phillip_white

According to the demo crew, the building is also coming down but they didnt know how soon.

On 7/15/2022 at 2:55 PM, hindesky said:

A worker associated with the crew trenching a fiber optic cable said both these buildings are going to be demolished but didn't have a timeline.

There is a large stack of HEAVY structural I beams on the sidewalk outside the fence. Under the tree in this photo.

15 minutes ago, cityliving said:

What’s up with all the dumb Embassy Suite jokes? Maybe in two weeks you won’t see any more photo updates from me, maybe that will stop the stupid jokes…

1 hour ago, j_cuevas713 said:

Wow I love the brick! So that's what's underneath that ugly ass facade? 

The facade is all new. The mixed color brick is a weird attempt to make distressed plaster look. I am not a fan.

Even if the garage demo is all that's planned, this is such a huge symbolic step forward for the area. Just removing the atrocious smell is a godsend.

2 hours ago, hindesky said:

This isn't permitted to come down yet but it also has fencing around it. Same owner owns the whole block.

https://atticusre.com/properties/2505-fannin/

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/2505-Fannin-St-Houston-TX/5047983/

Unless they closed recently, I don't think Atticus owns the property.

3 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

Removing a structure does not necessarily reduce the tax valuation (and in this case probably does not).

The parking garage is listed on HCAD as an improvement, so there's no reason why it wouldn't increase the appraised value. The only other option I can see for them tearing it down is to increase the marketability of property since it's within the market-based parking zone. And I would imagine that any buyer would likely raze the site anyway.

I wonder if this is a sign of near-term development or if they just want to reduce the tax valuation of the property while is sits in perpetual limbo.

1 hour ago, Amlaham said:

The point of my post isn't to bash any of these beautiful cities. My point is that, the color of the bayou literally does not matter. People don't avoid boardwalks/ river walks just because of the water color, its all about the atmosphere. We have such a negative attitude towards our bayous with things we legit cannot change. Instead we should be focusing on making it more interactive instead of focusing on something that does not matter and will not change. I believe developments like this have done a great job being denser and closer to the bayou. Other excuses that legit don't matter 

• "but flooding," Amsterdam has had a history with flooding for hundreds of years, but they practically fixed this issue with proper flood control.
• "but mosquitoes," the San Antonio river walk has bad mosquitos... Also, there is an area in Milan called Navigli, which is basically a canal with hundreds of restaurants and cafes, its extremely crowded with people....and guess what, the mosquito problem there is soo bad. Its actually so bad that there are vendors that sell mosquito spray throughout the strip, some restaurants even had it for their costumers, but that didn't stop anyone :)

We can only blame poor city planning 

I noticed that none of those cities have alligators... 🤫

https://www.chron.com/food/article/black-page-brewing-houston-17434503.php

4 hours ago, Big E said:

This is the exact type of development that would actually benefit from tunnels. Its large, covers multiple blocks across very busy streets (that will remain busy even if traffic is slowed), and the buildings will probably already have basements, if Ion is any indication. You can still have street facing businesses for people coming off the street. The tunnels are mainly for those that work inside the buildings and commute to the development and park in the garage.

If that's the case, put the traffic in a tunnel. Seems like that would solve everything. 

5 minutes ago, X.R. said:

I knew something was there, didn't know that was a hawk signal. I don't think its ever been activated while I've taken Fanin (usually late, late afternoons or weekends). Probably should be a light if I'm being honest, given the speed people pick up on Fanin. The HAWK by the museums have people complaining on reddit/twitter all the time about people not stopping and that's in an area where people do actually walk so cars at least know there are pedestrians in the area. Can't imagine a HAWK on Fanin would actually work.

The museums have a tunnel, thats a cool idea @Sanjorade. Or the street could lose a lane, which, given how much money the Ion is spending and the business it'll generate for the city I'm sure if suggested would happen. 

On 8/29/2022 at 5:43 PM, IntheKnowHouston said:

From the renderings it appears that all of blocks through the district will have protected parking lanes on both sides of the street, which would reduce driving lanes to two. Between this traffic-calming feature and increased pedestrian activity, through traffic should slow considerably. Changing the timing of the lights at Cleburne and Wheeler would help as well.

Please no more tunnels.

If their permits are on hold, that means they likely don't have a certificate of occupancy. Looks like reality is about catch up to Chef Bowie.

Bloom (the bar across the street) has a lockout notice on the doors from both the landlord and the rented kitchen equipment vendor.

A contractor working at 2409 Austin said that the work underway at the Sacco building is for temporary structural support. Apparently the arson investigation is ongoing. Once completed, they can start on the renovation.

For now Sacco is relocating to 2409 Austin, possibly as soon as tomorrow. 

1 hour ago, hindesky said:

I'm guessing solar powered storage batteries to be used during night time operations.

Most food trucks run generators for electricity, so ideally the solar panels and batteries would be sufficient for a majority of their daily power consumption. 

Are these the most recent renderings? I remember seeing some that were much more bland.

This looks like a carbon copy of the 2111 apts. Hopefully they can throw a bone with some retail.

1 hour ago, trymahjong said:

Drove by today— not sure what’s going on

Looks like they are removing the coolers.

New permits issued for sitework improvement of "structures other than buildings" and another plan review for the nightclub buildout.

Permit issued yesterday for buildout of Dandy Liquor.

On 8/15/2022 at 2:11 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

Correction:

Taste (Taste Bar + Kitchen / Taste Kitchen + Bar) is not relocating from Midtown to downtown.  The restaurant is expanding its brick-and-mortar footprint to downtown. It's opening another location at 420 Main St on the ground floor of the Byrd Building.

There was an announcement about it on Taste's social media Friday:

"Taste Kitchen + Bar is now looking for smiling faces to come and be a part of our team at our new Sugar Land & downtown locations."

https://www.instagram.com/p/ChLLJvkl6Ol/

https://abc13.com/taste-restaurant-controversy-chef-don-bowie-houston-midtown-bar-and-kitchen/12158996/?ex_cid=TA_KTRK_FB

Apparently the owner of Taste owes the Texas Comptroller's Office $162,872.14 in unpaid sales tax.

9 hours ago, EllenOlenska said:

Honestly, looking at it more closely. It seems like the entirety of the gardens is surrounded by hedges and a large wall, with only small gates for entry, which who knows may be locked. I don't know (I'm asking), but it seems the entrance faces into the neighborhood, away from the perspective of almost all the renderings. So to get to the garden you'd have to go through this impressive but not exactly conductive building. I'm not exactly sure if the gardens are meant to be accessible in the same way Hermann Park is. 

Are people going to have unfettered access to the gardens daily? 

I would assume access will be similar to the BAPS Mandir or any other architecturally significant religious structure that has public interest. You check in, they give you a run-down of the grounds, ask you to be culturally/religiously appropriate, and send you on your way. The same is to be expected for any other church or religious property.

I've visited mosques before where they provide head coverings for women and robes for men (if you're wearing shorts). I haven't looking into whether other Aga Khan community centers have similar dress codes, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do.

31 minutes ago, dbigtex56 said:

They've made tremendous progress (it's been less than a year since ground was broken).
I wonder if they'll meet that goal and when the first occupants will move in.

I think the facade may be complete by then, but there's no way they have all of the units finished out in 2 months. Before NYE, maybe. I would guess Spring 2023 for first move-ins.