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Regent Square: Mixed-Use On Allen Parkway At Dunlavy St.


Travel_n_Transport

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Wow. I really LIKE that tower.

PLEASE BUILD THIS.

I approve of this tower and greenlight the financing and necessary permits.

On another note though, this development is going to throw traffic up and down Dunlavy and Dallas into chaos. This plan calls for a lot more residents than were there before and, more importantly, lots of retail traffic. Keep in mind that Dunlavy between Dallas and Allen Pkwy is two lanes (the only expansion can come from...???...). Forget the dire predictions of Wilshire Village and Tower of Traffic -- this baby is going to have every bit the impact on the area. And I'm not necessarily one of those (even though I live right off Dunlavy) who thinks that's such a bad thing. It comes with living in a densifying city. I just hope that they do it right and from what I've seen of this group, I suspect they have their act together.

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I approve of this tower and greenlight the financing and necessary permits.

On another note though, this development is going to throw traffic up and down Dunlavy and Dallas into chaos. This plan calls for a lot more residents than were there before and, more importantly, lots of retail traffic. Keep in mind that Dunlavy between Dallas and Allen Pkwy is two lanes (the only expansion can come from...???...). Forget the dire predictions of Wilshire Village and Tower of Traffic -- this baby is going to have every bit the impact on the area. And I'm not necessarily one of those (even though I live right off Dunlavy) who thinks that's such a bad thing. It comes with living in a densifying city. I just hope that they do it right and from what I've seen of this group, I suspect they have their act together.

Maybe it will allow for another rail line to be built around there.

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The last bullet under 'Houston Economy' says :

'All real estate sectors experiencing very strong fundamentals. '

If that is a FACT, according to the poster, why has the project been delayed? Problems with non-fundamentals? Their financing fundamentally fell through?

I went by the sales office today but it was closed. Hoping to go see some models on my lunch hour this week. The tower looks pretty cool.

Edited by crunchtastic
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Hmm, Sir Robert Armstrong might have called this being economical with the truth:

"....Strong economic growth underway with exploding (sic) energy, medical and port industries...."

Two of the biggest employers in the Medical Center are on an extended hiring freeze, and those are just the ones I know of. I guess there wasn't room on the flyer for that.

Edit: Crunch you beat me to it, I'm a slow typer!

Edited by sidegate
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The last bullet under 'Houston Economy' says :

'All real estate sectors experiencing very strong fundamentals. '

If that is a FACT, according to the poster, why has the project been delayed? Problems with non-fundamentals? Their financing fundamentally fell through?

I went by the sales office today but it was closed. Hoping to go see some models on my lunch hour this week. The tower looks pretty cool.

I posted that info to show the Phasing plans for the development, not for the 'Houston Economy' section. The info is about 6-12months old, but has not been mentioned here on HAIF, nor anywhere else.

Edited by UpuPUp!
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I'm not so sure about the design...

What aren't you sure about? I'm not an actual architect (don't tell anyone on the board) so my assessments are usually governed by my initial reaction of whether or not it looks neat. Then I sort of figure if it is functional, and if it is then I probably put it in my acceptable category. I like the way one side of the building fans out at those angles, kind of giveing a sense of motion to contrast with something staid and blocky like the Royalton. It seems like the designer is fully aware of the advantage of being between downtown and uptown and the views, at both sunruse and sunset, that residents will have. I suppose some residents can pick their view and some will be fortunate and wealthy enough to have both. And I just think it looks neat. Maybe not totally original or groundbreaking but something that, as a nearby resident, I'll enjoy looking at each day.

I'm curious to hear from others, pros or not, what you like dislike about the rendering of the tower.

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I like the tower but the base is just blah. I understand its a parking garage but still, it just kinda kills the tower. It just doesnt fit in with the rest of the project, with the base like that it kinda looks like a dead end street thats not very inviting.

There's really no point in getting worked up over the design. We probably won't see this for at least 5 years.

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There's really no point in getting worked up over the design. We probably won't see this for at least 5 years.

I agree. This will likely be put on hold by the time they start doing any kind of soil analysis.

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I like the tower but the base is just blah. I understand its a parking garage but still, it just kinda kills the tower. It just doesnt fit in with the rest of the project, with the base like that it kinda looks like a dead end street thats not very inviting.

I like the Base, somethng you don't see often in Houston, espically with the 'green' area on the side, but I don't like the extra parking near the pool.

There's really no point in getting worked up over the design. We probably won't see this for at least 5 years.

I don't expect this to be on hold (never really was actually). 5yrs? Come on, this development just received a 18(?) million by TIRZ and the economic crisis is thawing out slowly. I also think the Houston city council will make sure this thing gets built. In about 5yrs I expect this to be completed or u/c at least.

Edited by UpuPUp!
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I just saw a video of a segment that KHOU did about Houston's economy. An economics professor predicts that Houston's economy will get worst than the rest of the nation. It said something like Houston would lose like 60,000 plus jobs this year. I hope that professor is wrong.

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Is there any reason not to believe him? I can only speak for the Medical Center but it's in the doldrums right now. I have friends in the energy industry who I will shortly be saying goodbye to as they are moved elsewhere by their corporate offices. Anecdotal evidence yes, but evidence.

Here's the link Citykid referred to by the way

Edited by sidegate
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I just saw a video of a segment that KHOU did about Houston's economy. An economics professor predicts that Houston's economy will get worst than the rest of the nation. It said something like Houston would lose like 60,000 plus jobs this year. I hope that professor is wrong.

He may but a professor, but I don't think Houston will lose that many jobs imo. I say the professor is wrong.

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I just saw a video of a segment that KHOU did about Houston's economy. An economics professor predicts that Houston's economy will get worst than the rest of the nation. It said something like Houston would lose like 60,000 plus jobs this year. I hope that professor is wrong.

As usual, CityKid got it wrong. He did NOT say that Houston's economy will get [worse] than the rest of the nation. He said it will get worse, following the rest of the nation's decline. He also did not say we would lose 60,000 jobs this year... he said we would lose 60,000 jobs over two years.

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I just saw a video of a segment that KHOU did about Houston's economy. An economics professor predicts that Houston's economy will get worst than the rest of the nation. It said something like Houston would lose like 60,000 plus jobs this year. I hope that professor is wrong.

That's Barton Smith, one of the very best UH professors I ever had.

And it was 60,000 over the next couple of years. His forecasts from last year seemed unrealistically optimistic, but I think that this is closer to reality.

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so i guess the towers wont come until the second phase

Translation:

GID will be the master developer and will develop the greater part of the first phase themselves. By developing a compelling urban environment in the first phase, the market price per square foot of remaining land will dramatically increase from what it was when they bought it. The projected increase in land value of these parcels acts as collateral on the project, which is the only reason that this is at all appealing to capital markets. GID then sells off parcels to other developers or land speculators for "future phases", which could only possibly be highrises because the land is so expensive. However, the future developers will hire their own architects and will (eventually) build structures that look completely different from what is being shown to us in the renderings. The renderings exist primarily to drum up interest in Phase One from consumers, investors, and local politicians.

How do I know this without any pretense of insider information? It's formulaic.

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I don't expect this to be on hold (never really was actually). 5yrs? Come on, this development just received a 18(?) million by TIRZ and the economic crisis is thawing out slowly. I also think the Houston city council will make sure this thing gets built. In about 5yrs I expect this to be completed or u/c at least.

It'll be on hold until they get financing in place, and I don't think anybody knows when that might be. They've got a sound strategy, a terrific site, and a solid story to sell to Wall Street. Even still, it's going to be tough going. And the Houston city council has no jurisdiction in the capital markets.

This won't be completed in five years; frankly, from the moment they start moving dirt to the moment that the very last building is completed, I'll bet that it'll have been at least 7-10 years. Possibly longer.

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I agree. This will likely be put on hold by the time they start doing any kind of soil analysis.

LTAWACS, I can identify with your general pessimism. I think that that's a realistic attitude right now. ...but for the record, your comments constitute the least well-informed viewpoint on this thread and are among the least valid on the whole forum IMO.

Nothing personal against you, only against the content of your posts.

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  • 3 weeks later...

More on the Regent Square tower and a new planned Groundbreaking.

Houston Regent Square Set For 2010 Coronation

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2125

Published on 21-05-2009 by Skyscrapernews.com

Regent Square is more the sort of name you'd associate to London but the Texan city of Houston seems to be getting in on the imperialist branding now with a proposed 28 storey residential tower.

The tower will stand on a site wedged firmly between the Galleria Allen Parkway area and Houston's downtown as the first part of an $850 million dollar redevelopment of the area which will see developer, GID Urban Development Group, cash in on the proximity of the site to the plush River Oaks residential area.

Designed by Handel Architects, the scheme features low-rise buildings aping traditional terraces ringing much of the outer area of the site and enclosing a central courtyard. These will have ground floor retail outlets, apartments, and parking as well as a roof top pool.

The landmark element of the project is the tower which is designed by the architect to have a radically different look depending on which direction you are viewing it from.

Overlooking the courtyard on the western side is four vertical strips of acutely angled floor to ceiling glass facades with balconies on their corners as if they have has been concertinaed, a shape that's followed all the way to the fa

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