HoustonIsHome

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.  

Looks tasteful. Not a fan of townhomes. But I'm a fan of windows,  and I find the front very attractive.  Better than a huge blank wall with an ugly garage facing the street.

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. 

And to think this was a camping spot for the homeless a few years ago.

There were always people sleeping around that little building. 

Gives hope to the area just a few block south past Pierce.  A few developments like these can really turn around the neighborhood

For that size, 40% leased should be enough to have a noticeable affect on activity in that area.  Can't wait for it to all come together as that neighborhood matures

I think AP was supposed to have their initial store in that building,  but that didn't happen and the Montrose location was chosen instead.

There was an AP poster up for a while.

I used to frequent American Apparel a lot. Wish the store had materialized in Downtown as that would have been a more convenient location for me.

Easing up parking restrictions is what is needed to make downtown and midtown better neighborhoods

On 7/31/2016 at 10:51 AM, brijonmang said:

 

 

Three awesome pics, but the middle one is definitely the money shot.

And I am even a Dan if the beige brick. In this instance it fits well. 

I think it's hedious.

Depending on the trees chosen (we love skeletal looking live oaks) the final version might be even worse. 

We really do need more pretty trees though. I think they are doing Green Str... I mean Dallas street right

You know 609 is magic when it makes that chase tower look good

20 minutes ago, htownproud said:

I'm sure we all want the new building built, but let's not kick a gift horse in the mouth.  Chevron is the only major that has remained downtown.  Two weeks ago they announced they were closing facilities father out to concentrate their employees downtown.  Be happy they didn't do the opposite and move people farther out, like every other company in Houston is doing.  

That's exactly why I said the city knows who butters their bread.

Government always in bed with fat cats.

Chevron knows what it can get away with.  Especially with Exxon pulling out of downtown. 

I hate that we lost such a large tax base in the heart of our city. Some of these  taxe payers could have lived in and around downtown, contributing to the $$$ that make the city stronger. But instead of focusing on strengthening the core to keep the tax base that we have,  we want more and more loops so our biggest tax payers can flee further and further away.

Back directly on topic, the powers that be at chevron know what they are doing.  The city knows who butters their bread.

No one is spending other people's money.

I simply stated that flooding on that lot is a weak excuse as there are retail areas in buildings much closer (right on ) the Bayou.

I just drove past that lot and Franklin inclines.  So not only are there areas closer to the bayou, they are also at a lower elevation. Plus, it looks like the ground floor of what ever building was there before sat a bit higher than the curb. If the ground floor of whatever was there flooded,  all of downtown would be too at that point. 

And is it too much to want better for our city? 

Is it too much to want to preserve the look and feel of our historic district? 

Is it okay to always settle for less? 

Mollusk,  they might have been there long before they came up with the flood maps, but they are still there right?

Along with Spaghetti Warehouse and Sunset Coffee.

The block you mentioned,  is that the one the suburban looking chase drive through is on? Apart from Bobruss' s response, that block is right on the Bayou, despite being further down Milam.

Let's NOT begin making excuses For these developments.

The Magnolia ballroom is right across the street from this proposed mess, and is in fact closer. Red Cat cafe is closer still. There are multiple retail areas between the bayou and this development,  so that is a weak excuse.