Luminare Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 (edited) http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/nhhip/west/presentation-west.pdf The presentation for the pierce elevated portion. All the images are great. The vision is big. Page 57 is the key image though. This image really hits home what this sky park could ultimately be for the area. Still a long way to go before this actually happens, but they are take the right precedent images, and fitting them in the right way. Really like the infill ideas underneath the bridge. Reminds me of how many of the older train bridges in Berlin are done. Also like the deconstructive elements where the pure structure is revealed while others stay covered. All in all. The presentations for the vision of the overall idea have been fantastic. Its the first time since the introduction of Discovery Green that it feels the city is aiming high and has a grand vision to aspire too. Now all thats left is the execution! Not to mention who are the names they are going to bring onto the project to design each segment. If I had to name one to handle a particular component of this project it would be BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) for the structural bike bridges / bike lanes/ urban parks. They have done some really cool things in their home in Denmark regarding those conditions and it would be cool if they could be pitched as a leader for this sort of project. This vision has the potential to bring all kinds of big names to the city the way Modernism did for the city back in the 50's and 60's. EDIT: This actually begs a bigger question. What architects or people would y'all like to see involved in this kind of vision, design wise? and for which portions? Leaving money and time out of it for now. Focusing on the vision they have put forward. What people or offices would we want to execute these projects? Edited September 21, 2018 by Luminare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADCS Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 (edited) So still no signature design elements for the DT Connector bridge over Buffalo Bayou? Kind of a shame, really. It would be cool to see an extradosed bridge here. Edit: and now I'm at Page 17 :-) Edited September 21, 2018 by ADCS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intencity77 Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 Page 56 on top of the “Pierce Skypark” is exactly what I was envisioning in my head! The views would be spectacular after more highrise developers would be naturally attracted to build next to the skypark. I really hope the city stays committed to all three visions around downtown. It’s a stunning vision and would make downtown a true one of a kind experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reporter Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 Approved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 5 hours ago, Luminare said: Really like the infill ideas underneath the bridge. Reminds me of how many of the older train bridges in Berlin are done. Also like the deconstructive elements where the pure structure is revealed while others stay covered. The infills are an excellent idea. Having some shops underneath the Houston Skywalker would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 1 minute ago, Triton said: The infills are an excellent idea. Having some shops underneath the Houston Skywalker would be great. Did you just coin a possible name for this?! Take this to COH immediately! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrow Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 5 hours ago, Luminare said: http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/nhhip/west/presentation-west.pdf The presentation for the pierce elevated portion. All the images are great. The vision is big. What would the length of the new park loop around Downtown be, about 5 miles or so? I have to tell you, I'm not a jogger, but the prospects of being able to take a 5 mile jog encircling Downtown Houston makes me want to start. The views from so many vantage points would be absolutely amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADCS Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Luminare said: Did you just coin a possible name for this?! Take this to COH immediately! Even better idea - see if Disney will help with the development. This is the sort of space they have a lot of experience with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 On 9/21/2018 at 10:28 AM, ADCS said: So still no signature design elements for the DT Connector bridge over Buffalo Bayou? Kind of a shame, really. It would be cool to see an extradosed bridge here. Edit: and now I'm at Page 17 :-) It's a nice image, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 We would have to be complete morons to not think this is a GREAT IDEA! Turning the Pierce in to a park with build outs underneath would be incredible and really urbanize and connect Midtown and Downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nole23 Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 I was all about tearing down the pierce elevated.... until I just now saw the renderings of it in that presentation with the shops underneath. Wow. If we can pull this off this would definitely be unique for our city! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Nole23 said: I was all about tearing down the pierce elevated.... until I just now saw the renderings of it in that presentation with the shops underneath. Wow. If we can pull this off this would definitely be unique for our city! Unique and interesting in a way thats very Houston. Yeah the genesis was the highline and various other precedents, but the renderings and plans feel like they are approaching it to our context. I was worried that they might just ape the original, but are instead using as a springboard to something better. Edited October 10, 2018 by Luminare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 Do we know who owns the land under the Pierce? If it is TxDOT (I believe it is), don't they plan on selling it off? If the city wants this to be a park, wouldn't they have to buy up all of that land at a huge expense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 55 minutes ago, H-Town Man said: Do we know who owns the land under the Pierce? If it is TxDOT (I believe it is), don't they plan on selling it off? If the city wants this to be a park, wouldn't they have to buy up all of that land at a huge expense? Yes. I think that sums it up pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 1 hour ago, H-Town Man said: Do we know who owns the land under the Pierce? If it is TxDOT (I believe it is), don't they plan on selling it off? If the city wants this to be a park, wouldn't they have to buy up all of that land at a huge expense? Evidently, the City of Houston owns a lot of the land that they will need to do the highway expansion on the east side of downtown and the plan is to do a land swap with the state. Land is sold at market value if TxDOT were to sell part of it. No idea if CoH gets preferential bids or anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 1 hour ago, H-Town Man said: Do we know who owns the land under the Pierce? If it is TxDOT (I believe it is), don't they plan on selling it off? If the city wants this to be a park, wouldn't they have to buy up all of that land at a huge expense? That's I think the big problem with all these presentations from the city. They are quite ambitious and exciting but with the North Canal being the ONLY part of these presentations that has any funding in place, it seems quite hard to believe that they'll be able to find funding for even half of this, unless the federal government somehow matches what the city puts in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 9 minutes ago, wilcal said: Evidently, the City of Houston owns a lot of the land that they will need to do the highway expansion on the east side of downtown and the plan is to do a land swap with the state. Land is sold at market value if TxDOT were to sell part of it. No idea if CoH gets preferential bids or anything. I imagine that COH owns the streets, which actually make up a decent share of the land needed, but I can't imagine it's much more than 25%. Nor would it be a straight-up acre-for-acre swap. I envision an army of appraisers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenOlenska Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 So where do these towers come from. Like to they build this "skywalk" expecting towers to be integrated in the system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxConcrete Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 5 hours ago, wilcal said: Land is sold at market value if TxDOT were to sell part of it. No idea if CoH gets preferential bids or anything. CoH has the right to purchase the property before it can be offered to anyone else or put on the market. I'm not sure about this, but Harris County could also have the same privilege, after CoH. In terms of price, my understanding is that CoH would have to pay market price. Determining the market price is not an exact science and the price could potentially be agreed to be on the low end of a market range and still be in compliance with rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 6 hours ago, Triton said: That's I think the big problem with all these presentations from the city. They are quite ambitious and exciting but with the North Canal being the ONLY part of these presentations that has any funding in place, it seems quite hard to believe that they'll be able to find funding for even half of this, unless the federal government somehow matches what the city puts in. I'm sure funding sources from the feds are possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 23 hours ago, H-Town Man said: I imagine that COH owns the streets, which actually make up a decent share of the land needed, but I can't imagine it's much more than 25%. Nor would it be a straight-up acre-for-acre swap. I envision an army of appraisers. They own at least the block where the CoH Parking Management office is. I saw that they added meters all around the sides. And now that I think about it, I wonder if the county owns the land for the Astros parking lots since they own the land under the stadiums and lease it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 22 hours ago, EllenOlenska said: So where do these towers come from. Like to they build this "skywalk" expecting towers to be integrated in the system? I specifically asked about the skywalk connecting GRB on the southern end and they said it would only be developed if there was a hotel that was built. There are plans for one to be built on the old Kim Hung supermarket site but I think it would be a while before it actually gets built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HNathoo Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 1 hour ago, wilcal said: They own at least the block where the CoH Parking Management office is. I saw that they added meters all around the sides. And now that I think about it, I wonder if the county owns the land for the Astros parking lots since they own the land under the stadiums and lease it. The city doesn't own the parking management office - they lease it. Many of the Astros lots on east side of 59 are controlled by the Louis Macey family. They run ops on these lots in house (LAM parking). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 (edited) 4 hours ago, HNathoo said: The city doesn't own the parking management office - they lease it. Many of the Astros lots on east side of 59 are controlled by the Louis Macey family. They run ops on these lots in house (LAM parking). All of the lots that will be affected by the freeway project are on county records as being owned by the Harris County Houston Sports Authority. Further, all of the Astros lots east of 59/69 are included in the Stadium Lease by which the Authority leased them to the Astros (It should be safe to presume the Authority owns the property that they are leasing to the Astros). Macey does own property in EADO and has for many years (and he may have formerly owned some of the Astros lots and/or the part of the site of BBVA Compass Stadium). In a Chronicle article back in 2015, Macey was quoted as saying he was going to lose two blocks to the highway project. Those holdings appear to be behind the GRB. Edited October 11, 2018 by Houston19514 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HNathoo Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Block 182 is owned by the Macey's, as well as a few other lots that won't be impacted by the TXDOT project. I guess those lots aren't officially Astros lots, but are utilized by the public when games are played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 14 hours ago, HNathoo said: Block 182 is owned by the Macey's, as well as a few other lots that won't be impacted by the TXDOT project. I guess those lots aren't officially Astros lots, but are utilized by the public when games are played. Which block is Block 182? I cannot find a map that shows the block numbers east of I-69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HNathoo Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 The lot bounded by Rusk, St. Emmanuel, Capitol, and 59 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 1 hour ago, HNathoo said: The lot bounded by Rusk, St. Emmanuel, Capitol, and 59 Ah, yes. Macey owns that block and they also have some other parcels that will be taken by the freeway project (including a good portion of the next block to the southwest (presumably block No. 181?)). As you said, none of them are among the Astros lots that were originally suggested as being county-owed and therefore possibly available for swaps for the Pierce Elevated land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennyc05 Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 Looks like they're doing soil sampling south bound on 59 right where it goes from elevated to depressed in the trench. Will the 288 and 59 interchange be rebuilt as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADCS Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 Yes, pretty much everything from 527 up to the I-10 interchange will be rebuilt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.