Camden Midtown: Multifamily At 2303 Louisiana St.

[danes75]

Summer IS hot... but winter brown? Not really. One thing Dallas prides itself on is its landscaping. Drought? Hell no. They might institute water rationing but hell if you think they'll turn off the sprinkler systems. Even the highway medians have them.

The next few months are probably the best time. There will still be pansies planted everywhere but the grass will be nice and green. The trees will have started either blooming (lots of pear trees in the spring and crepe myrtles in the summer) or leafing.

Be sure to check out Dream Cafe, Paciugo Gelato, and Legacy Trading Company. :-D

[kzseattle]

Summer IS hot... but winter brown?

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

Oooh... I am in the middle of a nasty bout of to be Dallas v.s. Houston, now am I?

[kzseattle]

Oooh... I am in the middle of a nasty bout of to be Dallas v.s. Houston, now am I? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, I guess not. We are just talking about whats a good time of the year to visit Dallas for a pleasant trip.

[H-Town Man]

garden oaks here --

hey... what happened to Post Properties here in Houston?  they've developed like 80% of uptown in Dallas.  Its miles and miles of high-end, upscale Post and Gables communities with office space and storefronts.  Why are there only two Post properties here... and most of the Gables properties are rundown B class complexes?

i have a friend that lives in midtown and i have to say... apartments can't make it look much more ghetto than parts of it already do.  driving to his new townhouse (built last year) i get the treat of passing section 8 housing where women come up when you're at the stop sign and ask if you want to buy a tube of toothpaste, vacant lots with bums sleeping in them, people's kitchen trash bags thrown in the ditch, and roads with signs posted that the city has proposed abandonment.  ABANDONMENT???  why on earth would the city abandon a public street next to a park???

midtown is ghetto, and no apartment complex can make it worse.

houston needs to get off its ass and fix ____.  pass a no-panhandling law.  i know the city of Dallas had a proposal a few months ago that required the possession of a state-id card with a valid address.  if someone didn't have one (read= bum), the police took them to a shelter (or jail, i can't remember which).  i dunno if it passed, but its a good idea.

houston should be wooing world class developers to revitalize midtown with beautiful parks and a pedestrial friendly transit system.  I may be wrong, but it seems like almost every street in houston is a damn 5 lane superhighway, and probably 1/3 of the pedestrial crossing signals don't work.

why does EVERYTHING seem to look run down?  this city has a severe case of a "houston's the most beautiful city in the u.s. no matter what anyone else says" inferiority complex.  no its not. and anyone that says houston is more asthetically pleasing than say, Boston, has their head stuck up their ass.

once a city councilperson said the reason houston had "growing pains" was because it was so ethnically and culturally diverse.  more diverse than New York?  Or San Francisco?  come on.

its like a parent with a bratty kid.  stop defending it. just fix the damn problem.

-------

i'm done ranting. all you fierce "houston's the most..." zealots can flame me now.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I like this. Tellin' it like it is...

I have to point out though, that we are the 3rd most diverse of the nation's 25 largest cities, and Dallas is not anywhere close.

But he's right about Uptown Dallas. They're light years ahead of us as far as building a classy, pedestrian-friendly area of townhomes.

[The Great Hizzy!]

The only thing I can say to this is that Midtown Houston (the southern central part of it) is in a period of transition and I can understand the frustration of seeing its transformation take place at such a slower pace.

A point of fact is that Midtown is competing with several other areas in terms of inner city renewal:

1) The West End. Take a ride down Washington Avenue and every day an old structure is being torn down in place of new condos, new apartments or some new type of commercial entity (yes, I know, many of 'em are of the strip variety but work with me).

2) The Museum District: older, stately homes are being renovated into braggadocious single family units or townhomes, with new structures being built around them.

3) The eastern half of Midtown from roughly San Jacinto to US 59/SH 288. More townhomes. A lot more. Tons more, in fact.

4) Uptown. Someone made a comment about Uptown Dallas in relationship to Midtown but much of the condo/apartment growth in that area is similar to our own Uptown. Whereas swanky condos such as the Mondrian are sprouting up, we have the Redstone and others going up in Uptown (or Memorial Bend or what have you).

5) East of downtown. Again, this area is quietly seeing new construction activity. Dozens of new townhomes are being built with dozens more on the way within the next couple of months. This area could easily see between one and two thousand new units over the next few years.

So all of this plays a factor in the rate of Midtown's growth. I think the biggest factor in Midtown is that a good number of the older office/commercial units are empty now and the trick is getting quality businesses, whether they be retail or what have you, to come in and reoccupy them. Getting rid of that particular blight would instantly improve the area's overall look and feel.

But, hey, what do I know, maybe Houston does suck and I'm just not accepting it

[danes75]

Well, to be honest, Houston's uptown really isn't that similar to Dallas'. For the most part, there aren't really any office highrises in Dallas' uptown, if there is a highrise, its residential or a hotel.

Taking into account the transportation system and distance and such, Houston's Uptown is better compared with North Dallas. They have about the same shopping (C&B, Pottery Barn, the Galleria) and the residential in that area is almost all apartment buildings. Dallas' north loop (610) also runs right through the middle of it as does the west loop here.

The more I think about it, I really believe our failure to develop Midtown is because Houston hasn't partnered with anyone to help revitalize it. AND they make HORRIBLE decisions like selling abandoned property at significant discounts to developers with the agreement that they must put low-income housing on it.

That's the BEST way to create an urban oasis-- make sure crack dealers and their clients can afford it.

[Houston19514]

Danes, what do you have in mind re: Houston partnering with someone to help revitalize Midtown? Who did Dallas partner with? What did the City of Dallas do to assist/promote the revitalization of Uptown Dallas, that Houston has failed to do? Before anyone gets all excited and thinks I'm challenging you to a dual ;-) let me just say, my questions are serious. While I think you have been somewhat extreme in your trashing of Houston, it does appear that Dallas has done/is doing a darned nice job in its Uptown District and maybe Houston could learn from it.

Here is something I do not understand. I'm pretty sure the Downtown Dallas hotel market has a lower occupancy rate than downtown Houston, and yet they get Ritz Carlton and W to come in and build entirely new hotels! And I just read recently of a proposal to refurbish some older downtown Dallas building into a hotel. Is there going to be a serious bloodbath down the road there, or what's up with that?

What abandoned property are you referring to that the city sold to someone for low-income housing?

When comparing Dallas's Uptown and Houston's Midtown, I think it's fair to keep in mind that Dallas has been working on revitalizing their Uptown for a VERY long time. For example, the Crescent Court (including its office buildings) and a lot of nearby development, has been there for probably at least 20 years already.

I think you're right that Houston's Uptown is more comparable to Dallas's Galleria Area (although I believe that it is actually somewhat further from downtown Dallas than Uptown is from downtown Houston). In any event, I have not been near Dallas' Galleria for a while, but unless the area has changed dramatically, I think Houston has done a better job in developing this area. And the future is only looking better for Uptown Houston, growing more urban and pedestrian friendly.

[Sunstar]

I actually think the forumers on this site are very objective when it comes to Houston, and are not a bunch of zealots as you suggest, Danes75. If that's the impression we've been giving to outsiders (outside of Houston that is) then we need to do a better job of expressing ourselves. None of us are blind to Houston's many problems and this forum gives us the pefect outlet for expressing our frustrations and explaining how things could be done better. In the end we want the same things that people in Dallas do, more urban environments with easy access to mass tranit, and more thought put into how our neighborhoods evolve. In Houston we have more obstacles to overcome because of the lack of zoning and the strong anti-rail movement. Nevertheless, I think this city has made some strong progress in the last five years, but there is still plenty of work to do.

I think when a critical comment is delivered on this site in the framework of "Dallas has this, it's way awesome; Houston doesn't and therefore sucks." it will tend to ruffle a few feathers and start a flame war of the type that keeps popping up from time to time. It's a very predictable pattern, but it's not the main focus of this site.

[danes75]

Sunstar -- My post does not say anything of the sort. It says Dallas has done one thing, as well as other cities, and it worked. Instead of people jumping in to defend Houston for whatever reason and getting all up in arms for the mere comparison of the two cities, they should just fix the problem.

Dallas is the closest major city to Houston... that invites comparison... and competition. I'm not saying Dallas is better, Houston sucks. I'm saying Dallas has done something right, so instead of sticking our heads in the dirt and pretending DFW doesn't exist, look at their model and improve on it, so we can actually be BETTER for once.

HOUSTON19514 -- Read my previous posts. I outlined that in the late 80's (i think 1989) the City of Dallas partnered with Post Properties (they had a different name then) to create the Uptown Improvement District and taxing zone. Post Properties built numerous apartment complexes in the area and helped turn Uptown into what it is today.

I'm looking for it right now, but there is a program where abandoned properties are sold by the city to developers at discounted rates if they agree to build low income housing on the land. I'll post it when I find it (the city redesigned their site and changed their url so my bookmark doesn't work anymore).

I personally think the Crescent doesn't count when considering Uptown Dallas development. It was built there, not because they said "hey, lets build in Uptown", but because it was the closest to downtown they could get. When the Crescent was built, the Uptown district didn't even exist. It was formed in 1989... 16 years ago (but Uptown has looked great since before I moved there, which was in 2001).

I don't see where I'm trashing Houston at all... and it seems that everyone but the last two posts agree, for the most part, with my assesment. Houston has problems. Steal whatever ideas we can from the other cities.

[Gary]

Danes,  what do you have in mind re:  Houston partnering with someone to help revitalize Midtown?  Who did Dallas partner with?  What did the City of Dallas do to assist/promote the revitalization of Uptown Dallas, that Houston has failed to do?  Before anyone gets all excited and thinks I'm challenging you to a dual  ;-) let me just say, my questions are serious.  While I think you have been somewhat extreme in your trashing of Houston, it does appear that Dallas has done/is doing a darned nice job in its Uptown District and maybe Houston could learn from it.

Here is something I do not understand.  I'm pretty sure the Downtown Dallas hotel market has a lower occupancy rate than downtown Houston, and yet they get Ritz Carlton and W to come in and build entirely new hotels!  And I just read recently of a proposal to refurbish some older downtown Dallas building into a hotel.  Is there going to be a serious bloodbath down the road there, or what's up with that?

What abandoned property are you referring to that the city sold to someone for low-income housing?

When comparing Dallas's Uptown and Houston's Midtown, I think it's fair to keep in mind that Dallas has been working on revitalizing their Uptown for a VERY long time.  For example, the Crescent Court (including its office buildings) and a lot of nearby development, has been there for probably at least 20 years already.

I think you're right that Houston's Uptown is more comparable to Dallas's Galleria Area (although I believe that it is actually somewhat further from downtown Dallas than Uptown is from downtown Houston).  In any event, I have not been near Dallas' Galleria for a while, but unless the area has changed dramatically, I think Houston has done a better job in developing this area.  And the future is only looking better for Uptown Houston, growing more urban and pedestrian friendly.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've always thought that for a sprawl city Houstons Uptown was an amazing plan. It has a very powerful look. The inside of the area is also well planned with the stainless arches and signs.

My point is that both cities have there strengths. Houston could use more connected living areas in Midtown and there on course for that, there are midrise complexes going up everywhere. That being said I have to admit that Houston seems to move slower than most cities in there planning phases. I see tons of proposals but little action.

Now, I believe when looking at the possibilities of urbananity Houston has far more potential than Dallas. Houstons layout from UT to DT to the Med Center is totally ripe for a massive urban landscape. We have the buildings and the space between areas, let's get going.

[Houston19514]

HOUSTON19514 -- Read my previous posts.  I outlined that in the late 80's (i think 1989) the City of Dallas partnered with Post Properties (they had a different name then) to create the Uptown Improvement District and taxing zone.  Post Properties built numerous apartment complexes in the area and helped turn Uptown into what it is today.

I'm looking for it right now, but there is a program where abandoned properties are sold by the city to developers at discounted rates if they agree to build low income housing on the land. I'll post it when I find it (the city redesigned their site and changed their url so my bookmark doesn't work anymore).

I personally think the Crescent doesn't count when considering Uptown Dallas development.  It was built there, not because they said "hey, lets build in Uptown", but because it was the closest to downtown they could get.  When the Crescent was built, the Uptown district didn't even exist.  It was formed in 1989... 16 years ago (but Uptown has looked great since before I moved there, which was in 2001).

I don't see where I'm trashing Houston at all... and it seems that everyone but the last two posts agree, for the most part, with my assesment.  Houston has problems.  Steal whatever ideas we can from the other cities.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How does the Uptown Improvement District differ from the Midtown Management District? Is Houston not in fact doing the same thing? Right down to involving the very same apartment developer?

The Crescent doesn't count? How ridiculous is that? Of course it counts. Of course pre-existing development helps tremendously when you go in to start reinvigorating a community. All that proves is that the Uptown Improvement District had a huge head start, compared with where the Midtown Management District started out. Don't you think it's easier to develop and promote luxury apartment spaces in a neighbhorhood already blessed with a development like the Crescent Court, than in a neighborhood like midtown that was totally rundown and largely abandoned?

I am in absolute agreement that the two cities should look to each other for ideas and to make improvements. I cannot imagine where you got the idea that Houston in general has the attitude that it's perfect and never needs to look elsewhere for ideas.

[kzseattle]

Don't you think it's easier to develop and promote luxury apartment spaces in a neighbhorhood already blessed with a development like the Crescent Court, than in a neighborhood like midtown that was totally rundown and largely abandoned? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think that

[Gary]

I think that since Houston has more to plan and deal with (DT, UT, MT &Med Ctr) it would be logical that Dallas would progress faster on there UT planning and development. IMO I again think that Houston has far more potential than Dallas, it's just going to take more time, but damn I'm ready to go.

[UrbaNerd]

We just need a massive kickstart/boost. Once the wheel starts going, though, it will be great.

[kzseattle]

Here is something I do not understand.  I'm pretty sure the Downtown Dallas hotel market has a lower occupancy rate than downtown Houston, and yet they get Ritz Carlton and W to come in and build entirely new hotels! 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Isn't there a plan/rumor of Ritz Carlton in Uptown where Pavillion center or Fashion Square currently is?

[Sunstar]

It couldn't be any worse than this:

Two hotels default on city loans

Officials hope to clear up downtown dispute by April

By JOE STINEBAKER

Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Two downtown hotels have defaulted on redevelopment loans from the city totaling nearly $15 million, but Houston officials say they are confident they will resolve these disputes by April.

The city intends to "aggressively pursue" repayment by the owners of the Magnolia Hotel and the Crowne Plaza Hotel, said John Walsh, Mayor Bill White's deputy chief of staff for neighborhoods and housing.

Walsh and Milton Wilson Jr., the city's new housing director, said Friday the Magnolia and Crowne Plaza are in default on their city loans.

Both hotel were opened after costly renovations as part of a downtown hotel building boom aided by city financing that nearly doubled the number of hotel rooms between 2001 and 2004.

The combination of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the collapse of Enron, a slowed economy and a glut of downtown hotel rooms has spelled "significant challenges" for downtown hoteliers, Walsh said.

As a result, neither the Crowne Plaza nor the Magnolia has had the cash flow to continue operating while paying off their loans to North Houston Bank and the city. Downtown's Hyatt Regency Hotel was recently given back to its lender, though the 977-room property will continue to operate as usual.

The city lent $5 million to the ownership of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, at 1700 Smith, in February 2000, but the owners have yet to make a full payment since the first one came due in March 2001.

The city lent $9.5 million to the owners of the Magnolia Hotel, at 1100 Texas, in October 2002 but hasn't seen any payments since the first due date of November 2003.

Steve Holtze, the Magnolia's owner, said he remains confident he will be able to ultimately fulfill his obligations to the city.

"There is no reason on Earth why we shouldn't be able to pay this off," he said. "We intend to, but you have to earn enough money to repay the loan, and we haven't been earning enough so far. We're trying to work out some way to gain us some more time."

Clifford Ferrara, the general manager at the Crowne Plaza, said the hotel's ownership is working with the city to resolve the dispute and blamed former Mayor Lee Brown's administration for being unwilling to meet with hotel officials.

"We've reactivated the dialogue" with the city, Ferrara said. "Our corporate offices are working with them. Quite frankly, under the former administration it was impossible to get people to the table to talk."

Walsh and Wilson said the city would likely not lose money over the deals, thanks in part to federal Housing and Urban Development money that insures the city against major losses on such risky loans.

Wilson emphasized that both loans had accomplished their original purpose, which was to spur the redevelopment of two prime downtown properties and to create jobs for Houstonians.

The city is somewhat limited in its response. Both hotels took out their primary loans from North Houston Bank, which holds the first lien on the properties. Because the city holds the second liens, it cannot foreclose without the agreement of North Houston Bank.

But Walsh and Wilson said the city and the bank would likely agree on how to respond to the hotels' defaulting.

Both hotels are current on their payments to North Houston Bank, Walsh said, although he said the Magnolia will likely also default on that loan shortly.

Although Walsh and Wilson said they could not predict how the situation would be resolved, they said possibilities include the owners finding financing to begin paying the loans, restructuring the debt or havingthe city take over hotel operations.

[RayLSU]

I am a Midtown resident, and I have mixed feelings on Midtown. In one way, it has come a long way in 3-4 years, but in another light...it has a LONG LONG way to go. I am pessimistic about it ever getting there while I am a resident.

Let's put it this way, if I were in the market to buy another house right now, it would not be in Midtown. So, if you are having problems keeping people in Midtown, how can you expect the demand to be adequate enough to build up Midtown. Most of my friends looking for housing inside the loop are not coming to Midtown. I have neighbors selling their houses and I don't see any activity...no buyers...resale value is barely better (if better) than 2-3 years ago.

I don't know...I've just become jaded with Midtown. I am tired of the F#$*)$(%$ bums and crackheads walking around the neighborHOOD. I do see less than in the past, but the area under the Pierce Elevated has become homeless haven. It is embarrassing, but I guess the transition should be expected to take a while.

I wish the crackhouses, vacant lots, and slums would get bought up and redeveloped. It can't happen soon enough. The bus station and El Mexico bus station which were rumored to be purchased by BMW seem to have just renovated the exterior (at least cleaned up with a pressure washer and some fresh paint)...so I doubt that it is going anywhere...that is too bad b/c it is not good for the overall development of Midtown.

Oh well, my soapbox rant is over...Midtown can be nice and is in an ideal location...more needs to be done faster to make me happy with my investment.

[debmartin]

"Although Walsh and Wilson said they could not predict how the situation would be resolved, they said possibilities include the owners finding financing to begin paying the loans, restructuring the debt or having the city take over hotel operations" (houston chronicle/sunstar)

"I don't know...I've just become jaded with Midtown. I am tired of the F#$*)$(%$ bums and crackheads walking around the neighborHOOD. I do see less than in the past, but the area under the Pierce Elevated has become homeless haven."

(quote, rayLSU)

perhaps these two problems could be solved together - the city could take over hotel operations and grab up some of the federally allocated funds for SRO's (single room occupancy). the only SRO the city of houston sponsored was located in the old howard johnson hotel at I45/crosstimbers, and due to mismanagement they lost the funds. since that time millions in federal matching funds have been left on the table by houston, while other major cities turn hotels into housing for the homeless. i attended a houston housing forum a couple of years ago and brought this up to gordon quan, who was interested and promised to look into possibilities. i realize these hotels are not the type generally associted with "bums and crackheads" but with so many newer hotels being built it might be difficult to keep them running as usual.

debmartin

[elecpharm]

Houston partnering with someone to help revitalize Midtown? Who did Dallas partner with? What did the City of Dallas do to assist/promote the revitalization of Uptown Dallas

Dallas' movers and shakers plan to bridge the gap between Uptown and Downtown, using the Arts District as the median, by building a 5.3-acre park over Woodall Rodgers Freeway. The ambitious undertaking will open the door for a potential 6.1 million sf of development.

The project officially got off the ground yesterday at a press conference announcing the launch of a public-private partnership spearheaded by Texas Capital Bank.

- Connie Gore (globest.com)

this type of partnership could possibly spearhead projects in houston like the buffalo bayou revitilization.

[Guest danax]

I am a Midtown resident, and I have mixed feelings on Midtown.  In one way, it has come a long way in 3-4 years, but in another light...it has a LONG LONG way to go.  I am pessimistic about it ever getting there while I am a resident. 

I wish the crackhouses, vacant lots, and slums would get bought up and redeveloped.  It can't happen soon enough.  The bus station and El Mexico bus station which were rumored to be purchased by BMW seem to have just renovated the exterior (at least cleaned up with a pressure washer and some fresh paint)...so I doubt that it is going anywhere...that is too bad b/c it is not good for the overall development of Midtown. 

Oh well, my soapbox rant is over...Midtown can be nice and is in an ideal location...more needs to be done faster to make me happy with my investment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Midtown seems like it's right on the edge of becoming a fully vested upscale urban residential community but maybe buyers are wary because it hasn't turned the corner quite yet and could still turn into less than what everyone dreams off, due to Houston's unpredictable development patterns.

Also, as inner-city housing gets more expensive, the politicians will be cramming more "affordable housing solutions" (cheaply built apartments to make it "fair" and "diverse" for all peoples of all walks of life to enjoy the amenities,,, blah, blah) down the throats of promissing communities which will water down and slow the momentum and enthusiasm.

I think Midtown might be over the hump though. East of Main, the old houses look to be generally in safe hands and the rest of Midtown is spotty but less likely to get the inevitable affordable housing projects than other areas like east of 288/59.

[LTAWACS]

I am a Midtown resident, and I have mixed feelings on Midtown.  In one way, it has come a long way in 3-4 years, but in another light...it has a LONG LONG way to go.  I am pessimistic about it ever getting there while I am a resident. 

Let's put it this way, if I were in the market to buy another house right now, it would not be in Midtown.  So, if you are having problems keeping people in Midtown, how can you expect the demand to be adequate enough to build up Midtown.  Most of my friends looking for housing inside the loop are not coming to Midtown.  I have neighbors selling their houses and I don't see any activity...no buyers...resale value is barely better (if better) than 2-3 years ago.

I don't know...I've just become jaded with Midtown.  I am tired of the F#$*)$(%$ bums and crackheads walking around the neighborHOOD.  I do see less than in the past, but the area under the Pierce Elevated has become homeless haven.    It is embarrassing, but I guess the transition should be expected to take a while. 

I wish the crackhouses, vacant lots, and slums would get bought up and redeveloped.  It can't happen soon enough.  The bus station and El Mexico bus station which were rumored to be purchased by BMW seem to have just renovated the exterior (at least cleaned up with a pressure washer and some fresh paint)...so I doubt that it is going anywhere...that is too bad b/c it is not good for the overall development of Midtown. 

Oh well, my soapbox rant is over...Midtown can be nice and is in an ideal location...more needs to be done faster to make me happy with my investment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I hear you man. I say we exterminate the homeless and all the bus stations.

[danes75]

How does the Uptown Improvement District differ from the Midtown Management District?

[Houston19514]

The Crescent was not built AS A PART of the uptown revitalization project in Dallas.  It was built long before the Uptown District was even on the drawing board.  And just as an aside, the area around the Crescent has actually taken longer to develop than the rest of Uptown.  It STILL has empty lots around it.  With your argument, then the area around the new Hilton should be teaming with new highrise condos and apartment living.

Houston partnered with Post?  Not that I've ever heard of.  The Dallas partnership resulted in 14 large-scale complexes bearing the Post name in Uptown.  How many does Houston have in Midtown? One.  The partnership with Post existed for many years before the UID ever formed.

Dallas' Uptown WAS largely run down and abandoned.  The point is, it isn't now.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Since you either don't really understand what the Post-Dallas "partnership" really amounted to, or just haven't desired to let us in on the little secret, I looked it up. Post Properties just got the city of Dallas to establish a TIF (Tax Increment Financing) zone to upgrade the area's infrastructure. I believe that is EXACTLY what Houston has done with the Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone.

Regarding your comments about the Crescent Court and the new Hilton... you are entirely misstating the "argument." I never suggested that a hotel, and a hotel alone, would cause booming revitalization. Regarding the Hilton, the "argument" would only be that promoting development in that area of downtown would be much easier with the Hilton present than it would be without the Hilton in the neighborhood. Personally, I think that's almost too obvious to spend time debating. And the Crescent Court is more than just a hotel; it also has office buildings and retail, which makes it an even stronger catalyst for redeveloping an area.

[houston-development]

...but there is a program where abandoned properties are sold by the city to developers at discounted rates if they agree to build low income housing on the land.

please enlighten me

[brijonmang]

This thread has pretty much been off topic since the get go...whats the word with this project these days?

[midtown_resident]

has anyone seen the artist rendition that's on the superblock along Main street (near tuam/main)? It looks great! Hopefully something starts taking root - the picture shows a 'town center' like area that would be spectacular for the area. I'm holding out hope that midtown will rise to be a star in the near future...

[kzseattle]

The Crescent was not built AS A PART of the uptown revitalization project in Dallas.

[RaiderDude]

I think Houston will do just fine with the midtown area... it's just taking a little longer but things will definitely pick up as soon as more people become aware that the area exists.

[midtownguy]

RayLSU,

I agree. I live in MIdtown. I rent. I would love to buy. And can afford to. But at the end of the day, I'm not convinced. I love living in this area, but I'm not convinced that this is the spot that we think it is. Or, rather, I'm not convinced that OTHERS think that this is the spot (which, at the end of the day, is all that matters in real estate).

Having said that, I don't think we should "execute" the homeless people, as someone else suggested.

I just don't think the Houston condo/townhouse market is what we think it is.