Jump to content

Downtown Apartment Market


Houston19514

Recommended Posts

On 8/15/2018 at 6:07 AM, kbates2 said:

Very solid post.  My thought is not that we are down in the dumps though, I am just wondering if Austin’s 13k residents is close to a critical mass that we can shoot for in terms of reaching a level of recreational downtown to where it feels like a completely different place.

 

austin's downtown resident population is actually around 15K (probably a bit more) so essentially double Houston's. right before (or maybe after) i left their mayor established an initiaitve to increase their downtown population to something like 20 or 25K within 10 years. this would've been a good 4 or 5 years before our DLI so they had a decent head start. due to their zoning they definitely have a more cohesive downtown but we'll get there with time. we'll never have as strong a recreational/nightlife component, particularly from a restaurant/bar and hotel perspective but they'll never match our arts and professional sports scene either. they're also light years away from being the professional hub that Houston has downtown, but they've made great strides there due to the tech boom.

 

basically both cities are kicking ass... austin may always be hipper but houston can't be overlooked anymore as it's traditionally been. if only we could create some sort of large semi-natural water oasis near downtown... that is so desperately needed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, swtsig said:

 

austin's downtown resident population is actually around 15K (probably a bit more) so essentially double Houston's. right before (or maybe after) i left their mayor established an initiaitve to increase their downtown population to something like 20 or 25K within 10 years. this would've been a good 4 or 5 years before our DLI so they had a decent head start. due to their zoning they definitely have a more cohesive downtown but we'll get there with time. we'll never have as strong a recreational/nightlife component, particularly from a restaurant/bar and hotel perspective but they'll never match our arts and professional sports scene either. they're also light years away from being the professional hub that Houston has downtown, but they've made great strides there due to the tech boom.

 

basically both cities are kicking ass... austin may always be hipper but houston can't be overlooked anymore as it's traditionally been. if only we could create some sort of large semi-natural water oasis near downtown... that is so desperately needed.

 

I am not sure about 'large' but the bayou and park should be continually invested in, improved, maintained, etc... the connectivity park wise is already badass and it will only get better!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, swtsig said:

if only we could create some sort of large semi-natural water oasis near downtown... that is so desperately needed.

 

Moving I-45 will let us do something nice with the bayou right there, but then there's the downtown connector, expanded from four lanes to six lanes, with shoulders... oh well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, swtsig said:

 

austin's downtown resident population is actually around 15K (probably a bit more) so essentially double Houston's. right before (or maybe after) i left their mayor established an initiaitve to increase their downtown population to something like 20 or 25K within 10 years. this would've been a good 4 or 5 years before our DLI so they had a decent head start. due to their zoning they definitely have a more cohesive downtown but we'll get there with time. we'll never have as strong a recreational/nightlife component, particularly from a restaurant/bar and hotel perspective but they'll never match our arts and professional sports scene either. they're also light years away from being the professional hub that Houston has downtown, but they've made great strides there due to the tech boom.

 

basically both cities are kicking ass... austin may always be hipper but houston can't be overlooked anymore as it's traditionally been. if only we could create some sort of large semi-natural water oasis near downtown... that is so desperately needed.

Depends on the circle you hang with as far as Austin being hipper than Houston. I don't think it is in ny opinion. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, kennyc05 said:

Depends on the circle you hang with as far as Austin being hipper than Houston. I don't think it is in ny opinion. 

I was walking slightly in front of a gaggle of 20 year olds 6 months ago and I could overhear them.  They were from Austin (students?).  Anyway, one of the gaggle postulated:  “downtown Houston is way better than downtown Austin.......”.   The gaggle quickly agreed.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of the buzz in downtown Austin is the incredible amount of tourists the city attracts and the proximity to UT and the capitol. 

During the legislative session restaurants and hotels get much busier. If it wasn't for UT, they would'nt have a museum. It took forever to develop a true concert hall.

The arts have come a long way in Austin, but light years behind Houston. It doesn't hurt that they have a controlled river that runs right through it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎8‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 3:54 PM, swtsig said:

basically both cities are kicking ass... austin may always be hipper but houston can't be overlooked anymore as it's traditionally been. if only we could create some sort of large semi-natural water oasis near downtown... that is so desperately needed.

 

On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 11:53 AM, bobruss said:

A lot of the buzz in downtown Austin is the incredible amount of tourists the city attracts and the proximity to UT and the capitol. 

During the legislative session restaurants and hotels get much busier. If it wasn't for UT, they would'nt have a museum. It took forever to develop a true concert hall.

The arts have come a long way in Austin, but light years behind Houston. It doesn't hurt that they have a controlled river that runs right through it.

 

Wouldn't it be great to create Lake Barker and Lake Addicks. We would end up having a much more controlled Buffalo Bayou much along the lines of what Austin has with it's river. Imagine how much more could be done if you didn't have to worry about flooding. Our reservoirs are actually larger in land area than Lake Travis (26k vs 19k), but only hold about a third as much water (~400,000 acre feet vs ~1.1M acre feet). We'd be much more prepared for the next Harvey. Sure we don't have the topography that accompanies Lake Travis, but who cares. Get digging.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Sparrow said:

 

 

Wouldn't it be great to create Lake Barker and Lake Addicks. We would end up having a much more controlled Buffalo Bayou much along the lines of what Austin has with it's river. Imagine how much more could be done if you didn't have to worry about flooding. Our reservoirs are actually larger in land area than Lake Travis (26k vs 19k), but only hold about a third as much water (~400,000 acre feet vs ~1.1M acre feet). We'd be much more prepared for the next Harvey. Sure we don't have the topography that accompanies Lake Travis, but who cares. Get digging.

 

 

 

But if we put water in it then we lose storage capacity for heavy rains. I think there must be a reason they didn't do this already.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

 

But if we put water in it then we lose storage capacity for heavy rains. I think there must be a reason they didn't do this already.

 

You could always dig them out deeper with the existing floor being the new lake level; I'm sure the civil engineers could come up with something given enough funding. The creeks that feed into Barker and Addicks are pretty tiny outside of flood events, that might make these lakes semi-stagnant, though one might say the same of the existing bayous. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Nate99 said:

 

You could always dig them out deeper with the existing floor being the new lake level; I'm sure the civil engineers could come up with something given enough funding. The creeks that feed into Barker and Addicks are pretty tiny outside of flood events, that might make these lakes semi-stagnant, though one might say the same of the existing bayous. 

 

I think that given the cost to dig them deeper and the other flood-mitigation projects we need, the only way this gets done is if we dig them deeper out of necessity, i.e. to hold more flood water, not to provide a scenic feature and hold the same amount of flood water. Benefits of having lakes there are reduced given that you won't see the lake from I-10 due to the high berm so it won't impact the city's image as much as a Lake Ray Hubbard would, the lake won't have a natural shape, and with there being high earth walls around it, you won't be able to do the normal marinas and stuff. You could do them on the inflow side but then everything would get flooded whenever there's a big storm. Plus you'd lose major forested parks that that part of town needs as much or maybe more than it needs a lake.

Edited by H-Town Man
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, H-Town Man said:

 

I think that given the cost to dig them deeper and the other flood-mitigation projects we need, the only way this gets done is if we dig them deeper out of necessity, i.e. to hold more flood water, not to provide a scenic feature and hold the same amount of flood water. Benefits of having lakes there are reduced given that you won't see the lake from I-10 due to the high berm so it won't impact the city's image as much as a Lake Ray Hubbard would, the lake won't have a natural shape, and with there being high earth walls around it, you won't be able to do the normal marinas and stuff. You could do them on the inflow side but then everything would get flooded whenever there's a big storm. Plus you'd lose major forested parks that that part of town needs as much or maybe more than it needs a lake.

 

Right. I'm certainly no visionary, but it seems like it would be more trouble than it is worth. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

They could always dig an over flow channel that runs southerly and flood Sugarland instead of Houston :lol:  

 

Would the berms have to be that high of your holding the water in the ground instead of above? 

 

Wouldn't it be better to mitigate flooding by having the detention basin deeper in the ground anyway than having high berms? 

 

Wouldn't letting the water slowing steep into the Ground help? Unless we have back to back extreme rain events before the level in the lakes decrease, a temp lake may help. I dunno :blink: the current set up is no longer working. Extreme rain events send to be a yearly occurrence so I dunno maybe it's fine to get creative. Aerial views of this thing during Harvey is crazy: 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wired.com/story/houston-dams-probable-maximum-flood-vs-500-year-flood/amp

 

What would they do with all the excavated dirt? Houston Hills? 

 

I'm thinking that for most of the year the water levels in the lake would be a lot lower than we are all imagining.  

 

How deep would it go before it gets too cost prohibitive? How much volume would it increase by if it was dug.   Talks of a 3rd reservoir have been carrying a $500M price tag. $2.5B was just approved for flood mitigation projects

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎8‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 1:42 PM, HoustonIsHome said:

They could always dig an over flow channel that runs southerly and flood Sugarland instead of Houston :lol:  

 

Would the berms have to be that high of your holding the water in the ground instead of above? 

 

Wouldn't it be better to mitigate flooding by having the detention basin deeper in the ground anyway than having high berms? 

 

Wouldn't letting the water slowing steep into the Ground help? Unless we have back to back extreme rain events before the level in the lakes decrease, a temp lake may help. I dunno :blink: the current set up is no longer working. Extreme rain events send to be a yearly occurrence so I dunno maybe it's fine to get creative. Aerial views of this thing during Harvey is crazy: 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wired.com/story/houston-dams-probable-maximum-flood-vs-500-year-flood/amp

 

What would they do with all the excavated dirt? Houston Hills? 

 

I'm thinking that for most of the year the water levels in the lake would be a lot lower than we are all imagining.  

 

How deep would it go before it gets too cost prohibitive? How much volume would it increase by if it was dug.   Talks of a 3rd reservoir have been carrying a $500M price tag. $2.5B was just approved for flood mitigation projects

 

The high berms are already there. We are not going to move them when they are protecting the central city. If we dig deeper, it will be so we can hold more water in major rain events. We would not pay all the money to dig deeper, then pay all the money to remove the berms, only to have no net gain in water holding capacity.

 

Also, I think there are problems with a deeply dug lake if you are wanting something aesthetic. Steep banks and deep earth clay do not make for a pretty lake.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

3rd Quarter, 2018:

 

Downtown population continues to grow fast.  A net 314 units were absorbed in the CBD, while zero new units were delivered.  (Assuming 1.4 people per occupied apartment, downtown added almost 150 people per month during the 3rd quarter.)

 

The "Central Houston" market (downtown, Montrose/Museum/Midtown, Heights/Wash Ave., Highland Village/Upper Kirby/West U, and Med Center/Braes Bayou) delivered 786 new units during the quarter, with 975 units net absorption.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Houston19514 said:

3rd Quarter, 2018:

 

Downtown population continues to grow fast.  A net 314 units were absorbed in the CBD, while zero new units were delivered.  (Assuming 1.4 people per occupied apartment, downtown added almost 150 people per month during the 3rd quarter.)

 

The "Central Houston" market (downtown, Montrose/Museum/Midtown, Heights/Wash Ave., Highland Village/Upper Kirby/West U, and Med Center/Braes Bayou) delivered 786 new units during the quarter, with 975 units net absorption.

 

Thanks. Does your source show occupancy or rent growth for downtown?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Wow...784 total residents in Downtown in 1990. Now we have almost 10,000! Thats an impressive improvement. Especially when most of that jump has been within the past 10 years. Incredible change and it shows. The momentum is real and its now visible when you are out there at night. We can't stop here though we have to keep movin.

Edited by Luminare
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like HTown's 50K idea, maybe inclusive of Midtown that would effectively merge at that point. 

 

Houston's sprawl is at a tipping point. It's not going to stop, but the tradeoffs of living in a denser area are meeting up with the tradeoffs of an ever lengthening commute.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Nate99 said:

I like HTown's 50K idea, maybe inclusive of Midtown that would effectively merge at that point. 

 

Houston's sprawl is at a tipping point. It's not going to stop, but the tradeoffs of living in a denser area are meeting up with the tradeoffs of an ever lengthening commute.

 

Is that 50k in Downtown alone? That would be incredible. That would be comparable to some of the densist cities in America. Do we even have areas of the size of downtown with 50,000? I think this should be the goal every district here in town. Its definitely possible for most districts to not only get that much but also maintain some cores of original single family sized homes in pockets if they desire to maintain that lineage.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Luminare said:

 

That would be both hilarious and sad if they demo that great looking church for a parking garage.

Maybe it's just the closest major street intersection and the actual site that is in question is the current surface lot along Jackson Street between Texas and Capitol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, brijonmang said:

Maybe it's just the closest major street intersection and the actual site that is in question is the current surface lot along Jackson Street between Texas and Capitol.

 

Honestly. Would be interesting if they moved the church to that parking lot. Close down abandon Jackson Street and Chenevert St. Convert that portion of Avenida De Las Americas into a pedistrian walk. Then put the parking garage in its former location. I could then imagine putting a marquee type building on part of that block between capital and rusk and then turning the rest into a genuine square. That would be a cool idea. Hmm. Might have to do a sketch of that over lunch.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...