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Ivy Lofts: 28-Story Residential High-Rise East Of Downtown


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Unfortunately there hasn't seemed to be much news on the streetcar in a couple years.. Hopefully they still plan on building it. Does anyone know more about the plans?

http://m.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/East-s-End-s-desire-named-streetcar-3848947.php

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/11-02-12-its-full-speed-ahead-on-streetcars-in-eado-public-transit-plans-routes-are-revealed/

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That area definitely needs a grocery store. Thats one of the biggest reasons I decided not to buy in Eado. Im in midtown and am within a quick drive from three Krogers, Heb, Randalls, Whole Foods, Phoenicia, Walmart, Target, Trader Joes, Sprouts, and Fiesta.   There's a Fiesta and a crappy little Kroger on the east side, thats it...

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Midtown Randalls is crappy. In fact, I rate kombat kroger (the one on polk and cullen) higher than the midtown Randalls. They have a consistent stock of things. I can't tell you how many times I have gone into midtown randalls looking for something they had last week to see the shelf empty. Always random. Making me end up with an extra trip somewhere else to get what I need.

 

I'd be so bold as to make the statement that the midtown randalls is the worst grocery store inside the loop.

 

The gulfgate HEB is just as close/far as the montrose HEB, timewise, if not distance.

 

Target, Sprouts, those are both equidistant from midtown or eado. time and distance.

 

Walmart, I'd say the one on wayside is closer to eado than yale is to midtown. time and distance.

 

Phoenicia is definitely closer to most of eado than midtown. time and distance.

 

So trader joes is the only thing that isn't absolutely as easily accessible from eado as midtown?

 

Not that I'm saying it wouldn't be awesome if there were a better grocery store in the very near east end, I'm just saying that currently Midtown isn't some panacea of food when directly compared with the very near east end.

Edited by samagon
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Much of that is only true by car. I genuinely don't understand the point of living in the central city and then driving everywhere. 

 

They are also building a Whole Foods in Midtown, and while the Randalls and Fiesta aren't fantastic, they're a whole lot better then nothing. 

Edited by Texasota
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Much of that is only true by car. I genuinely don't understand the point of living in the central city and then driving everywhere. 

 

They are also building a Whole Foods in Midtown, and while the Randalls and Fiesta aren't fantastic, they're a whole lot better then nothing. 

 

Fair enough.

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There's houses, but nothing else. Its not an urban neighborhood. If you have to drive to get everywhere, you may as well live in the suburbs.  Also, keep in mind, I am not referring to Navigation/ Harrisburg, I am speaking of the area south of the railroad. 

 

Not sure if you have even been over here....BBVA compass....new apartments, bike trails, gyms, restaurants, breweries, clubs - it's not as dense as Midtown but to say there is "nothing else" is just not true - I routinely walk or bike to all those "nothings"

Edited by HoustonMidtown
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There's houses, but nothing else. Its not an urban neighborhood. If you have to drive to get everywhere, you may as well live in the suburbs.  Also, keep in mind, I am not referring to Navigation/ Harrisburg, I am speaking of the area south of the railroad. 

What are you talking about!? It's an inner city neighborhood. Yes it's an urban area. 

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I have lived in EaDo for almost 2 years now (moved from Midtown)....I have no trouble getting food....traffic is non-existent compared to Midtown

I've lived near telephone and Lawndale for about 7 years. Traffic is non existent because people don't use it as a way to get somewhere else. People drive through midtown, so many roads in the near East end aren't through roads. McKinney goes through, Polk goes through, Leeland goes through. Midtown east/west/north/south, every street gets through somewhere.

Eado will grow into what midtown is, but it will be better because there will always be less through traffic for people who want to be there to deal with.

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Butt hurt much? People don't go down telephone and lawndale bc they don't want to get robbed. Maybe in 20 yrs...

 

Based on your replies in this thread, I couldn't care less what you think. At first your response about the grocery stores being why you chose midtown to buy a home was factually incorrect, so I spent the time correcting you, cause them's facts. Then you said the entirety of the east side sucked. You're entitled to your opinion, I hardly agree with it, but whatever. 

 

Why would I get butt hurt over your opinion? And a clearly jaded opinion at that. 

 

Personally, I like the lack of traffic.

I like that people like you stay away from the east end. 

I like grocery shopping at the fiesta on wayside.

I like that I can get on my bicycle and ride down telephone road without worry that some guy who feels he is entitled to more of the road than me decides to 'teach me a lesson' me, and I wake up 3 months later in a hospital bed from said lesson.

 

I weep for the day that people like you decide that the east end is the place to live.

I'll have to deal with traffic.

I'll have to deal with pretentious self absorbed beings who will think they have more of a right to declare to me what I do with my property than I do. 

 

Simply put, I like that you and people like you don't like my neighborhood, so I am the exact opposite of butt hurt, I am ecstatic.

 

I must confess though, I am butt hurt, if only just a little bit, that eado is actually catching on as a name for the near east end. I feel like part of my soul is dying each time I hear its utterance.

Edited by samagon
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Eado, East Downtown, or as I like to call it O-Chi (Old Chinatown) as well as the Greater East End has far less crime than midtown. I'm with Samagon .... less traffic is better. People will feel safer walking and biking around the neighborhood. The odds of getting hit by a drunk bro in his leased entry level luxury ride is far too high in Midtown  :D

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I was on Telephone last night. I didn't get robbed but I did get fed. Oh, Kanomwan, how I missed you. Love it when out of town guests make that request.

 

I always plan on going there, but never remember, I have put a reminder in my phone to go there next Wednesday, seems like the perfect place to eat the day before thanksgiving!

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You guys are effin delusional. They are CATTERING to the Midtown crowd. The crowd that is douchy and drives that leased bmw is what they want. Do you think people who care about traffic and the drunk bros are people that r going to be buying micro units of 400 sq st. Its the douchy drunk bros who buy those type of units.

This project will fail, theres nothing walking distance, you can call 3 to 6 blocks supposedly walking distance but people who want that city life and micro units want to walk a block to bars and restaurants.

No one in midtown complains about the randalls there, we all love it.

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  • 2 weeks later...
“SOME BUZZ” has made its way back to the Ivy Lofts developers since news of the plans for Houston’s tiniest condos began to spread — so much buzz, in fact, that Novel Creative Development is responding to the pushback with a change in sales tactics. The group announced in an email that Ivy Lofts buyers will have the option to lump 2 adjacent units together and customize the floorplan, giving residents more space if needed.

 

http://swamplot.com/those-not-sold-on-the-ivy-lofts-tiny-condo-concept-can-buy-2-tokyos-and-stick-them-together/2015-12-08/

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I suspect that it means that it is for people who are willing to look past how little space they are getting to try a different kind of living in a apartment with super efficient use of space.

 

My big question is how much of the built in stuff is included in the quoted prices we've heard.  $150k for a fully furnished efficient home is a lot different than an empty box that has 300 square feet of space

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I suspect that it means that it is for people who are willing to look past how little space they are getting to try a different kind of living in a apartment with super efficient use of space.

My big question is how much of the built in stuff is included in the quoted prices we've heard. $150k for a fully furnished efficient home is a lot different than an empty box that has 300 square feet of space

That's a good question. I'm curious to go check out their sales pitch. Likely won't be able to until the holidays are over.

But let's pretend you combined the larger and smaller unit you're pushing 500K for 1,000 square feet. That's insane. The more I think about it the less appealing these units sound. You could get a freaking sweet town home for half a million in the west loop. You could buy two in some areas. Or a fabulous Condo with better views. Or a mansion in the burbs.

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Let's be careful with the pricing comparisons here. Highrises do cost more per sqft than many other residential structures. It is the nature of a highrise, I think.

At Marlow, I think that they are asking $600-ish psf.

At the four Seasons I seem to recall around $500 psf

At 2727 Kirby, I think that they are around $700 psf.

But......

Commerce towers, right in downtown is about $300 psf as I recall. But, At commerce towers, There is a two bed two bath, 1400 sq foot unit on the 9th floor on sale now for $202 psf.

A 300 sqft place for $120,000 is $400 psf ........ More expensive per sqft --- by double --- than the unit at commerce towers. Worse, if the larger units at Ivy are priced similarly on a psf basis, You will pay the same total amount for a 700 sqft unit than a 1,400 sqft unit at Commerce towers.

Ivy seems to be asking folks to pay more per square foot for less space than at least one of its competitors. Now, what is unclear to me is the amenity package at Ivy and how much those HOA fees actually are. To me, Buildings that offer terrific amenity packages charge a lot for HOA fees bit can also charge more psf as they begin to place the building in the "luxury" segment. Location also matters. Build quality of the interior also matters. Assigned parking matters. 24/7 Valet, concierge matter. Fitness centers matter. Pools decks and function space matter. Security matters. Views matter. Electric charging stations for cars probably don't matter but do help "wrap" the building. All of that "brands a building" .....

My personal opinion is that Ivy needs to stop suggesting that they need "open minded" people and rather start marketing the benefits of buying there -- both the tangible and intangible. Take a look at the marketing that Marlowe has done ---- "the end of rent". Mr. Davis is trying to attract a specific client by attempting to show them the math. Suggesting that people need to be "open minded" to pay more for fewer square feet is not a good approach in my opinion. Instead, one would think that Ivy would be explaining to people why paying more for less is still the right decision to make. Can that be done? YES, people pay more for less all the time for many items (especially "luxury" items).

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Let's be careful with the pricing comparisons here. Highrises do cost more per sqft than many other residential structures. It is the nature of a highrise, I think.

A 300 sqft place for $120,000 is $400 psf ........ More expensive per sqft --- by double --- than the unit at commerce towers. Worse, if the larger units at Ivy are priced similarly on a psf basis, You will pay the same total amount for a 700 sqft unit than a 1,400 sqft unit at Commerce towers.

Look, for the price of the said Commerce Tower unit, you would be Downtown, On the Light Rail, furnish your entire pad in Roche Bobois, with some left over for a Mercedes or luxury car of your choice. Your pool has probably the best views in the entire city, 24hr Concierge, 24hr Valet, Bi-weekly dry cleaning services, car wash service, emergency generator, and an HPD officer on site 24/7 (Plus much much more). LOL sorry sounds like I'm really interested in the Commerce Towers and playing around with 500K I don't have.

 

I get it comes down to personal preference, it just seems like they are way over-pricing these units. 

 

Edit: I guess you could combine 3 of the smaller units to get a 900 square foot place for what, 357k?

Edited by Montrose1100
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I'm sure the same type of people that will live here are the ones who first moved in and pioneered midtown. And although the immediate area isn't grown up yet I think these people see the potential and are probably satisfied with the proximity of midtown and downtown.

Edited by lockmat
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Wow, $2500/month to sleep on a pullout bed in a closet. 

 

I have no idea why this isnt for downtown. For all the space you have in east downtown, midrise condos and townhomes just work better. 

 

 

Wired did a piece on an example of micro apartments in New York

 

http://www.wired.com/2015/12/nys-first-micro-apartments-actually-look-kinda-comfortable/

 

It does look like it should be a good amount of room for one person, but I just have to wonder - why isn't this in downtown?

 

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Wow, $2500/month to sleep on a pullout bed in a closet.

I have no idea why this isnt for downtown. For all the space you have in east downtown, midrise condos and townhomes just work better.

Not down with pragmatism? ;)

If these were downtown I'm guessing they wouldn't be as affordable, pricing out their market.

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I will be curious to see how many of the 300-ish sq foot units are in the building. Perhaps one market would be parents buying a "dorm room" for their U of H student kid. Who knows.

But, as the nominal prices start to get into the high twos to low threes, commerce tower prices start to impact the comps on this building.

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Look, for the price of the said Commerce Tower unit, you would be Downtown, On the Light Rail, furnish your entire pad in Roche Bobois, with some left over for a Mercedes or luxury car of your choice. Your pool has probably the best views in the entire city, 24hr Concierge, 24hr Valet, Bi-weekly dry cleaning services, car wash service, emergency generator, and an HPD officer on site 24/7 (Plus much much more). LOL sorry sounds like I'm really interested in the Commerce Towers and playing around with 500K I don't have.

 

I get it comes down to personal preference, it just seems like they are way over-pricing these units. 

 

Edit: I guess you could combine 3 of the smaller units to get a 900 square foot place for what, 357k?

 

Feeeeees. What are they at Commerce? I think folks are hoping they'll be rock bottom at Ivy.

 

Nevermind - current Commerce listings on HAR list fees at $ .575 / sq ft. / month.

Edited by sevfiv
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  • The title was changed to Ivy Lofts: 28-Story Residential High-Rise East Of Downtown

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