swtsig Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Isn't blvd place supposed to be a big project with a couple of skyscrapers etc.? What is going there? is this place for real? I keep seeing big projects getting cancelled hopefully this one is for real.it's already under construction the the largest components (ie the 53 story ritz, 37 story hanover, and flagship whole foods) all appear to be on hold and in the case of the hanover, scrapped altogetherdraw it up to simply having bad timing for houston Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fewellman Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Its always bad timing for Houston. Whenever Houston starts to go building crazy it gets hit by some economic meltdown right before all the really cool projects get off the ground. Very upseting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 I wonder if there are any economists out there that have put together a 'tall building index' to use as an indicator of when real estate is about to go belly-up as an asset class.Not quite the same, but there is an architectural billings index published to gauge development activity. As one might expect it is at a record low (although it only goes back to 1995). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Its always bad timing for Houston. Whenever Houston starts to go building crazy it gets hit by some economic meltdown right before all the really cool projects get off the ground. Very upseting!Would you rather Houston have a ton of completed, but empty projects like in Dallas and Atlanta? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uhlaw09 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Its always bad timing for Houston. Whenever Houston starts to go building crazy it gets hit by some economic meltdown right before all the really cool projects get off the ground. Very upseting! You're right. We were hardly able to build anything in the 70s and 80s before that oil glut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fewellman Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 You're right. We were hardly able to build anything in the 70s and 80s before that oil glut. hahah yea true...... however many projects were canceled, including the bank of the southwest tower, that would have been one of the tallest buildings in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Tallest back then. Not much now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Would you rather Houston have a ton of completed, but empty projects like in Dallas and Atlanta?Empty projects that will eventually get filled one way or another and then those cities will have a heritage of mixed-use projects and we won't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Empty projects that will eventually get filled one way or another and then those cities will have a heritage of mixed-use projects and we won't.I'll take that bet. They couldn't fill the retail in their mixed use projects even when the economy was good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Empty projects that will eventually get filled one way or another and then those cities will have a heritage of mixed-use projects and we won't.They can try to fill them, because I'm sure some developer will build another (not needed) condo tower, mixed-use development, etc., right next to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Its always bad timing for Houston. Whenever Houston starts to go building crazy it gets hit by some economic meltdown right before all the really cool projects get off the ground. Very upseting!This might have something to do with Houston being a little out of phase with the rest of the nation's economic cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyEvilTwin Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 The Chronicle has a pretty long article following up on the dispute over that little bit of land that the city condemned to make a park that was very convenient for BLVD Place. A couple of interesting excerpts...Mayor Bill White and council members insist they condemned the land last year as a matter of good faith to taxpayers. The city needed some of the land to widen San Felipe and will turn the rest into the park.But documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle show the move also helped BLVD Place developer Ed Wulfe, a major donor to White, seal the deal on a $12.5 million land sale related to his ambitious mixed-use development.Councilman Peter Brown's vote to condemn the land next to BLVD Place is the kind of action the state's conflict-of-interest rules were meant to prevent. Brown is married to oil-services heiress Anne Schlumberger, who is an investor in BLVD Place. Under Texas conflict-of-interest law, a public official should recuse himself from a vote involving a property if he, his spouse or close relative has a "substantial interest," valued at more than a $2,500.In the end, the city condemned the land, offering the brothers $433,800, only $70,050 more than they paid for the property in 1982, and a million less than what Wulfe had offered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 (edited) That is very interesting. It appears that the Collins brothers were getting on everyone's nerves for years. They had a tiny piece of land that was almost useless in itself but perfectly positioned to stop both a needed road widening and a major development, and they refused to sell it for a decent price, either to the Uptown Development Authority, Wulfe, or the city, instead preferring to rent it to a palm reader. Then here comes the dilemma.... Let's say you're Bill White. You have a major donor who wants to do a major project that will benefit the city, and all that's standing in his way are these stubborn brothers with their little piece of land. It would help your donor A LOT if you just condemned the land and made it a park. Things like this are done legally all the time in other states. No one would have to know. Do you do it? Of course not. It's illegal, no matter how small, and would be scandalous if ever found out. But wait... the city has been needing to widen a road running next to the land, and the land will have to be condemned and acquired anyway for the road to be widened (!). Then there's the fact that if they condemn the tract for the part that's needed for the road, they pretty much have to pay for the whole piece of land anyway. So now things are looking a little better... you get to do this thing that benefits your donor friend, and you have a perfect rationale for how it helps the city! I mean, heck, you probably would have acquired the land for the road and made the rest of it a park even if it WASN'T perfectly convenient for your friend. Right? Right? Edited December 31, 2008 by H-Town Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 That is very interesting. It appears that the Collins brothers were getting on everyone's nerves for years. They had a tiny piece of land that was almost useless in itself but perfectly positioned to stop both a needed road widening and a major development, and they refused to sell it for a decent price, either to the Uptown Development Authority, Wulfe, or the city, instead preferring to rent it to a palm reader. I read somewhere they they were willing to sell it, but they wanted a lump sum payoff, not over time, which was being offered. I can understand that when they're near the end of their life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houston-development Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 i heard this weekend that some potential tenants are backing out. whole foods was not mentioned but other well known companies were..unfortunately, due to the sensitivity of negotiations, i cannot disclose who they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 i heard this weekend that some potential tenants are backing out. whole foods was not mentioned but other well known companies were..unfortunately, due to the sensitivity of negotiations, i cannot disclose who they are.Does this mean that more of the smaller buildings will be put on hold? It seems only the front building is built because it started before the economy really went into the crapper. I have yet to see anything else spring up.Without the Hanover and Ritz, what else are they going to put on hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarface Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 dang this current economy is screwing us out of everything!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I hope Hermes doesn't close. They have the best soap & cologne... mm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 This is going from bad to worse. Ugh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 This is not good at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 This is going from bad to worse. Ugh! This is not good at all. Short Term Memory Man. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 This is not good at all. Damn man, do you ever think positive about anything? Everytime you post this stuff you get sarcastic responses, or did you not notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Damn man, do you ever think positive about anything? Everytime you post this stuff you get sarcastic responses, or did you not notice.Unless it serves as a random topic bump to get this thread noticed, then I guess what LTAWACS is doing is fine silly. I agree, I'd like more relevant updates on BLVD place too.I wish developers would at least publish a tentative project schedule on their websites, even if they are off track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Unless it serves as a random topic bump to get this thread noticed, then I guess what LTAWACS is doing is fine silly. I agree, I'd like more relevant updates on BLVD place too.I wish developers would at least publish a tentative project schedule on their websites, even if they are off track.I'm sure at this point it's very difficult to speculate at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 According to this hbj article, Colvill is leasing the office space. However, I don't see it listed as one of their current projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swtsig Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 According to this hbj article, Colvill is leasing the office space. However, I don't see it listed as one of their current projects.it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 it isI emailed them yesterday and received a prompt response. I simply asked if information would be put up on their website soon. They said yes.http://www.colvilloffice.com/property.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 You know you're a HAIFer if you email a company to update the website with proper information in regards to a project under construction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 You know you're a HAIFer if you email a company to update the website with proper information in regards to a project under construction.jajaja...I think he believe I was interested in renting out space. He asked me if there were any other questions he could answer for me in the mean time. I didn't want to push it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 (edited) i am fine if they just finish this one building and then knock down the rest of the block and get that over with...that way all the tenants from the old buildings will have a new home and we can get rid of the eye sore that is the Pavillion and the Eatzi's plazaoy Edited February 11, 2009 by gene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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