barracuda

Looks like the exterior is nearly complete. Street view is on Google from a month ago: https://goo.gl/maps/mPLo2EZ2M6z

I'm all for demolishing it. Put in a parkway with dedicated bike lanes and maybe some nice landscaped sidewalks or park-like areas. The structure itself is an eyesore, and the value of the land alongside it would skyrocket if demo'd. 

Houston Tomorrow is one organization promoting better urbanism. I don't know if they have a Facebook page.

http://houstontomorrow.org/

My Heights improvement value went up 50%. I'm beginning to think my neighbor with a rotting, dilapidated house is the smart one on the street, as her home value barely budged. 

Perhaps it's time we rename Montrose to the "Mattress District".

This helps explain the mattress store industry: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-02-17/why-are-there-so-many-sleepy-s-mattress-stores-

It definitely looks like a renovation to me. The new brick stand out, as do what look like metal framed windows and the covered rooftop. Whatever the case, I'm glad to see this spot become something functional, as it still beats a derelict building left overgrown with weeds. 

Interesting divided bumps. Agreed at the ease of installation meaning they should create more elsewhere if deemed worthy.

Down Austin or La Branch from downtown to Hermann Park? I would prefer La Branch due to connectivity with Discovery Green, Toyota Center, ect.

More than anything, I'd like to see Heights and Montrose connected, then from Montrose to Hermann Park and the Med Center. There is no direct, easy way to bike between the Heights and Montrose, and the light rail skips both neighborhoods. 

On Lamar, I have to say the bright green paint looks a bit tacky to me, but it does serve its purpose as it clearly sticks out as a bike lane. Can't wait to try it out.

That dog park is nauseating.... now we're sure to have strays running amok biting people... The good thing is that it will bring people together and give a different feel to the local community. The bad thing is well... the hipsters.

I'm not a dog owner, but I think the dog park is a nice addition. It's fenced so I don't think you'll have strays running amok. That was more of a problem when it was an unofficial dog park. 

With the improvements to Buffalo Bayou Park and the increase in visitors, this makes sense. I'd love to see Allen Parkway become more of a street and less of a high-speed thoroughfare. We already have Memorial Drive for pass through traffic.

My guess is it may just take time to catch on. It's a high traffic area, and when Eatzi's was there it was always busy. On the other hand, some people may be like me and avoid the area specifcally because of the traffic.

Such a nice space to sell something as boring as mattresses. 

I believe this is the lot that had the carpet and floor building. The building was demolished and construction is going on.

I've always wondered what would happen to these boxed-in lots. I hope the tide is shifting away from town homes to higher density developments like this in Midtown.

I do hope they try and preserve some of the land as they develop the camp into a suburban wasteland. I hiked in W G Jones State Forest just south of this last weekend and was really impressed by the pine forests and wildlife. Unfortunately it's getting boxed in by suburban developments. While there I witnessed lose pet dogs from an adjoining neighborhood chasing a deer through the forrest. Between this development and the Exxon campus, the forested semi-wilderness areas north of town are dwindling away unless you drive several hours out. 

The background checks for drivers sounds like a good idea to me, but I don't quite understand the need for medical exams.

I have used Uber to get to the airport and had a positive experience. The private cars are definitely cleaner and nicer than most of the cabs in this city. 

I've been to Seattle many times and agree, the amount of residential high-rise construction is surprising. I believe this is in part because Seattle is geographically constrained and unable to sprawl in every direction like Houston.

As you mentioned, I've also found downtown Seattle to be bustling during the day and not too dissimilar to Chicago in that regard. However, street activity is extremely quiet at night, and by 11 or midnight the homeless and stoners outnumber the few folks still outside. It is kind of surprising just because the city is so active during the day...it's like a switch is turned off sometime after dark and everyone heads inside.

And yes, while Seattle itself isn't super-hilly, the region is stunningly beautiful with the Puget Sound and all the hills and natural bodies of water. Sometimes it feels like you're in a Tolkien novel. In late summer, there are few better places to be IMO. If it wasn't for the dreary weather most of the year, I might have considered moving there. 

I could hear it from my home in the Heights. Right at 7am. It took me a moment to register what it was - it sounded like thunder or a low-flying jet at first. 

This article lost my interest after this. I could have wrote this.

I think the the comments section is quite funny. The success of Houston has bred some jealousy and contempt for our city. Of course, most of the commenters subscribe to a very reductive narrative about the city based on perceptions of sprawl, pollution, politics, and disdain for the energy industry. And I'm fine with these perceptions if they help to throttle our growth. I like that Houston is growing, but there is such as thing a growing too fast. 

Sorry to hear Purpledevil. If you look at google streetview and throttle between May 2011 and Jul 2013, you can see a dramatic difference. The house looks great in the before photo and a wreck in the later one. Sad...but hopefully it will be fully restored.

Fisher is also the one reprimanded by the city for opening a hole in the roof of a house and letting it deteriorate for over a year. 

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Neighbors-face-off-with-developer-over-house-in-5501587.php#/0

If we had the density and pedestrian traffic of Midtown Manhattan it would be different, but I feel the small tracts of green space are a benefit to an urban environment. They can always be removed or reduced if they become an impediment to heavy pedestrian traffic.

The only downside I see is the potential for Grackles to use the mature trees as a launching point to attack pedestrians.

http://www.chron.com/life/article/Aggressive-grackles-ruffling-feathers-downtown-1923981.php

I thought the main attraction to this place was the large outdoor deck and the fact that was in the heart of Montrose. It would be nice to see Aladdin expand into the space since they are always packed.