jt16

It's just another champps in my opinion. Not much sets any of the two apart. I don't buy the foot traffic that ESPN is waiting for downtown. Either they haven't visited downtown Houston, or they are using some bogus numbers. The lunch crowd alone would more than support an ESPNZone and the weekend crowd downtown is pretty substantial. Plus, it's Houston, people will drive just to go to the ESPNZone downtown. Clearly they need to research the Houston market better, instead of trying to box in every market into one category.

HOA fees are a huge turnoff for me. Most of the "apartment style" or highrise condos have exorbitant fees that really take away the own vs. rent advantage that exists in the market right now.

What is the Houston Metro area? I hear that the don't include areas up north in Montogomery county like The Woodlands, and far south in Brazoria county. Does anybody know about the makeup of the Houston Metro area and which areas it includes?

Well... because people vote for reasons other than rail. I'd speculate that ranks almost dead last in issues voters think about. That said, I've already sent emails to both voicing my displeasure as a young conservative in favor of rail in Houston.

These two markets should coordinate to promote the two as one market. There could be some great synergies with these. Parking is easier in Midtown. So... go to the Midtown market for your produce and hop the train into downtown and browse the market for arts and crafts. This would be a great and unique Saturday morning for many Houstonians. Plus, there are an increasing amount of restaurants in the Midtown area to grab lunch to top off the morning.

Lowbrow, a report on your response. I'm optimistic that there is a demand for this type of project downtown, and being a first mover would be a clear advantage and distinction for any developer downtown. But, like Ronald Reagan said, trust, but verify.

It looks as if the odds are in more in Houston's favor to host SB 2009. According to the Downtown Houston Management District, NO is out because the Superdome is in need of serious repairs, and the state of LA has not appropriated money for the repairs yet. And Houston's closest competitor, Atlanta, had a huge ice storm SB weekend which knocked out power to over 100,000 people and made travel impossible. What do you think the odds are that we get the SB again? I say better than 50/50.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/m...politan/3034689 By LUCAS WALL Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Texas transportation officials want $100 million a year to relocate railroad lines that clog traffic in Houston and other urban areas. ADVERTISEMENT The appropriation is among the Texas Department of Transportation's legislative requests, which also include a push to increase TxDOT's ability to finance toll roads. Ric Williamson of Weatherford, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, which oversees TxDOT, acknowledged it's not going to be easy to ask for more money as the Legislature continues struggling with how to fund public education. But the commission contends the benefits of rail relocation are so enormous

How can we just drop Brown and Delibero? We still suffer the consequences of their complete ineptness. We have a rail system that is more flawed than it is good. And if you don't think that's a major concern for appropriations committees in D.C., you're kidding yourself.

Who is making threathening gestures? US or Iran? I go with the later. The Iranians will budge. Ronald Reagan proved that, and Jimmy Carter proved what a passivist approach would get us. I say we just look at history and learn from it. Condi Rice is no slouch. I trust she knows what to do and how to accompish it.

Well the mosque was in the news today for other reasons. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the closing.

This is great news! What's sad is tht this thread has merged into a new subject. I want to be so optimistic about the Shamrock, but it just doesn't look like anything will happen.

This would really remove a blight on the Houston skyline. I don't see any residential exploding in the south end of downtown/north end of midtown until something is done with the bus station.

This is America. Where you're free to live how and where you want.

what's the infatuation with New Orleans? Business and people move here becuase they don't want to be in NO. What do they have to offer? No last calls and sewer and trash filled streets? I can see the draw if you're a college frat-daddy, but for an event destination?

The city bashing will be endless next year when Detroit hosts the SB. They're banking on a large hotel/casino to host the media and word is that it's unlikely to be finished. Combine that with the weather and... well it doesn't look good for Detroit.

I agree MidtownCoog. I lived in NYC, and you do indeed have to put up with a lot of inconvenience. Density sounds sounds appealing mostly to those who haven't lived it.

Does anybody know roughly, how many people work downtown? With numbers like these, surely we could support a lot more residential downtown that we have now. Just a small percentage of 100,000 wanting to live near work would make a attractive downtown residential market.

It's the land on Bagby across from the Heritage building and the Allen Center. It's currently a surface lot.

I don't really buy the notion that medians are bad for business. If I want to go somewhere, I'll get there. We're Houstonians. We know how to drive through and around traffic to get to our destination. If your business is worth getting to, customers will get there. This is nothing compared to the problems dealt with the construction on the Main Street rail line.

Where is the permitting process stuck? It's hard to imagine some of the other places around town can pass the permitting process, but Stallone's is struggling.

This will surely be a massive failure. This guy needs to put in some Jefe'n effort before he can call this a restaurant.

I can't understand the argument that some of the world is not ready for democracy. Don't you think we've hidden behind this for far too long, and allowed ruthless dictators to deprive millions of people of their own freedom? I really can't fathom why someone would think they are ready for freedom and democracy, but people in other countries are not. Pineda, I agree, it's a monumental task, but only because our indifference allows it to grow. How do we get there? Who knows. But I do know one person speaks of the "evil" that is democracy. He's a terrorist and makes a living killing innocent people.

Make fun, but these kind of things make The Woodlands one of the most desirable communities in Houston.

I was reading a book and found this interesting quote from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: "You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot help the wage-earner by pulling down the wage-payer. You cannot further the Brotherhood of Man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot keep people out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves." There's a lot there, but I think the last sentence probably illustrates how I feel about this city (and country's) attitude towards our growing homeless problem. History lesson done.