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Cosmopolitan: Condominium High-Rise At 1600 Post Oak Blvd.


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EXCLUSIVE REPORTS

From the August 12, 2005 print edition

Cosmopolitan condos to replace coney islands

Jennifer Dawson Jennifer Dawson

Houston Business Journal

Developer Randall Davis is cooking up plans for a high-rise residential development on the site of the James Coney Island restaurant near the Galleria.

After serving up hot dogs and chili at the Post Oak Boulevard location for more than 30 years, the restaurant owners are branching out from cuisine to condos by entering into a joint venture with Davis on the project.

Initial plans call for the frankfurter fixture to be demolished and replaced by a 20-story tower with 90 residential units. The building would be located on the half-acre tract nestled between a 24-Hour Fitness and the Dessert Gallery on Post Oak near the intersection of San Felipe.

Sources say the high-rise will be named "Cosmopolitan," and details could be released as early as September.

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But, hey, Citykid, Randall Davis isn't like the rest of those developers!

Excuse the cheesy pun, but, hotdog! This will be great for the Uptown area! :P

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Yeah, Randall Davis has shown to follow through on his projects and is alway putting our press releases. The project he's pulled back he owned up to early instead of leading people on for months.

I think this would be one of his taller ones in Houston. The only other tall one that I know he is working on is in South Padre.

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Here is the website, although it appears more of a teaser right now than anything. I hear this is not an "if" but most definitely a "when". Look for an announcement party sometime in late September.

Cosmopolitan HoustonCosmo Page

When you move your cursor over the girl on that page, you can make it look like she's being attacked by bugs, or her skin is flaking off. I was entertaining myself earlier at work

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I doubt it. Ground floor retail is not considered typically in upper end high-rise residential buildings.

It's a good chance this place will have a wall and gate like the Huntington on Kirby. I only see ground floor retail occuring in midrise projects. Also, not ever residential tower can have ground floor retail.

I also think you'll see less ground floor retail in high-rise residential in the uptown area since so much retail is already available. If Wulfe builds their complex in the future, that will just add more retail than currently exist.

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cool,

It'll be another step in filling in the Uptown area.

I am all for progess and I typically like the works of R. Davis, but I love that JCI. I have eaten there for years. I guess there are enough Coney's around Houston to get my fix. Plus I try not to eat there but maybe once a month. I would like to live past 35.

That tract does not seem big enough to me, but I guess considering the whole building will be built up it will probably work.

If this gets done as well as the new Wolf project that area of Post Oak will have a great skyline.

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You can be amazed at what you can fit in a small lot.

We've talked about the concept of the Uptown filling in and eventually removing some of the larger strip centers for more density. This is just one plot, but it's a step in that direction.

If the franchise owner for that James Coney Islands (or the company owner itself if it isn't franchised) see that they can still do business in the area, I think they'll find a place for another one.

To me personally, hot dogs are so easy to cook that I feel guilty for buying one alread cooked. Unless its dollar hot dog day at an Astros game, then all bets are off.

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To me personally, hot dogs are so easy to cook that I feel guilty for buying one alread cooked.  Unless its dollar hot dog day at an Astros game, then all bets are off.

I can make a mean hot dog, but withouth a cheese gun, runny chili and a soggy bun it is just not the same.

But like I said earlier they should change the slogan from:

"Hot Doggin It"

to

"Heart Attackin It"

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I would love to see a design with a mostly glass exterior here. Or something with a slanted roof or something with a stepped design.

This is good news, although I didn't realize the highrise condo craze was as strong here as it currently is in other places, to birth so many proposals. I say good for Houston.

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I would love to see a design with a mostly glass exterior here. Or something with a slanted roof or something with a stepped design.

This is good news, although I didn't realize the highrise condo craze was as strong here as it currently is in other places, to birth so many proposals. I say good for Houston.

I believe you are going to get your wish on design....

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I am all for progess and I typically like the works of R. Davis, but I love that JCI.  I have eaten there for years.    I guess there are enough Coney's around Houston to get my fix.    Plus I try not to eat there but maybe once a month.  I would like to live past 35. 

There's always the one nearby @ Bering and Westheimer to get your fix.

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^ Yeah and its one up the street on Westhimer anyways. I ate at the one I just mentioned on Westhimer I did not like it. I had a burger, But I guess I should have got a hotdog.

Anyways, I wonder how this building will change the Uptown skyline? Will It be a big change?

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Uptown has become large enough to where singular projects don't necessarily have a large visual impact on the skyline. Take the Calpine Tower DT. It's a fairly large tower (nearly 500 feet) but unless you were well familiar with the shape of Houston's central skyline to the point of being able to distinguish individual buildings, the skyline's appearance hasn't changed much after its completion.

That's now becoming the case with Uptown. From a distance, the addition of a one or two new highrise condos/apartment towers won't have an immediate visual impact. Up close, however, you'll notice greater density at the street level, something that Post Oak Blvd could really use to help it stand out more to the pedestrian.

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Uptown has become large enough to where singular projects don't necessarily have a large visual impact on the skyline. Take the Calpine Tower DT. It's a fairly large tower (nearly 500 feet) but unless you were well familiar with the shape of Houston's central skyline to the point of being able to distinguish individual buildings, the skyline's appearance hasn't changed much after its completion.

I agree. Look at 5 Houston Center. It is a great looking building (IMO) and fits nicely into the whole Houston Center "neighborhood" but you don't really notice it from a distance. It is going to take another really tall building to make people notice. This will not happen anytime soon as the Vacancy is still in the 20% downtown. Thanks Enron !!!

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Well, one good thing is to be said is that Randal Davis rarely dissappoints. From the time I started hearing about the Empire project on here to consruction was fairly quick. The website actually went up shortly before construction started.

I think this project will be a little different due to its size, but his track record is impressive and I feel a little better about it moving forward.

I guess Houston-development will tell us in the future if we are just blowing smoke up our a$$ or if it really is going to happen.

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