram (GreenLink, and the Houston City Tours bus.. all they have to do is add a stop somewhere in the pedestrian mall at Main using one of the east-west cut through streets) but we also have something St Augustine doesnt have.. light rail bringing train loads of people right through the heart of that pedestrian district.Also, do they allow open containers in downtown/on Main Street? i would guess probably not but they should reconsider that (at least for just the pedestrian mall portion) if they are going to close off more of Main for a pedestrian destination. Edited January 27, 2014 by cloud713 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 ^^ I can't imagine any of those were originally vehicular access as they're ridiculously narrow. It looks like a tourist trap-type mall, in fact, what with those goofy facades and all (and it probably is) One proposal was to make most of Main Street an enclosed mall. They actually kind of did that with a small town in Ohio. The result was that the buildings retained private ownership, so the city had to maintain and operate the mall commons without collecting any revenue. They ended up bulldozing it around two decades later and rebuilt the streets as they were before the mall was added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanize713 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Only thing that comes to mind for me is Lincoln Rd in Miami but I have an easier time seeing that near the Galleria than Downtown 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 ^^ I can't imagine any of those were originally vehicular access as they're ridiculously narrow. It looks like a tourist trap-type mall, in fact, what with those goofy facades and all (and it probably is)no they werent originally vehicular access as they didnt have cars back in the 1500s.. you do realize St Augustine is the oldest city in the country and that many of those "goofy facade" buildings are in fact original buildings hundreds of years old?good call on Lincoln Rd in Miami, Urban. if it werent for the cluster it would cause on traffic, id say i could see a Lincoln Rd type center between Highland Village and the Galleria on Westheimer, with all the developments going up in between. but i think they could work something similar around Main in downtown with a slight shift in the area included in the downtown retail incentives program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 no they werent originally vehicular access as they didnt have cars back in the 1500s.. you do realize St Augustine is the oldest city in the country and that many of those "goofy facade" buildings are in fact original buildings hundreds of years old? The city is a popular travel destination for its Spanish colonial-era buildings as well as elite 19th-century architecture. The city's historic center is anchored by St. George Street, which is lined with historic houses from various periods. Most of these houses are reconstructions of buildings that had been burned or demolished over the years, though a few of them are original. To be fair, St. Augustine is the only city of its kind like that. Perhaps I am jaded by many other cities and towns with similar developments (but entirely fake). The reputation of Florida having these types of tourists attractions (mostly due to Disney World) wrongfully gave the reputation that it too was fake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
102IAHexpress Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 They have these meetings almost every month? Not sure what all the fuss is about.But you guys should go the meetings. Your tax dollars are funding all of this.www.mainstreettirz.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Not exactly. This is TIRZ money, so it's only property taxes paid on properties within the TIRZ. Depending on how specific "you guys" was meant to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
102IAHexpress Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) http://www.mainstreettirz.com/images/main_street_corridor.pdfI tried linking a PDF of the Main Street Improvements created by the last TIRZ project along Main Street Square. Don't know if it worked or not. Edited January 29, 2014 by 102IAHexpress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mab Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 http://downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2014-02-07/140203-Main_St-Public_Mtg_Presentation-SM.pdf PDF of the presentation 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Uh oh.. Don't let any of the Houston Palm tree haters see their plans for the area around the shopping district on Dallas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbannizer Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 January 2015 Start - February 2016 Completion 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avossos Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Is this really necessary? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Continued closures, or the Dallas St. development? Or both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarface Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 (edited) http://downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2014-02-07/140203-Main_St-Public_Mtg_Presentation-SM.pdf PDF of the presentation was that scott dissik walking downtown on the far left in the photo on page 34??? :lol: Edited November 26, 2014 by scarface Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UtterlyUrban Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 For those on the Dallas street thread looking for Palm trees..... Looks like you will have them on main (including the intersection of Dallas)..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Not really a Palm tree fan. Just don't really see the connection with palms and Houston. Now Oaks and Magnolias those are Houston. Overall I like the improvements they are very subtle, but even small improvements can make a world of difference. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Not really a Palm tree fan. Just don't really see the connection with palms and Houston. Now Oaks and Magnolias those are Houston. Overall I like the improvements they are very subtle, but even small improvements can make a world of difference.yes, but these are serious bird crap catchers. not to mention birds nest hoarders... no one wants this downtown houston. on with the gorgeous uplit palms! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 yes, but these are serious bird crap catchers. not to mention birds nest hoarders... no one wants this downtown houston. on with the gorgeous uplit palms! I'm sorry monarch, but this has to be the lamest excuse to not put a kind of tree in a location....because BIRDS. That's like saying don't put grass on the ground because a dog will take a crap on it or something fabric wise because a cat will scratch it, or put a bench on the street because, lord forbid, someone will sleep on it. I personally think palm trees are kinda useless. They don't provide much shade. and they don't provide a good way to break up a streetscape in terms of the interplay between buildings, the sidewalks, views from further away, and the street itself. The only palms I think are relevant to Houston, and streetscapes in general, are ones that are used for ground cover. Not to mention when you think of Houston...you don't think of Palm trees. Leave that to Miami or a city right on the coast. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 (edited) don't be sorry my pal luminare.. for i love to debate. however, i get your point. but please let us not forget that houston is currently the most diverse city upon this great nation. therefore, diversification arrives in all forms / aspects including our trees. oaks / magnolias, as simply beautiful upon certain majestic areas around town. god only knows just how many times i have walked under one of them and had to haul a_ _ in order to get away from fleeting bird stuff. trust me, for when it comes to these particular trees... sh_ _ happens. however, not only do i live downtown houston, but as many HAIFER's are now aware... i frequently travel and work abroad as well. therefore, i have been truly blessed to come across trees basically all over the world. palm trees, are just legitimate everywhere. these particular trees tend to lend a strong bit of exoticism as per any cityscape vs landscape environment. just look at how completely beautiful los angeles is upon some areas. look at how gorgeous highland village is in houston down westheimer. i have had out of town guest that have been in absolute awe at how simply beautiful that particular area is... and especially at night when all of the uplit palms or lit up on display. trust me my pal, should we add these uplit palms upon certain locales downtown houston... they will be an instant hit. i cannot wait to see the end result! Edited November 27, 2014 by monarch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFootsSocks Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 Monarch, do the palm trees themselves make those locations beautiful? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 I have to a hard time believing very many people think Highland Village is particularly beautiful, though the palms are definitely its saving grace. I would think that the most beautiful streets in Houston are those around Rice, North and South Blvd, etc. Obviously trees of that size are impossible on Main Street downtown, but something that at least casts some shade would be better than a palm tree.Even downtown, which has built-in shade from tall, zero lot line buildings, can use every bit of shade it can get in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 Monarch, do the palm trees themselves make those locations beautiful?beauty.. is indeed upon the eye of the beholder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Since Dallas St construction is starting up now, I'd expect to see signs of construction soon on this. IIRC, both projects schedules were to coincide with each other.https://twitter.com/thachadwick/status/569939298222362624 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 If you need me guys and gals I will be putting a construction tape perimeter around the whole of downtown lol. All of downtown under construction 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Im gonna assume this marks the beginning of Main St's reconstruction. Southbound closed from Lamar to Polk. Vehicles blocking the lane in front of 1111 Travis and in front of the Humble Oil building. https://twitter.com/thachadwick/status/575797233452388352 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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