Apartments At 2901 Polk St.

[hindesky]

Houston Housing Authority.

[samagon]

where the Harrisburg HHA consideration is a good location, this is a bad location. sure it's on a comfort bike lane, and there is bus service, but TXDoT is about to shut Polk down going into downtown, so what's the future of bus service on Polk going to look like? the location is half a mile from the closest LR station, and access to grocery stores is even more bleak.

if they want to force affordable housing into this section of the east end, they need to go ahead and do it where housing already exists, and no one is occupying it. TXDoT should be working a deal with Houston to turn the 2 remaining apartment buildings next to the soccer stadium into affordable housing. the light rail stop is right outside the doors, and that light rail works for 2 different lines, green and purple. it is a food desert as well, but it's 10x better than this spot.

[JClark54]

I share your concerns about Polk access to downtown. 

These apartments would be four blocks from the Ennis Street METRORail Station, if it materializes. I have less optimism that project after the most recent EaDO TIRZ meeting, where TIRZ members stated METRO would support the location but didn't have money to get it off the ground. It would have to be built by another party, like the TIRZ, they said.

Kombat Kroger îs approximately one mile away, so close but likely an inconvenient to walk groceries home. 

Edited March 21, 2023 by JClark54

[j.33]

5 hours ago, samagon said:

where the Harrisburg HHA consideration is a good location, this is a bad location. sure it's on a comfort bike lane, and there is bus service, but TXDoT is about to shut Polk down going into downtown, so what's the future of bus service on Polk going to look like? the location is half a mile from the closest LR station, and access to grocery stores is even more bleak.

METRO tends to make very minor changes when it comes to things like a road closure. They'd probably just have it take St Emanuel/Emancipation to a street that will cross 59. I could not see them eliminating the bus routes along Polk. Additionally, there is that Kroger .7 miles away (6 min bus trip) east of the site.  

[samagon]

1 hour ago, Justin Welling said:

Additionally, there is that Kroger .7 miles away (6 min bus trip) east of the site.  

I always forget about that Kroger, thanks, so less bad for sure!

[004n063]

1 hour ago, samagon said:

I always forget about that Kroger, thanks, so less bad for sure!

Yeah, that's especially easy if you've got a bike (though obviously not everyone has that option).

[Erik Asuncion]

On 3/21/2023 at 3:17 PM, Justin Welling said:

METRO tends to make very minor changes when it comes to things like a road closure. They'd probably just have it take St Emanuel/Emancipation to a street that will cross 59. I could not see them eliminating the bus routes along Polk. Additionally, there is that Kroger .7 miles away (6 min bus trip) east of the site.  

One of the proposed routes was just that: turn right on St. Emmanuel, turn left to cross over 59 at a crossing at Lamar, left onto a feeder road that runs along the convention center, and then right onto Polk. It would add a few minutes onto the route.

I don't own a car. I walk to Kroger when I need missing items for a meal. For my regular shopping, I take the 40 to HEB on Waugh/Washington. 

[Andrew Ewert]

1 hour ago, Erik Asuncion said:

I walk to Kroger when I need missing items for a meal. For my regular shopping, I take the 40 to HEB on Waugh/Washington.

I treat grocery shopping exactly the same way - make the trip to HEB for the big week's worth of shopping, use Kroger in an emergency.

[samagon]

3 hours ago, Erik Asuncion said:

One of the proposed routes was just that: turn right on St. Emmanuel, turn left to cross over 59 at a crossing at Lamar, left onto a feeder road that runs along the convention center, and then right onto Polk. It would add a few minutes onto the route.

I don't own a car. I walk to Kroger when I need missing items for a meal. For my regular shopping, I take the 40 to HEB on Waugh/Washington. 

the problem with that route, that I don't think that was being grasped (either willfully, or maybe I didn't explain it well) is that if anyone (the bus included) that goes all the way to St. Emanuel in hopes of accessing the u-turn lane that is at Lamar are going to have a very hard time.

below is a snip from the released schematic. what I have highlighted in red is the exit from 59. it replaces the current 59 exit to Polk street, this new alignment moves it farther north so that if there is a signal it will be at Dallas (but since there's no cross traffic, why would they have a signal?). the existing exit is 2 lanes and usually has more than enough cars. it looks like as the exit bumps to align with Dallas it drops from 2 lanes to 1, and then 300 ft farther up the street you have the u-turn. trying to access that from St. Emanuel will be difficult at best. anyone on Polk that dreams of getting into that u-turn should probably change their plan to turn on Hutchins (or more better on right on Emancipation) and the left on Lamar, rather than becoming part of St. Emanuel traffic that will not easily access that u-turn.

anyway, buses are going to need to do the same.

how this actually works in real life, as well as how the city and TXDoT treat Leeland WB traffic after 59 I'll be very eager to watch.

sorry for taking this so far afield. but that u-turn lane that keeps getting tossed around as a boon for East End traffic on Polk to easily access downtown, it is not that, not unless the traffic exiting the freeway will be signaled to allow people on St. Emanuel a chance at accessing that lane.

[E.Res]

Does anyone know when it will be decided if apartments will be built?

[wilcal]

11 hours ago, E.Res said:

Does anyone know when it will be decided if apartments will be built?

I'm not 100%, but I'm pretty sure that is all that they build. 

This site is about 50% bigger than The Exchange from Hardy Yards which has 300 units with 151 of them being affordable.

https://affordablehousinghouston.com/stores/red-line-station-apartments-the-exchange/

3800 Main is about 1/3 of the size and has 319 units (161 affordable): https://www.3800main.com/

I'm personally hoping for something like a 4-5 story building with some retail options. 

[Andrew Ewert]

GFR would be amaaaaazing

[hindesky]

[E.Res]

What are the red lines on the pictures?
 

[hindesky]

5 hours ago, E.Res said:

What are the red lines on the pictures?
 

Steel beams that at one time supported the roof.

[cspwal]

In 2020 whoever owned the building removed the old roof and installed these new support beams