Nick_G

For the amount of condescending content on this site I am surprised I am getting the amount of flack I am. Is it better to participate in non-environmentally friendly behavior and not know about or is it better to know about it and not care?

Right but it is not the status quo I am looking to talk about it is the continual improvement of areas and where we spend money in the future. Again, not looking to compare uptown and downtown, just looking to make a positive point of how I can see improvements being made outside my window.

Wasn't meant to be a potshot, I edited it to just aren't thinking about it, I am not yet a politician but maybe could be one day in the distant future from the lessons learned from this site. I am not sure if I would say I am very young (people can disagree) but no I would not remember 30 years ago. The main point of that was agreeing with samagon's observation that it was difficult to walk even in an area of downtown, something I believe is true for most of the city and I would like to emphasize the need for improvements. I almost made a comment about how I can see first hand how uptown (the area that i am most familiar with as I do live there) is making huge improvements but I figured I might upset people using that reference.

I agree with you, we even won the pennant in 2005, that was not that long ago. Trying to think in that mentality it might be because there are groups of people who believe if you don't win a championship you don't have a winning team. I wouldn't go as far as say it's only Houstonians that do that but I do think we lack the community team support when compared with areas like Boston or Chicago, who didn't win world series from 1918 to 2004 or are still waiting for a third for almost twice as long as the Astros have even been around, respectively. I'm really hoping Crane can get people in the stands and we can start building momentum and community around the team. Baseball is not the same in front of the TV you really need to be there with a bunch of friends.

So, Jim Crane got everyone talking about the Astros just long enough that there were real emotions felt for the team and for the first time in a while the conversations were not associated with "could this be the worst season for an mlb team ever". He has now put an end to it before people start hating him from the get go. Maybe there is hope for the Astros under him just yet.

The whole of Harris county is going to smell of cars and industry if we let. Go check out the "Harris County among Worst Polluters" thread started by Subdude in Houston and the environment. Yes that is what the market seems to want but maybe that's because they just aren't thinking about it or maybe because most of the market is only presented with options that are cars first pedestrians second as samagon was noting even in downtown. In my view it is the city's responsibility to make pedestrian travel safe and enjoyable and I really feel we could be doing a better job of it.

I have been gone for a few days or I would have brought this up sooner, but again you have be able to put what are pretty close to my exact thoughts out in a clear and concise manner. This is a great post. As for the neon, I just don't like it, but it would not stop me from going someplace. If it could potentially get more people in the door (or better yet out front on a patio), why not.

Which one of us was this directed to?

Seriously, this is this kind of thing that has been driving me crazy. I understand Houston is a driving city and that developers need to plan for that, I also understand that someone being able to see a free space out front might just be the last bit of motivation needed to entice them to stop and shop. However, do the developers truly believe their properties will fail if there are no parking spaces right out front? Posk Oak is becoming very developed and once you add the train line in there the traffic is probably going to get pretty ridiculous, which combined with the number of apartments and condos going up will cause more people to walk (crosses fingers). How do we get someone to plan specifically for that? We can do away with the sports authority strip center or the one across the street from BLVD place.

Colvill Office Properties promoting Pre-Leases per email ...can't get that up here at the moment without displaying my work email, but I will post the brochure when I get home so it can be seen.. and showing floor plans http://www.blvdplace...Place_Plans.pdf http://www.colvillof...lvd/index.shtml

Pleak, you make a lot of very good points, I have just a few discussion pieces. I was not talking about forcing anyone to live anywhere. What I meant was that "attractions" like the high end shopping and the restaurants that follow it being downtown would mean there were more people there after hours. As you are familiar, the galleria mall is pretty quite during working hours and picks up to its heaviest use on the weekends. Something like that would complement the working crowd of downtown well, and attract the hotels and residential areas that go along with it. The cost of living might be much higher in downtown itself but as the city is extremely spread out, I believe the most spread out large city in the country if not the world (if someone knows where we really rank I would be interested) I think most areas would still be pretty affordable. That is the bit of planning I was talking about. If you remove uptown (yes where I live), which is outside the loop from the Houston metro area you would also probably have the businesses that are there spread throughout the other business centers and some additional downtown and the area would most likely resemble Bellaire. I think it's fair to say Houston has a lot more going for it than Buffalo. Also, we are fastest growing in master planned communities as well not just the free for all areas. http://www.bizjourna...er-planned.html I'm done talking about panhandlers, wish I never brought it up, I stand by what I've said in this thread, I think I was pretty clear about everything but not going to repeat anything. The single thing I did learn and was actually a constructive point is that they are by city ordinance not allowed to ask more than once.

You guys should do this, we need all the help we can get.

They're all bad reasons. I have a feeling it's just a publicity stunt to get people talking about the Astros, and if that is the case, it has worked.

I really don't think they will change it so I am not getting that worked up about it but I agree that it does seem like throwing away history. I have heard several stories and read several articles about the reasoning they would want to and the ones that stuck in my mind for one reason or another were that they were named after the Astrodome and they no longer play there, the potential reduction of NASA in Houston, and that the history they are throwing away is a history of losing.

We'll see what plays out. Truth is I would continue to go either way.

I agree about the team name, I doubt it will happen though.

Sincerely want progressive property taxation and absolutely more light rail. As for the me coming off as an irredeemable snob (which I do not agree with but I guess that's neither here nor there as clearly the community came to a different conclusion), I have read what have to be your comments on Swamplot and you come off as a condescending prick, but for some reason people, myself included, still like you.

Before this gets taken up by the mob, I do not really think midtown equal's "third world" in fact I almost moved there and it remains one of the areas that are on my radar for purchase. If you are interested, Uptown(I feel like i have to apologize for this one) along the Bayou in either Rice Military (along Memorial Drive) or Montrose are the others. No idea if Regent Square will ever get built but if there were high rise condos or townhouses near there I would be interested. I do wish the power lines were buried though and have had discussion outside this forum about it where people refuse to want to spare any additional income to improve the city we live in. Again, I am coming here with a lot of pent up frustration. Midtown is definitely up and coming and there are a lot of really good projects coming down the line. On a side note, I agree about the chain restaurants in Uptown and have complained about that many a time. You just have not yet heard it. Other things I don't like about uptown so people do not think I think its this perfect world, half the residential high rises are the ugliest buildings knows to man. Uptown only 90% buried the powerlines which leaves that last 10% looking extra crooked and pretty pathetic, like we didn't finish the job (that brilliance by the way was a "great" idea from center point who boasts that it saved uptown money... kinda like not painting the roof of the car because its harder to see and claiming it was a great deal). My number one complaint, we are cut off from the center of the city by River Oaks. The University line was supposed to go into Uptown but it does not, River Oaks blocked it, it now goes to the pedestrian community of Bellaire.

RedScare, thank you for this post. I came on this forum to have actual discussions and conversation like this and not to be constantly attacked for what it is incorrectly perceived I am saying. If someone is confused of what I said simply ask what I mean don't jump to conclusions. As for liking shinny new things, I do but I also appreciate history and love the architecture of downtown (most of it anyway). I said two negative things, and those are the things that everyone seems to hang onto. The fact of the matter is I did not get on here to make up stories about being harassed in downtown. I thought it would be an appropriate place to voice frustration. To the comment about me needing to grow a pair, I am willing to bet that few of you would move someplace if it meant going against a direct request of someone you have been with for 5 years. I did not blame anything on downtown and I acknowledged that we were talking about the illusion of safety and not actual safety. The illusion of safety however should not be ignored as most things in life have a great deal to do with perception. And moving on. I know that downtown has improved greatly and I came on this forum because it is my opinion that Houston should focus more on the inside the loop areas. We are out paving the Katy prairie and at least half the people I talk to hate the trains. I disagree with both of these and am looking for like minding people. I think cheap reliable public trains should be available to the majority of the population and I would gladly pay higher private property taxes to allow for this. I do not think we should tax industry in any way that would hamper growth, but when you get past a certain house price I believe the tax rate on those houses should increase significantly. If you don’t want to pay the higher rate, don't buy a 10,000 sq foot McMansion. I know that bars and restaurants are private endeavors and need private investors. What I would like to see is the city encouraging private investment downtown with tax incentives and continued public projects. The first post I made in this thread was a link to the convention center district plans and I said that if shops close down in the pavilion they will open back up. I also think we should add tourist attractions to bring money in from outside the metro area. If there is interest I would be happy to start a thread about the best ways to do this but it is not appropriate for this thrad. Finally, for this post at least, I think that instead of continually spreading out or attempting to spread out the Houston city limits to include areas like the Woodlands we should look back into the center of the city. I am betting a lot of you agree with that, if not I would like to know why.

"Starting in the 2012 season, more than 5,000 seats at Minute Maid Park will have lower prices than in 2011. Adult ticket prices in the outfield deck will be reduced from $7 to $5, and children’s tickets will be $1. Field box prices will drop from $41 to $29, and seats in a new club level will cost $35, including food credits, down from $46." http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2012/01/houston-astros-aim-to-win-fans-with.html Hopefully we can get more fans in the seats, people in downtown and continue to attract more developments in the area.

The recession got in the way. Yes there are other grocery stores in the area but Whole Foods is still an anchor, and it is the walkable space and the restaurants that I am looking forward to.

The ride would be nicer if you went the route of Buffalo Bayou Park, Memorial Drive into Memorial Park until it hits Woodway, take that and then take Post Oak Ln to (you will come out looking at the future home of BLVD place) you can get on Post Oak Blvd by taking a slight left to the corner. When you hit Post Oak Blvd you can take another left into Uptown Park or take a right past BLVD place and eventually get to Westheimer. If you want to extend the journey a bit you can go west on San Filepe and take another right onto Tanglewood which starts right after Sage. As I have mentioned before I walk the opposite through the city into downtown and it is quite nice.

Showing the map was because you said when you get west of kirby it gets sketchy, yes Uptown is not well integrated into the rest of the city, River Oaks is in the way. River Oaks also blocked the train that was supposed to go right into Uptown. I mentioned in other Posts that I was upset about this because I thought that train would start tying the pieces of the city together. Rather than me trying to explain myself yet again, could you please tell me where you got the impression that I think the people of Montrose do not like to live in Montrose and the people of Midtown do not like to live in Midtown or that I think negatively of either of those areas.

Oh that's the solution I've been looking for, how come you took so long to let me know. You know what, we should put that up on billboards as the new downtown slogan.

I never said uptown is more walkable then downtown and i am growing tired of people putting words in my mouth. The one thing I said about walkability in uptown is that is arguably one of the more walkable areas of the city, which i stand by. I walk up and down Sage, Post Oak, to Memorial Park to bars in Uptown Park to the Randalls on San Felipe and to the mall to go shopping. I park my car on the weekend and don't get back in it until I have to commute again on Monday. To the point about the police, there are a cluster of transients in uptown on the corner of post oak and all I said was there are typically police officers at that same corner. Things I have said. I want downtown to be developed and it makes sense to me to develop a central area. I like the trains. i like going to Astros games. I want to be able to walk to bars after Astros games with a group of friends and walk home after. My favorite local pizza is Frank's. My favorite park is Buffalo Bayou Park. I think the convention center district plans are good. I want more green areas in downtown. I would live in downtown if it was more developed and I think that all attractions in uptown which bring people in on the weekends should be in downtown to give the city more life after hours. The two negative points that everyone seems to be hanging onto, my girlfriend and I get harassed in downtown, which is true (and I am familiar with downtown and I still walk there usually by myself on the weekends) and that I have trouble getting other people to go to downtown with me with is also true. Is it a sin to want downtown to be more developed and that I would live there if it was?