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WestMont: Mixed-Use Development Coming To Montrose


groovehouse

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You guys have seen these kinds of "charette"-based drawings before, right? They are always so pie in the sky. I think the ideal intersection would be a compromise -- something halfway between that picture and the usual response of "let's eminent domain all the businesses on both sides of the street and then add an extra lane in each direction, hopefully tolled."

Edited by N Judah
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A smart plan would find some way to give pedestrians options to get them around over or under the traffic, not eliminate the traffic throughput. I think I'm going to print out that drawing, stick my finger down my throat and puke all over it.

be sure to scan the barfed on copy back in so that we can compare the renderings. :lol:

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You guys have seen these kinds of "charette"-based drawings before, right? They are always so pie in the sky. I think the ideal intersection would be a compromise -- something halfway between that picture and the usual response of "let's eminent domain all the businesses on both sides of the street and then add an extra lane in each direction, hopefully tolled."

And after they've added the toll lanes, change the name to Westheimer Parkway.

These "charette" type plans seem to always come out with a similar medium height, mixed-use with water feature look. I don't quite get the point.

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That would work for about a day or two. Americans in cars, in general, are too impatient to wait for people to cross the street.

People walk all over NYC, despite steady traffic at every intersection. You don't need a bridge or tunnel for people to cross the street. Just a culture where cars actually look for a pedestrian, and don't try to run them over.

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I didn't want to start a new thread, but the Cody's/Skybar building at Hawthorne and Montrose was hit by lightening yesterday. It hit the northeast corner, where the stage is and blew bricks off. The bricks fell to the ground and I'm not sure if anyone was injured.

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I didn't want to start a new thread, but the Cody's/Skybar building at Hawthorne and Montrose was hit by lightening yesterday. It hit the northeast corner, where the stage is and blew bricks off. The bricks fell to the ground and I'm not sure if anyone was injured.

So THAT Is what happened! It happend about the same time as the step-down transformer got hit over in Midtown. We live just down the street from 3400 Montrose (The skybar building) and were wondering what exactly happened. Thanks for the update.

However, from what I understand, with the amont of asbestos in that building there was no danger of fire...

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So THAT Is what happened! It happend about the same time as the step-down transformer got hit over in Midtown. We live just down the street from 3400 Montrose (The skybar building) and were wondering what exactly happened. Thanks for the update.

However, from what I understand, with the amont of asbestos in that building there was no danger of fire...

Exactly. Black smoke was billowing up in Midtown at the same time. Later, I saw 3 HFD firemen shopping at Kroger and they confirmed that both incidents were caused by lightening. I heard several very loud strikes. I'm in the area too.

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If we're going to cut car capacity on Westheimer there might as well be rail instead of a freaking moat.

It'd be nice to have something besides a vacant Blockbuster, a gas station and a Smoothie King at what's supposed to be a major intersection in Montrose though.

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If we're going to cut car capacity on Westheimer there might as well be rail instead of a freaking moat.

It'd be nice to have something besides a vacant Blockbuster, a gas station and a Smoothie King at what's supposed to be a major intersection in Montrose though.

anyone know what's going to take the place of the former Taco Cabana?

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There are so many things wrong with that picture its staggering. For one thing, the buildings are shamelessly having light point upward...light pollution ordinances be damned. The buildings would all have to be torn down and completely rebuilt, the intersection no longer goes straight, it's a roundabout.

That said, this might be feasible, for say, a mall redevelopment (sort of like CityCentre).

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There are so many things wrong with that picture its staggering. For one thing, the buildings are shamelessly having light point upward...light pollution ordinances be damned. The buildings would all have to be torn down and completely rebuilt, the intersection no longer goes straight, it's a roundabout.

That said, this might be feasible, for say, a mall redevelopment (sort of like CityCentre).

Upwardly pointing lights seem to have become a standard feature of architectural renderings. The idea I think is to add some visual drama.

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You guys have seen these kinds of "charette"-based drawings before, right? They are always so pie in the sky. I think the ideal intersection would be a compromise -- something halfway between that picture and the usual response of "let's eminent domain all the businesses on both sides of the street and then add an extra lane in each direction, hopefully tolled."

The "charette" people are going to issue a report--as I understand it-- there are to be suggestions to slow down traffic entering the intersection--one of the suggestions was to narrow the streets coming into the intersection-- then of course the traffic circle is suppose to also slow traffic-- however I'm thinking that the idea of narrow lanes plus the traffic circle will have drivers looking for an alternative route.

I personally had hoped that the orginial art deco design of the building where the half priced books is located might have shown up in the drawing. There is a previous thread that posted pictures of the building. With the emphasis on preservation in this particular part of Montrose, I was surprised that the design was so Modern.

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  • 1 month later...

In Montrose?? There's always demand for food alternatives... whether they be smoothies, crack or any combination of the two.

That vacant Blockbuster is getting on my last nerve. Why can't Taco Cabana move in there, or something else? This intersection is just too high-profile to go to waste like that with vacant storefronts.

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In Montrose?? There's always demand for food alternatives... whether they be smoothies, crack or any combination of the two.

That vacant Blockbuster is getting on my last nerve. Why can't Taco Cabana move in there, or something else? This intersection is just too high-profile to go to waste like that with vacant storefronts.

I'm betting the vacancy is intentional. That property has to be incredibly valuable, far more valuable than the measly rent given by the handful of companies that occupy the retail space. I bet that as soon as all their leases are up, they'll be forced to move elsewhere and that property will be torn down for redevelopment. You know, just like the property on Montrose between Dallas and Allen Parkway. It's far too valuable to do nothing with!

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I'm betting the vacancy is intentional. That property has to be incredibly valuable, far more valuable than the measly rent given by the handful of companies that occupy the retail space. I bet that as soon as all their leases are up, they'll be forced to move elsewhere and that property will be torn down for redevelopment. You know, just like the property on Montrose between Dallas and Allen Parkway. It's far too valuable to do nothing with!

Is the Schlotzky's still open? That might be the only one left that I know of. Keep it! Or move it to the Heights, where one of the burned down lots are.

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Is the Schlotzky's still open? That might be the only one left that I know of. Keep it! Or move it to the Heights, where one of the burned down lots are.

Yeah, it's still there. Now that my wife and I are in Greenway from Montrose, I find those errant debit card charges have just changed addresses. She loves their bread. I have to agree. That place is freakin' good.

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In Montrose?? There's always demand for food alternatives... whether they be smoothies, crack or any combination of the two.

That vacant Blockbuster is getting on my last nerve. Why can't Taco Cabana move in there, or something else? This intersection is just too high-profile to go to waste like that with vacant storefronts.

Yeah but smoothies???? Come on... ugh.

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