HoustonIsHome

On 10/4/2016 at 2:17 PM, H-Town Man said:

 

Keep it simple. Park along the river. Uniform grid, no pointless curves or dead ends. All the best places are laid out simple. Simple gets better with age.

 

I disagree,  but unfortunately simple is most probably what we are going to get. 

I think it is a waste of frontage to have parking facing the bayou.

But I bet we are going to get a development like the post office site with a few buildings in the center of the property surrounded by a sea of surface parking

This cycle was awesome,  we got some nice infill. This and 609 Main are two of my favorites and both are from Hines. 

And it going up on a surface lot makes it so much better.

Can't Wait To See What Goes Up Next cycle. Its going to be tough to beat this on the residential department and even tougher to beat 609 Main in the commercial department.  

Downtown living in Houston is just not all that attractive right now.  If I could afford it I would rather live in a hi rise in a more established neighborhood like Montrose,  Museum district,  even midtown or Uptown over downtown. 

Downtown just seems too new, whitewashed,  wrapped in cellophane. 

It does not have that comfort of home feeling yet

Nice pic Ellen.  The skyline in the background is awesome. Downtown looks like a beast. It's laughable when people compare uptown to downtown.  The density of buildings is just not there.

It might be similar Tiger,  but 600 J is a less attractive Pig than 811 L.

The interior of that place has been a mess for well over a year.  They took out the escalates and replaced it with stairs (like anyone is going to use it) they ripped out (or rather have been ripping out) the beige tile and replacing it with grey tile. But it looks like they have made very little progress in all this time.

 I overheard the firefighters say that they don't really work around business hours; doing very little in the evenings and weekends but almost completely hindering access. He said sometimes they block off the elevators to certain floors, so if you are going from 6 to 2, you would have to take it all the way down to one then walk to the garage and take the elevators there up to 2, then do the reverse to get back to work.

Sometimes the entire front of the building is blocked off so you have to enter through the garage go up some, find a concorse, cross over to the main building then find the elevators to your appropriate floor. 

Continental folks must sure be happy they are leaving. 

Update:

Looks like the building has been pressure washed and the see through glass is being replaced with a darkly tinted glass. 

It is lipstick on a pig but it is a nice shade of lipstick. 

The gates on 3 sides were open today. The air coming from the opening on the west side smelled like air trapped in a tomb for 1000 years. The side facing the south is covered in Human excrement. Giant rats roam the outside of the property.  The stench around the building is unbelievable.  Even the surface parking reads of homelessness even though there might not be one homeless person in site. 

I am usually with my pom poms in the air when it comes to preservation, but this one they can blow up and I would not bat an eyelash.

That tree has been up there forever. 

On 8/28/2016 at 9:07 AM, nativehoustonion said:

That will be Hines next supertall in the future.  

I could do without another really tall building on the north and west side of Downtown.  The Chevron lot would balance things off. 

The block bounded by Rusk, Caroline,  walker and San Jacinto is another good candidate.  It would stretch the height east without sticking out too much as that monkey wrench building is only about 2 blocks away, and 609 Main is nearby too. This block is also on the rail, about a half stop from the east bound central station. Is this the future Houston Center 6 block? If so it would be nice to get showing more spectacular on the rail. 

Rusk, Labranch, Austin and walker would make a good mixed use building.  It would be near the other new residential buildings to the north, on the fringe of the convention district and it's hotels to the east and south, and all the commercial buildings to the west. A fancy hotel with a residential and commercial space would be great for that area.

There are about 6 lots between discovery green and Root square that are ripe for development.  This is where I always dreamed a Ritz hotel would pop up. It would ruin the view from the Hilton pool deck, but that's life. Those 6 blocks, 4 of which front Dallas could develop into something that gives pedestrian life to downtown. It's on the proposed retail strip, it is near Green Street, it is Near Hilton, 4 seasons, Alessandra,  embassy suites, park place, Marlowe, Future Camden development,  and Of course book ended by DG and Root Square.

Finally,  there is still the Bank of the SW tower site. There are tall buildings all around which would make a super tall not stick out like a sore thumb.  

So,  the Hines chronicle site I am not really  concerned about a super tall going up there.  Give me some more buildings like Aris on that Block and on the neighboring International tower block and I will be happy.

Lots of potential on the East side of town. Houston has been a tall city for decades, i am loving the residential and retail initiatives and the interest in parks, art and out door uses. 

Texas, Louisiana,  Mckinney,  Lamar, are all closer to that dream than Main.

Texas street is built on both sides except for a little sliver of a lot across from minute made.

Mckinney and Louisiana is plagued by the same block, the most density ruining block downtown,  the Block that was supposed to house our crown jewel, the famed bank of the SW tower.

Lamar is developed from 45 to 59 except for that lot across from the 4 seasons.

I think main has like 4 whole blocks and 3 half blocks to work on. I guess that just gives more to look forward too.

On 9/1/2016 at 10:12 AM, Montrose1100 said:

What kind of tour lasts 13 1/2 hours? I'll know next week if I can go. Otherwise we'll have to rely on those two to take pictures...

That reminded me of Gilligan's island. 

Might get lost in that building

I'm surprised that there have not been  even more hotel and residential construction in TMC since the 2008 economic recession. I know there have been a lot near Hermann Park, but in my nitpicking mind I call that cluster Museum District do in my mind They don't count. Same with those around Rice Village and the Southern Edge of Montrose. 

Seemed like a perfect time for growth in those sectors. Does the relative lack of development in those areas due to stipulations in the TMC mission?

When I worked in TMC a lot of my coworkers commuted  from Pearland.  Another huge chunk took PT from south main or the Montrose area.

Let's hope that this leads to more residential and hotel in the area. It's crazy how much foot traffic happens during the day in TMC. 

I like the hodgepodge of colors.

I like that what ever is on the ground floor does not look like a fortress guarding against perceived ills of society. 

It looks like a friendly building. 

The buildings with bare walls or covered in living walls should be on Eldredge parkway. 

It looks like it would be easily converted to GFR if the opportunity arises.

19 hours ago, Ross said:

I'm just not in favor of making a property owner risk money for the sake of my feelz. I really don't give a crap what other cities do, they aren't Houston. And, yes, I've been to many of the major cities of the world, and lived in several.

You think increasing the value of the community as a whole by improving cohesivity in retail and improving walkability is feelz?

Helping improve the feel of  a city is a tangible benefit. Allowing developers to offer crap will result in them delivering crap which will result in a crappily designed city.

Making our city better depends on us.

Leave it up to developers and 9 out of 10 they will do just enough to make the product marketable.

Further, it's not like we are asking these developers for an arm and a leg here.  It's a couple of store fronts. These can be used for leasing offices or amenity areas until a retail tenant can be secured. 

The rendering looks interesting in a 'different' sort of way.

I like that if I am giving directions that this will be easy to direct to.

That is wherected Alessandra fails. They had a chance to make a standout hotel but instead went for  a "let me blend in with the background" hotel.

This is not going to win any beauty contests in my book, but based on the renderings it goes under the I like it for its quirkyness pile.  

A district with all glass boxes is rather boring. I like a mix of materials,  shapes, heights, etc. 

They are repurposing instead of Demoing. Plus 1.

They are restoring close to the original condition.  Plus 2.

It adds interest and variety to our downtown.  Plus 3.

Hotels = people who do not disappear after 5pm. Plus 4.

Might add to the retail fabric. Plus 5.

Sorry Monarch,  gonna have to disagree with you on this one based on the renderings.  I may have a different opinion when I see it in person, but I'm digging the pictures so far

Might be the same ones and I just didn't notice them until now.  They are sorta curved. 

https://www.downtownhouston.org/development/project/dallas-street-improvements/

Has anyone else notices the new street lights going up along Dallas?

I don't think it's ugly or nice.  It just blends in with the surroundings. Does not stand out in a bad or good way. 

Just nondescript. 

On 5/20/2015 at 7:38 AM, HoustonIsHome said:

I am hoping this doesn't get pushed back. I don't really hear much about it.

On 5/20/2015 at 7:55 AM, Urbannizer said:

 

Well, we're still more than 6 months away from groundbreaking...

A year later abd crickets.

I wonder if this is built would it be the final push that causes redevelopment of the Days inn. They have been doing constant work on the Days Inn but that might be routine maintenance. 

No necessarily a separation, but a concentration. 

I don't mind A spat of sophistication here and there,  but we need to continue focusing on the Houston H concentration of development. 

Instead of random high priced developments all over the place,  focus mainly on that red Line corridor of Downtown,  midtown,  museum district to TMC,  and west from Midtown,  Montrose, River Oaks, Upper Kirby, Greenway, Highland Village,  ROD to Post Oak AND The developments that span up and down uptown. 

Around the H should be the more upper moderate type developments in the Heights, east downtown,  Afton Oaks, ect.

The greater SW, leave as is. Couple blocks past the beltway is a while other works to me.  Crazy that the urban fabric continues for 10 plus miles in each direction

On 8/31/2016 at 7:59 PM, Ross said:

How much are you personally willing to invest in opening a retail establishment in that location? If you aren't ready to invest, why do you want to force others to do so?

 

Statements Like these are why we are so backwards.

So why do you think cities all across the world can have a say in the development of their city, but we can't? 

The land mass is so huge there is more than enough room for both. 

But I will admit we do need more on the sophistication end.. 

I think the south west should stay as is. To me it is the nitty gritty multicultural Houston that we know and love. 

But the inner loop should be sophisticated.  Or rather the western part of it. 

Don't be building any of that luxury stuff in the south west. That will disturb the quirky fabric. Keep that luxury in Kirby, river oaks, museum district,  midtown,  downtown.  

11 hours ago, Dakota79 said:

Also - I agree that it looks like the Southmore 2.0.   Can't we please please get a tower with more pizzaz?  Austin gets them. Dallas gets them.  

Frankly we do not deserve it because we do not crave it.

Austin attitude: let's keep it cool and hip.

Dallas attitude: let's keep up surg the joneseseses.

Houston attitude:

1. If you want pizazz why don't you take your own money to build it. Or

2. At least it's not a surface lot.

Low bar indeed

Oh wow, look at that density. 

Awww, the balance of this house makes it kinda charming. Newly constructed homes rarely have this symmetry.