jt16

I'm just going to have to disagree.  Mom and Pop stores won't survive if you have to park several blocks away or pay $10 - $15 to go shopping.  The only way I see downtown becoming anything close to a retail destination is if a large retailer leads the way with ample parking to serve other retailers.  Until then, downtown will be a restaurant-centric destination IMO.  Maybe not, but that's the way I see it.

Eventually, the majority will be retail.  I would bet that most of these leases are no longer than 5 years.. retail follows residents.  It makes sense for Midway to have restaurants now, because there are thousands of workers for lunch/dinner crowds throughout the week.  It also makes sense for Midway to keep these leases short-term, so in a few years they can swap in new tenants if demand is created from the influx of hotel rooms and downtown residents; barring any renewal rights from existing tenants of course.  My guess is they will start being selective for new tenants in the next 12 months as a number of units start to deliver.

 

My long-term prediction is that existing galleria-area tenants will either open second locations or close their doors and relocate downtown/midtown.  So many people (outside of millenials) are wanting to move inside the loop and be closer to the core.  The market should follow.

Maybe, but I just don't see retailers choosing downtown over the galleria.  The galleria is clearly the location of choice, and growing stronger.  What's wrong with a coffee shop by the way?  

what is the building on the corner?  Are those lofts?  It looks occupied, but for what?  Also, I love the renovations, but that location probably gives some nice views of the guys in federal custody hooping it up on the top of the building across the street.

It's a low cost entry franchise. And it doesn't require a whole lot of knowledge.

Houstons Stuyvesant Town? Not sure I like the plan, but it's not my money at stake here.

Prime real estate. I hope for the best

This would probably be the best outcome. The city needs to sell off their complex west of downtown (prime real estate for redevelopment), and this would lock up a significant amount of vacant space downtown. It would help with five houston and the capital tower.

i posted that comment. that bank has always irked me.. glad to see such a prime piece of property is finally on the market to be redeveloped. i just hope whoever gets it has a bit of imagination and connects the site into the bayou (it runs under one corner of the site). one of those high end hotels with residences on top could be cool here.. Market Square needs a hotel and Houston could use a Ritz or something of the like.

Hotel Icon is right across the street from Market Square

I won't comment anymore on the actual building, since some ppl on this forum seem to bemoan criticism. I will objectively state that this is turning into a PR nightmare for Midway. They (and their agents/cohorts) need to just stop talking. No more press releases and interviews. Start building the thing and move on.

I wouldn't call it a nightmare. The average person doesn't even know it's going to be built, much less what the original design called for.

http://houston.eater.com/2014/12/15/7396455/meet-commonwealth-tqlas-replacement-on-washington-ave#4360032

Not in the Heights proper, but a good article from Houston Eater on a couple restaurants coming to Washington Ave. Also, Urban Eats is now open on Washington Ave (http://houston.eater.com/2014/12/3/7329125/urban-eats-on-washington-avenue-now-open). It is supposed to be breakfast, lunch and dinner with a bar too. Live music on weekends. Looks good.

All of the above shows a definite trend along Washington Ave towards a transition away from a party spot to a restaurant corridor for grown ups.

I'm perfectly happy with that

well let's please remember that PHOENICIA MARKET is also (in the rear entry) of OPP.  this particular retail establishment is definitely well known throughout the CBD.  however, i am thinking that the small retail concept may be exclusive to the tenants as per OPP itself....

I'm not saying the visibility is great, but that picture of OPP doesn't really tell the story.  You showed the side where there isn't an entrance to the gfr.  Should have a picture of the other side of OPP to get the true identity.

I don't think you guys are getting the point. Vines that are maintained looked great. Vines that are never maintained look aweful. 59 is an example of vines that aren't maintained. Go look closely at 59. Vines have literally taken over a street light to where it is not visible. Half of them are dead, and some others have never been trimmed and fallen off the wall onto to the roadway. If you plant vines, great. But maintain it at least twice a year. Give me the new landscaping on I10 every day over 59. It's not the greenery thats ugly, it's the complete lack of care given to it. If what you see makes you guys happy, I think we can do better. TxDOT has taken something that could be awesome and completely turned it into something not so much.

I'm glad that switch does not exist.

Which is why houston is and always will be ugly. It takes no effort to keep vines from literally choking out trees, and people accept it here for some strange reason. Hwy 59 has so much potential, but the vines look aweful, and literally haven't been trimmed since the freeway was completed. Thankfully, the guys redoing buffalo bayou are addressing the invasive vines and removing them. That's my opinion, but clearly not shared by everyone.

I wish someone could flip a switch and remove all the invasive vines in the Houston area.

I hope that whatever they build it will be relatively low in rent or just above what was there now. Not everything needs to be super upscale which is probably whats going to go here, but then again if they are already that quick to demo in september it's probably just going to be regular apartments and not a midrise or even townhomes.

The only chance of something being low rent in the area was to leave the existing building.  The land costs and building costs pretty much prohibit any kind of newer low rent building without some kind of subsidy. 

Not sure what's postmodern about this building. It looks pretty thoroughly contemporary, especially with the random rectangular accents around some ribbons of windows. Those seem to be all the rage these days.

I think he meant postmortem design

You sound salty? I don't care for the route he took the Astros either, but you can't deny it was a pretty smart business move. And yeah he donated a **** load of money.. They said it was the largest gift in school history, and we got a 200 million dollar donation back in 08 or so.. But to be fair, the field was named after the Williams or something, who also donated a chunk of money.

I doubt the tarp will be brought back. Not for a few years at least and that's assuming we fall back to doormat status.

You won't anytime soon. Ut will take doormat status. Charlie Strong was a peculiar hire.

I feel that the plan is a bit of a let-down (it's basically a conference center hotel + strip mall + apartments) but it sure sounds like a neat concept (will be finished after I leave this town, sadly). It's a bit like a scaled-down version of CityCentre, but that area isn't wealthy like Memorial City is.

I couldn't disagree more.  College Station is a grossly under served market.  You have 40,000+ students coming from Dallas/Houston/Austin/San Antonio that are all used to nice things in those towns.  Just like CityCentre in west Houston, this place will be hugely successful.  West Houston was starved for entertainment for decades and CityCentre proved that.  The hotel is also badly needed.  You can't expect something on the scale that Houston can expect, but this is a big boost for the town and university.   

I am sympathetic to your point of view. Full disclosure: I work for an oil company and have a retirement nest egg that consists mostly of compensation from working for (nasty, evil) oil companies.

OTOH, I think that as a civilization, we should be working harder toward moving beyond burning hydrocarbons for fuel. I do believe that human activities are contributing to climate change, but even if that weren't true, I would still support moving away from fossil fuels. I am willing to put my mouth where my money is: i would be willing to be taxed to fund a government program (like the space race in the 60s) to move us faster away from fossil fuels.

I have seen enough of oil-company executives to know that they are human beings, subject to human failings. And ... while I do get annoyed with outsiders painting me and them with a broad brush, I do think that we as a society need to move forward. The most disappointing thing to me currently is that the public at large seems to expect oil companies and their executives to act like parents and take care of all of us. That is unrealistic. Not because they are evil, they are just focused on their own lives. I kinda hate to say it, but if we don't have visionary individuals in the private sector who will lead us forward, we may nee to rely on government. I know some here will not like that idea, but we need leadership from somewhere. I happy to have it from one source or another.

Government more visionary than private sector? Uh, no thanks. Obama didn't make electric cars work, Elon Musk did. NASA can't take us to space without blowing up every fifth time, but the private sector is figuring it out on 1/1000th the budget.

The st Regis would be considered luxurious. The W, which always comes up in these types if conversations are not luxury hotels.

High end Audi required at that development

The current PC had a very cool Swanky feel. At least it did the last time I was there. I wish they would keep a similar theme/design. Hope they have a sale.

The Houston PC was very tired and worn out. If you've ever been to the Dallas PC you would see a truly class and swank club. The houston PC has struggles for years to attract the next membership group. It's at a very serious risk of going extinct as members die out. The old bastards just always liked everything feeling like some 1950s plantation, and young executives don't want that. Hopefully the move will be a good transition to a new PC.

No doubt any future leasing brochure will highlight the unimpeded views of the George Bush statue.

Just messin' with ya.

I don't know what to call that park so I describe it.

The post office is in a super-prime location for downtown development. Urban/downtown gurus have been talking about it for years. Visibility is incredible, and it's the only large parcel inside the freeway ring with that kind of visibility.

Not to mention, the bayou and park with George Bush statue are directly across the street.  Can you imagine how great it would be to finally make use of that bayou space there?  Right now it's a homeless colony in the middle of what could be a crown jewel for downtown.  I see opportunity to finally tie in that far north part of downtown with the rest of downtown, with the bayou park in between. 

This city is missing a monumental opportunity with the bayou downtown. The rebirth of the bayou west of downtown needs to continue into downtown.